Welcome to the LCLD INSIDER, our monthly newsletter. This publication is for you, and we welcome your feedback and ideas, as well as any news you might be interested in passing along. Please share the INSIDER with your support staff, diversity directors, and marketing departments to keep them better informed about what LCLD is doing.
-Robert Grey, Executive Director
In This Issue:
- Our New Look
- An "Extraordinary Gift" from Microsoft
- Welcome, New Members!
- LCLD Staff Changes
- Last Call to Register for Building Competitive Teams: Embracing Generational Diversity
- There's Still Time to Register Your 1L Scholars
- Reminder: Register for the Corporate Diversity Professionals Roundtable
- 2014 Fellows Attend First Working Meeting
- The Harley-Davidson Learning Experience
- Recent Leadership Lunches Katten Hosts Success in Law School Mentoring Program City Lead Training
- In the News
- Walmart Secondment Opportunity: Legal Realty
Our New Look
By Robert Grey, LCLD Executive Director
The administrative staff and I are extremely proud to launch the new and improved LCLD website.
We've been working on the site for a number of months, and believe that it represents a major advance in the way we manage, publish, and share information with you, our Members--with your diversity and communications professionals, with the public and the legal profession, and with the growing number of people who participate in our action programs. Click here to read more, or to watch our video tour of the new website.
An "Extraordinary Gift" from Microsoft
By Joe Slay, LCLD Communications
LCLD has received a $250,000 grant from Microsoft Corporation to support new and innovative programming. The gift from Microsoft is the largest grant ever received by the five-year-old organization, according to Executive Director Robert J. Grey Jr. "This is an extraordinary and very concrete expression of confidence in what this generation of leaders in the law is doing to change the very face of the profession," said Grey.
"This gift will enable us to expand and strengthen the programs we believe will advance the careers of the rising generation of diverse talent in our profession." Learn more.
Welcome, New Members!
Mark M. Katz, Chairman, Arent Fox LLP. Founded in 1942, Arent Fox LLP is internationally recognized in core practice areas where business and government intersect. With more than 350 attorneys in offices in Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Arent Fox is a dynamic, diversified, full service firm with 31 practice groups and an emphasis on litigation, real estate, intellectual property, life sciences, and international trade. Arent Fox believes that excellence and diversity go hand in hand and the firm is committed to seeking and retaining a varied group of attorneys and staff throughout the firm. Diversity is a strategic requirement for business success and it has several beneficial effects: It produces different perspectives, richer thinking, and more creative solutions to the challenges that clients face; it helps to instill a collegial culture of mutual respect throughout the firm; and it enhances the firm's lawyers' ability to represent clients in the real world of judges, jurors, and the legal system as a whole.
Barry R. Levy, Co-Managing Partner (left), and Jason R. Litt, Co-Managing Partner (right), Horvitz & Levy LLP. Horvitz & Levy LLP is the largest law firm in the United States specializing in civil appellate litigation. Founded in 1957, the firm's services include consulting on trial strategy, assisting trial counsel in preserving and developing issues for appellate review, preparing critical trial court motions in anticipation of appeal, negotiating favorable settlements pending appeal, and full briefing and argument before state and federal appellate courts in California and around the country.
Michael D. Loughnane, Managing Partner, Kenyon & Kenyon LLP. Kenyon & Kenyon LLP is a leading intellectual property law firm whose sophisticated and business-oriented approach helps clients succeed with their intellectual property strategies. Kenyon & Kenyon's global clients, many of whom are worldwide industry leaders, rely on the firm for their high-stakes litigation, prosecution, licensing, and counseling needs. Founded in 1879, the firm has offices in New York, Palo Alto, and Washington, D.C.
LCLD Staff Changes
We're excited to welcome Stephanie Uzel (left) as the new Program Manager for the LCLD Fellows and Fellows Alumni programs--she officially joined us last week. Stephanie is a native of Richmond, VA, and was most recently Senior Counsel at MeadWestvaco Corporation, responsible for Human Resources and Benefits. She spent six years as in-house counsel for Wells Fargo & Company and Wachovia Corporation, where she was also responsible for employee benefits. She was also an associate with McGuireWoods in Charlotte, NC.
Courtney Nolde, who has been instrumental in managing the growing Fellows and Fellows Alumni programs since 2012, has transitioned out of her role with these programs. However, we're excited to continue working with Courtney on special projects.
Last Call to Register for Building Competitive Teams: Embracing Generational Diversity
This is your last chance to register for the May 1, 2014 CLE Seminar on Building Competitive Teams: Embracing Generational Diversity, a presentation by Chris De Santis, Specialist in Management and Organization Development. Following the presentation by De Santis, there will be a panel discussion by representatives from LCLD Member organizations, including Paul Jones, General Counsel of Harley-Davidson, Inc., Genhi Givings Bailey, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at DLA Piper, and Gabriel Martinez, Corporate Counsel at The Clorox Company.
All registrations for the event must be received by April 22, 2014. We encourage you to consider joining us live in San Francisco, or viewing it online as an individual or in a group setting. Please click here to register. If you have any questions, please contact Louise Bald.
There's Still Time to Register Your 1L Scholars
The 2014 1L LCLD Scholars Summit will take place June 5-7 in Dallas, TX. With the summit quickly approaching, we'd like to remind you to provide your 1L Scholars' name and contact information by clicking here. This will allow LCLD to know who's joining us for the summit, and provide important information to the Scholars.
If you haven't already registered your organization to participate in the 2014 1L LCLD Scholars Program, please click here to do so. For questions, please contact Louise Bald.
Scholars at the 2013 1L LCLD Scholars Summit at Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO. (Photo by Joe Mahoney)
Reminder: Register for the Corporate Diversity Professionals Roundtable
Diversity professionals at LCLD Member corporations are invited to participate LCLD's Corporate Diversity Professionals Roundtable event--the first event of its kind--which will take place Wednesday, April 30 at DLA Piper's Chicago office, from 8:00 am to 3:45 pm CDT. We are excited to provide this opportunity for corporate diversity professionals to discuss current diversity and inclusion topics and benchmarks with their peers from other LCLD Member corporations.
Click here to view the full event agenda and "Conversation Starters" for the roundtable discussions. Please contact Nancy Richardson to RSVP by April 23, 2014.
LCLD Members and diversity professionals at the Fourth Annual LCLD Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Joe Mahoney)
2014 Fellows Attend First Working Meeting
By Don Belt,LCLD Communications Director
LCLD's Talent Development Committee is proud to announce that 181 attorneys have been selected as 2014 LCLD Fellows. Mingling with the Class of 2013, which convened in Dallas for their final working meeting and "graduation," the 2014 Fellows began their year-long professional development and leadership curriculum with a two-day agenda that emphasized the three core program skills. As in years past, members of the Class of 2014 were challenged to improve their professional brand, build relationships that enhance professional development, participate in corporate learning experiences, and sharpen stewardship and leadership skills.
"Our Fellows Program is a unique learning experience designed to empower a new generation of lawyers," said Brad Smith, LCLD Chair and Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Microsoft Corporation. "These talented individuals have been singled out for leadership by their organizations, and represent a broad spectrum of backgrounds as diverse as the country they serve." Click here to read more and view photos from the event.
A lineup of Fellows Alumni and outside experts addressed the 2014 LCLD Fellows at their First Meeting at the Four Seasons Dallas at Las Colinas, TX. (Photo by Jay Haas)
The Harley-Davidson Learning Experience
By Don Belt, LCLD Communications Director
LCLD Member Paul Jones, Vice President & General Counsel of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Inc., welcomed the Fellows to corporate headquarters in Milwaukee for an extraordinary, day-long Learning Experience on April 1. There the Fellows met for hours with CEO Keith Wandell and other top executives at the iconic, 110-year-old company; later, they were treated to a VIP tour of the Harley-Davidson Museum.
During the Learning Experience, special emphasis was placed on issues managed by Jones' Legal department, which range from contracts and labor relations to product liability and the legal challenges of doing business all over the world. The night before the Learning Experience, Fellows were hosted at dinner by LCLD Member firms Quarles & Brady LLP and Gonzalez, Saggio & Harlan LLP.
Check the "News" section of our website in the coming days for a detailed article on the Harley-Davidson Learning Experience.
The next Learning Experience will be hosted by Rick Palmore, LCLD Founding Chair Emeritus and General Counsel of General Mills, Inc., April 24-25 at the General Mills headquarters in Minneapolis, MN. If you would like to host a Learning Experience, please contact Stephanie Uzel.
Paul Jones, General Counsel of Harley-Davidson (left), with LCLD Fellows at the Learning Experience. (Photo by Joe Mahoney)
Recent Leadership Lunches
We'd like to thank our Members who have recently hosted and spoken at Leadership Lunches as part of the LCLD Fellows program: Bradley Lerman, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Fannie Mae, and Benjamin Wilson, Managing Principal of Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. The lunch was hosted by Beveridge & Diamond on April 7, 2014 in Washington, D.C.
We'd also like to thank Jeffrey Lutsky, Managing Partner at LCLD Member firm Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, and Douglas Gaston, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Comcast Cable, in advance for hosting the upcoming Leadership Lunch on April 21, 2014 at Stradley Ronon in Philadelphia, PA. If you'd like to learn more about speaking at a Leadership Lunch, please contact Stephanie Uzel.
Katten Hosts Success in Law School Mentoring Program City Lead Training
LCLD Member law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP graciously hosted a 2014 City Lead Training at their Chicago, IL office on Friday, April 4, 2014. An intimate group of attorneys from LCLD organizations who volunteer as City Leads for the Success in Law School Mentoring Program during the 2014-2015 academic year met to discuss and plan for the year ahead. Chris De Santis, Specialist in Management and Organization Development, spoke to the group on the topic of A Skeptic's Guide to Mentoring.
Also part of the presentation, a panel of law school professionals including Shannon Bartlett, Director of Diversity Education & Outreach, Northwestern University School of Law; Bill Chamberlain, Dean of Law Career Services, DePaul University College of Law; and Michelle Mohr Vodenik, Director, Career Services & Public Interest/Diversity, Chicago-Kent College of Law Illinois Institute of Technology, spoke about resources available to Mentors and Mentees.
LCLD extends a special thanks to all those at Katten who worked hard to make the event such a success!
LCLD Member law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP will host the final City Lead Training for the 2014-2015 Success in Law School Mentoring Program at their San Francisco, CA office on Friday, May 2, 2014. All current and incoming City Leads are encouraged to attend. Please contact Louise Bald to RSVP by April 25, 2014.
In the News
Brad Smith, LCLD Board Chair and General Counsel of Microsoft Corporation, recently gave a speech at the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) Annual Conference, in which he called for better lawyer training and more diversity. The American Bar Association (ABA) Journal and The National Law Journal both reported on the speech, which took place April 9, 2014.
Kate Adams, LCLD Member, and Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Honeywell International, Inc., was one of the subjects in the April Corporate Counsel story on women general counsel. She was also pictured on the magazine cover to represent this cover story.
Sheryl Willert, LCLD Member and former Managing Director (now Member) of Williams Kastner, has been honored with the Most Powerful and Influential Women Award by the Washington Diversity Council. The award recognizes women who have achieved a high-level of personal success and have made it possible for others to easily follow in their path. She was presented the award at a ceremony held at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront, March 25, 2014.
Adrienne Dominguez, 2013 LCLD Fellow and Partner at Thompson & Knight LLP, authored an article in Diversity & the Bar magazine on Navigating the IP Rights of Cultural Traditions.
Joseph M. Hanna, 2014 LCLD Fellow and Partner at Goldberg Segalla, has been elected President of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York Foundation, Inc.
Fifteen LCLD Members and Board Members have been named to The National Law Journal (NLJ) listing of America's 50 Outstanding General Counsel. According to the NLJ, "We recognize 50 lawyers who have mastered the multitude of skills demanded of today's in-house counsel. These attorneys head legal departments at some of the world's most important companies and organizations, and serve as models inside their companies and out in their communities." The honored LCLD Members are listed below:
- Susan Blount, Prudential Financial (Member, LCLD Board of Directors)
- Darryl Bradford, Exelon Corporation
- Brackett Denniston III, General Electric Company
- Ivan Fong, 3M Complany
- Lucy Lee Helm, Starbucks Corporation
- Sandra Leung, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (At Large Vice President, LCLD Board of Directors)
- Deborah Majoras, The Procter & Gamble Company (Member, LCLD Board of Directors) Rick Palmore, General Mills, Inc. (Founding Chair Emeritus, LCLD Board of Directors)
- R. Hewitt Pate, Chevron Corporation
- Karen Roberts, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Member, LCLD Board of Directors)
- Thomas L. Sager, DuPont
- Gloria Santona, McDonald's Corporation
- Brad Smith, Microsoft Corporation (Chair, LCLD Board of Directors)
- Laura Stein, The Clorox Co. (Chair Elect, LCLD Board of Directors)
- Larry Thompson, PepsiCo, Inc.
LCLD Member law firm Littler Mendelson P.C. was honored by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) on March 14 with the Thomas L. Sager Award for the Midwest Region. The award recognizes that Littler has maintained a commitment to diversity and exceeded the bar for hiring, recruiting, and promoting a more diverse law firm.
If you have any news or honors that are relevant to LCLD Members, please email Jessica Smith.
Walmart Secondment Opportunity: Legal Realty
Legal Realty Department Secondment Description:
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is seeking a seconded diverse attorney to support the Legal Realty team. The daily work will vary greatly, but will include handling projects that reflect the business clients' current strategies. This position will be responsible for identifying, assessing, and managing risks and resources while promoting and supporting company policies, procedures, mission, values, and standards of ethics and integrity.
The attorney will supervise all aspects of complex commercial real estate transactions related to new store construction for Walmart Realty while managing outside counsel relating to same. Also, the attorney will manage entitlement and land use issues relating to commercial real estate development, environmental/hazardous materials issues, as well as federal and state environmental requirements/best management practices, reporting to a Senior Associate General Counsel for Real Estate. Attorney will also work closely with Real Estate Directors and Project Managers, and will provide advice and counsel to directors and officer-level associates within the company where necessary.
Qualifications:
Expertise of five or more years in negotiation and preparation of purchase agreements, ground leases, building leases, development agreements, easements, declarations and use restrictions, and related transactional documents is required. Team player who can handle a fast-paced and diverse work load.
Secondment will last for three months (with the possibility of extension for an additional three months if all parties agree) at the corporate headquarters located in Bentonville, Arkansas. For further details, or to submit your letter of interest and resume, please contact Gretchen Bellamy, Assistant General Counsel--Legal Administration & External Relations. Desired start as soon as possible.
