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, President
In This Issue:
- Highlights and Videos from the Fifth Annual LCLD Membership Meeting
- Act Now to Nominate Your 2015 LCLD Fellows
- Register Now to Participate in the 2015 1L Scholars Program
- Altria Group to Host Upcoming Learning Experience
- Mentors Still Needed in Selected Cities
- Five Fellows Named Organization Leaders
- Four Legal Profession Leaders to Speak at Upcoming Leadership Lunch
- Leadership Changes at LCLD
- In the News
Highlights and Videos from the Fifth Annual LCLD Membership Meeting
At the LCLD Annual Membership Meeting on September 17 and 18, LCLD Members celebrated the organization's fifth anniversary by returning to Arizona, site of the historic 2008 Call to Action Summit that led to the creation of LCLD in 2009.
During a busy, one-day conference, hundreds of representatives from Member organizations took stock of the programs LCLD has built, and noted signs of progress made toward LCLD's goal of a more diverse and inclusive legal profession.
“Each of LCLD’s 221 Members has made not just a commitment of his or her organization to this critical effort, but a personal commitment to see diverse talent rise to leadership roles throughout the profession,” said LCLD Chair Brad Smith, General Counsel for Microsoft.
Click here for videos, photos, and other materials from the meeting. This page also includes LCLD's "Timeline: Five Years in Review" video.
LCLD Members and diverstiy professionals during a breakout group discussion at the Annual Meeting. (Photo by Joe Mahoney)
Act Now to Nominate Your 2015 LCLD Fellows
By Don Belt, LCLD Communications Director
Now is the time to nominate your Fellows for 2015! Please keep in mind that Fellows should:
- Have 8-15 years of practice experience.
- Be nominated by the LCLD Member (General Counsel or Managing Partner).
- Be available to participate in all Fellows Program events over the course of the one-year fellowship.
The yearlong fellowship includes three in-person meetings and a number of opportunities for formal and informal networking. Fellows also have the opportunity to interact with each other and LCLD Members during Leadership Lunches and Learning Experiences. Between meetings, Fellows participate in local, in-person events and assignments, and online learning opportunities. All Fellows will receive a comprehensive welcome package to orient them to the program in January.
Fellows will attend their first meeting March 6-8, 2015 in New Orleans, their second meeting September 28-30, 2015 in Chicago, and their third meeting in March 2016 (city to be announced soon).
To learn more about the LCLD Fellow program, please join us on the Fellows Informational Call, November 19 at 1:00 pm EST, to discuss the nomination criteria and other program elements. The nomination period will remain open through December 31.
Click here to view a video about the Fellows program. For more information about the Fellows program, visit the Fellows section of the LCLD website. For questions, please contact Stephanie Uzel, Program Manager, or Lori Lorenzo, LCLD Program Director.
Register Now to Participate in the 2015 1L Scholars Program
Every LCLD Member organization is invited to select one or more 1L LCLD Scholars to participate in a summer internship at their organization, and to attend the 2015 1L LCLD Scholars Summit, May 28-30 in Dallas, TX, which is designed exclusively for 1L LCLD Scholars.
For more information about the registration and selection process and for additional resources, visit our program page here. The deadline to register your organization to host 1L Scholars is November 15, 2014.
Click here to view a video featuring testimonials from LCLD Members and 1L Scholars about the program. If you have questions, please contact Louise Bald, Program Manager.
Altria Group to Host Upcoming Learning Experience
As a reminder, Denise Keane, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Altria and LCLD Board Member, and Kamran Khan, Assistant General Counsel of Altria and 2011 LCLD Fellow, will host a Learning Experience for Fellows today at the company's headquarters in Richmond, VA. Click here to read the full agenda.
An article about the event will be included in the next issue of the LCLD Insider.
If you would like to host a Learning Experience, please contact Stephanie Uzel.
Mentors Still Needed in Selected Cities
The LCLD Success in Law School Mentoring Program is still in need of Mentor attorneys in the following cities:
- Chicago
- Los Angeles
- Nashville
- Orange County
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Washington, DC
Without additional Mentors in these cities, LCLD will be unable to meet the anticipated law student Mentee enrollment. If you're interested in becoming a Mentor to a 1L law student, please register here.
For questions about the mentoring program, please contact Louise Bald.
LCLD Mentors and Mentees at an LCLD Group Mentoring Event at Moore & Van Allen PLLC in NC. (Photo courtesy of Moore & Van Allen)
Five Fellows Named Organization Leaders
LCLD congratulates the following LCLD Fellows who have become leaders at various organizations, including a law firm office, a nonprofit organization, and a brand new law firm!
Joseph McCoy (left), a 2011 LCLD Fellow, became Managing Partner of the Bryan Cave LLP Chicago office. Prior to his new role, he was a Partner at Bryan Cave in Chicago.
Raquel Tamez (left), a 2011 LCLD Fellow, recently became the Chief Legal Officer at SourceAmerica, a national nonprofit organization and the leading source of job opportunities for people with significant disabilities. Prior to her new role, Raquel served as the Deputy General Counsel of Litigation and e-Discovery Counsel at CSC, a global leader in next generation IT services and solutions.
2012 Fellows Katherine Huang (left) and Carlos Singer (center) and 2011 Fellow Joseph Ybarra (right), along with Aaron May, recently opened their own firm, Huang, Ybarra, Singer & May LLP. The Los Angeles, CA, firm specializes in Commercial Litigation, Investigations & White Collar Crime, and Appeals.
Four Legal Profession Leaders to Speak at Upcoming Leadership Lunch
LCLD is excited to announce that the next Leadership Lunch will feature four speakers sharing their insight on leadership in the legal profession with Fellows--twice as many speakers as usual. This unique Leadership Lunch will take place October 22, 2014 in New York, NY.
In advance, we'd like to thank LCLD Board Members Susan Blount, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Prudential Financial, and Mark Roellig, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of MassMutual Financial Group, for hosting this event. Additionally, we'd like to thank their guests who will also speak to Fellows at the event: Ari Gabinet, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of OppenheimerFunds, Inc., and Richard Meade, Vice President, Corporate Counsel, and Chief Legal Officer of International Insurance and Investments at Prudential Financial.
Leadership Changes at LCLD
Since the Fifth Annual LCLD Membership Meeting in September, there have been a few changes in LCLD leadership. First, Robert J. Grey, Jr., Partner at Hunton & Williams and Executive Director of LCLD since 2010, was named President of the organization by the Board of Directors.
Additionally, The Board of Directors has welcomed two new Board Members: Alan Braverman, Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary for the Walt Disney Company; and Ellen Dwyer, Managing Partner of Crowell & Moring LLP.
In the News
Rick Palmore (left), LCLD Founding Chair Emeritus and Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Compliance and Risk Management Officer of General Mills, Inc., and Brad Smith (right), LCLD Board Chair and Executive Vice President of Microsoft Corporation, were quoted in an article in The National Law Journal about LCLD's results in improving diversity in the legal profession. Click here for a more in-depth look on the data that inspired the article.
Mark Roellig (left), Executive Vice President and General Counsel of MassMutual Financial Group, and LCLD Board Member, co-authored an article, titled "The Graying of the Legal Department and Its Implications for Hiring and Developing In-House Talent," in the July/August 2014 issue of Corporate Counsel.
The University of Colorado Law School will host the first-ever Corporate Counsel Intensive Institute (CCII) January 5-9, 2015, in Boulder, Colorado. This intensive, week-long course will be led by LCLD Board Members Laura Stein (left), Senior Vice President and General Counsel of The Clorox Company (LCLD Chair-Elect); Susan Blount (center), Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Prudential Financial, Inc.; and Mark Roellig (pictured in the previous paragraph), Executive Vice President and General Counsel of MassMutual; along with Kim Rivera (right), LCLD Member and Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of DaVita, Inc. CCII is designed to immerse prospective or new in-house counsel in the best practices of being an effective and strategic in-house counsel. Click here to read more on Colorado Law's website, or click here to read an article about the course in Corporate Counsel.
In February 2014, LCLD shared that Paulette Brown (left), a Partner and Chief Diversity Officer at Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP, was nominated as the first woman of color to become President-Elect of the American Bar Association (ABA). Now, as acting President-Elect of the ABA, Paulette has been featured in an in-depth article about her career in The Boston Globe.
Corporate Counsel's September 2014 cover story explains how Andrés Rivero (left), Co-Managing Partner of LCLD Member law firm Rivero Mestre, and the firms lawyers won the Chevron v. Donziger case—by exposing a historic fraud in Equador. Additionally, The American Lawyer will present Rivero Mestre with a Global Legal Award for its work on the Chevron v. Donziger case in the category of "Global Dispute of the Year: U.S. Fraud Litigation."
Deborah Smith (left), LCLD Member and Managing Partner of Christian & Small LLP, and Ronda Fisk (right), 2014 Fellow and Partner at Osborn Maledon, P.A., were named to the third edition of Benchmark Litigation's Top 250 Women in Litigation.
The following LCLD Fellows were named to The National Law Journal's top 40 under 40 "DC Rising Stars" list: Mareesa Frederick (left), 2014 Fellow and Of Counsel at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP; Antony Kim (center), 2013 Fellow and Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; and Vernessa Pollard (right), 2012 Fellow and Partner at Arnold & Porter LLP.
Joseph Hanna (left), a 2014 Fellow and Partner at Goldberg Segalla, was recently honored with the Legal Service Award by the Minority Bar Association of Western New York.
Rudene Haynes (left), a 2011 Fellow and Partner at Hunton & Williams LLP, was recently named to Style Weekly's 2014 Top 40 Under 40 list. Click here for more information about the honor.
Celina Joachim (left), a 2014 Fellow and Partner at Baker & McKenzie LLP, was recently named to the Houston Business Journal’s 2014 40 Under 40 list, honoring the “best and brightest” in the Houston area who are "setting the bar high for young professionals across the nation." Her firm issued a press release and the Houston Business Journal also featured an article on its website.
Adine Momoh (left), a 2013 Fellows and Associate at Stinson Leonard Street LLP, was recently named a 2014 Up & Coming Attorney by Minnesota Lawyer. Click here to learn more about the award.
Colorado-based Latinas First Foundation, co-founded by 2011 Fellow Meshach Rhoades (left, Of Counsel at Greenberg Traurig LLP), is the National Hispanic Bar Association’s 2014 Pro Bono Corporate of the Year Award recipient.
Deborah Sperati (left), a 2014 Fellow and Partner at Poyner Spruill LLP, has been selected as an honoree for the North Carolina Lawyers Weekly 2014 Leaders in the Law award.
If you have any news or honors that are relevant to LCLD Members, please email Jessica Smith.
