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:
- Introducing the LCLD Pathfinder Program
- Bruce E.L.M. Strothers Receives Inaugural Rick Palmore LCLD Fellows Alumni Award
- 2012 Fellow Chad Walker Becomes General Counsel
- Mentor Registration Now Open
- Fellows Visit Department of Justice on Historic Day
- Nationwide and Bricker & Eckler Host Leadership Lunch Plus Event
- 1L LCLD Scholars Gather in Dallas for Summit 2015
- Welcome, New Members!
- In the News
Did You Know? LCLD compiles a Weekly News Digest on major issues in diversity and the legal profession.
Introducing the LCLD Pathfinder Program
By Don Belt, Communications Director, LCLD
2015 LCLD Pathfinders at their first meeting at Katten Muchin Roseman LLP, April 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jay Haas)
After nearly two years of research and planning, the LCLD Pathfinder Program was launched in pilot form earlier this spring in Chicago, when 40 young attorneys from LCLD organizations (above) were hosted for two days of intensive training in leadership, personal branding, and relationship-building, led by LCLD Program Director Lori Lorenzo and a team of expert presenters.
"There was a gap [in LCLD programming] for junior associates or the youngest members of a corporate law department," says Greg Jordan, General Counsel of PNC Financial Services Group, who, as an LCLD Board Member in 2011, was a prime architect of LCLD's flagship Fellows Program. "That is a population of lawyers where you have some very high attrition—so we created the Pathfinder Program as a way to deal with that gap."
"The curriculum for this program has been very carefully designed to accommodate both the young in-house and law firm lawyer," says Lorenzo. "We do this by identifying the vital leadership training and professional development needs that both groups share, while also focusing on the disparate needs of the two groups through small-group and breakout training sessions. All of that comes together for the Member organizations, both corporations and law firms, in a more confident, more assertive, more leadership-oriented young lawyer." Read the full article and view photos from the pilot meeting.
For more information about the LCLD Pathfinder Program, please contact Lori Lorenzo, LCLD Program Director.
Bruce E.L.M. Strothers Receives Inaugural Rick Palmore LCLD Fellows Alumni Award
By Don Belt, Communications Director, LCLD
Bruce Strothers, Managing Counsel of The Coca-Cola Company, engages with children at the Overtown Youth Center in Miami, FL, during a community service project conducted by the LCLD Fellows Alumni in June 2014. (Photo by Jay Haas)
Bruce E.L.M. Strothers of The Coca-Cola Company, a 2012 Fellow, has been named the recipent of the inaugural Rick Palmore LCLD Fellows Alumni Award.
The award, named for LCLD Founder and Chair Emeritus Rick Palmore, recognizes the "outstanding achievements, commitment, and leadership of an LCLD Fellows Alumnus who paved the way for and assisted with the advancement of his/her LCLD Fellows and Fellows Alumni, and diverse attorneys generally."
As Managing Counsel of the Minute Maid Business Unit of The Coca-Cola Company for several years, Strothers serves as lead counsel to the Minute Maid executive leadership team as well as to hundreds of employees in Sugar Land, Texas, and around the country.
His career at Coca-Cola glitters with accomplishments, including his current stewardship of a number of Minute Maid brands; before that, he handled legal affairs for Coca-Cola in both foreign and domestic markets, and in its complex sponsorship agreements with the NCAA, NBA, WNBA, NHL, FIFA World Cup, the PGA, and the Olympics.
But it was his service to others, along with "substantial and lasting contributions to the LCLD Fellows community," that earned him the recognition of his peers. Read the full article and watch the interview.
Strothers will be honored with the Rick Palmore LCLD Fellows Alumni Award at the Fourth Annual LCLD Fellows Alumni Conference, June 11-14, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
2012 Fellow Chad Walker Becomes General Counsel
2012 LCLD Fellow Chad Walker was appointed Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Morton Salt, Inc. on May 11, 2015. He is responsible for Morton Salt's Legal function across all businesses and operations in the U.S., Canada, and the Bahamas. Read the press release here.
Prior to his current role, Chad was assistant U.S. general counsel at McDonald's Corporation, an LCLD Member organization. Congratulations, Chad!
Mentor Registration Now Open
Attorney Mentors and law student Mentees at a Group Mentoring Program Event at Rivero Mestre LLP in Miami, FL, April 2015. (Photo courtesy of Rivero Mestre)
The LCLD Success in Law School Mentoring Program is looking to break records! It's time to register to mentor a law student this fall; we need more Mentors in all of our cities to meet law school interest. We could use your help in making a push for Mentors in your organization, so please share this email with your colleagues.
All attorneys at LCLD Member organizations are eligible to become Mentors. Please register now to be a Mentor for the 2015-2016 academic year at www.lcldnet.org/beamentor. Thank you for your help.
If you have questions about Mentor registration or the Success in Law School Mentoring Program, please contact Nancy Richardson, Program Manager.
Fellows Visit Department of Justice on Historic Day
By Don Belt, Communications Director, LCLD
LCLD Fellows and personnel at the Department of Justice. (Photo by Don Belt)
The LCLD Fellows got a taste of history-in-the-making during a Learning Experience at the U.S. Department of Justice on April 27, 2015. That was the day that Loretta Lynch was sworn in as U.S. Attorney General, thereby becoming the first African-American woman, the second African American, and the second woman to hold that office.
The Fellows were welcomed to the Department by Jason Cox, Chief of Staff to Acting Associate Attorney General Stuart Delery. Cox noted that many of Lynch’s predecessors, including General Eric H. Holder, Jr., had dedicated themselves to creating a workforce “whose backgrounds reflect our nation’s rich diversity” by promoting “sound, smart diversity management strategies” that are embedded in the Department’s DNA. He also noted that the Department’s diversity and inclusion efforts are Department-wide and focus on all employees.
“On a fundamental basis,” Cox concluded, “we, at the Department of Justice, are aware that we cannot succeed at our mission as a Department without consistently employing diversity and inclusion principles -- a mission that calls on each of our employees to, and I quote, ‘ensure [the] full and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.’" Read the full article and view photos.
Watch out for articles about more Fellows' Learning Experiences this summer: Starbucks Coffee Company (June 4-5) and Target Corporation (June 22-23). For more information on how you can host a Learning Experience, please contact Stephanie Uzel, Program Manager.
Nationwide and Bricker & Eckler Host Leadership Lunch Plus Event
By Lori Lorenzo, Program Director, and Jessica Smith, Communications & Marketing Manager, LCLD
LCLD Program Director Lori Lorenzo; Members Kurt Tunnell, Managing Partner at Bricker & Eckler, and Patricia Hatler, General Counsel at Nationwide; Rhonda Comer, General Counsel at Nationwide Children’s Hospital; and LCLD President Robert Grey (seated, L to R), with Fellows at Bricker & Eckler. (Photo by Ira Graham III, courtesy of Bricker & Eckler LLP)
On May 14 and 15, LCLD Fellows engaged with leaders of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Bricker & Eckler LLP for a special Leadership Lunch Plus event in Columbus, Ohio. At the core of the event was the traditional Leadership Lunch component on May 15, where LCLD Members Patricia Hatler, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Governance Officer at Nationwide, and Kurt Tunnell, Managing Partner at Bricker & Eckler LLP, shared their personal and professional journeys with attendees over lunch.
The group of Fellows in attendance at Bricker & Eckler’s offices gained insights from Hatler and Tunnell on achieving success, seizing opportunities, and remaining relevant in the face of major change in the legal profession. Among some of the advice, Hatler noted that self-awareness is key to success and that the Fellows should be open-minded to all opportunities and avoid “tunnel vision.”
Authenticity is the distinguishing characteristic that drives success, Tunnell added. He also explained that communicating authentically is the key to building relationships. Further, Tunnell urged that, “To remain relevant as the profession faces disruptive change, we have to stay committed to delivering personal value—not just legal opinion.” Read the full article and view photos.
In advance, we'd also like to thank LCLD Members Gregory Jordan, General Counsel and Head of Regulatory Government Affairs, PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., and Vincent Sergi, Chairman of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. They will speak at a Leadership Lunch on June 16 at Katten Muchin Rosenman in Chicago, Illinois.
If you're interested in speaking at, or hosting, a Fellows Leadership Lunch, please contact Stephanie Uzel.
1L LCLD Scholars Gather in Dallas for Summit 2015
Susan Blount, center, General Counsel of Prudential Financial and an LCLD Board member, gets to know the 1L LCLD Scholars, class of 2015. (Photo by Joe Mahoney)
The fifth annual 1L LCLD Scholars Summit was held May 28-30, 2015, at the W Dallas-Victory Hotel in Dallas, Texas, where nearly 175 1L Scholars from around the country met for three days of intensive career orientation, professional development, and networking.
The sessions were designed to prepare the Scholars for their summer internships at LCLD Member organizations—an important first step towards a career in the law.
Highlights of the curriculum included a report on the legal job market from Jim Liepold, Executive Director of the National Association of Legal Professionals; a panel discussion on "Secrets to Sucess" with a number of high-profile LCLD Fellows Alumni; and a special session, "Advice to my Former Self," led by Susan Blount (photo, above), an LCLD Board Member and the Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Prudential Financial, Inc. Read the summit agenda and view photos.
For more information on the 1L LCLD Scholars Program, visit our online Scholars portal or contact Program Managers Nancy Richardson or Louise Bald.
Welcome, New Members!
Marc D. Janser, Managing Partner, Pedersen & Houpt. The clients of Pedersen can always rely on two things. First, that we are committed to our long tradition of hiring talented attorneys across key legal disciplines and industries, who understand the challenges of the law and the needs of our clients. Second, that we will continue our tradition of public service to our communities. This combination serves the firm as well today as it did when it was first founded more than fifty-five years ago.
Michael A. Rosenberg, Managing Partner, Roig Lawyers. At Roig Lawyers, diversity is deeply ingrained in our firm identity. We are a minority-owned, multi-practice, litigation firm with a unique and rare cultural philosophy that allows us to affirm our strong core values to better service our clients in the most effective way of conducting business.
In the News
Peter Kalis, LCLD Board Member, and Chairman and Global Managing Partner of K&L Gates LLP, wrote an article on the importance of the bar exam.
Jerry Clements, LCLD Member, and Partner and Chair of Locke Lord LLP, became the first woman to be named Baylor Lawyer of the Year.
Kurt Tunnell, LCLD Member and Managing Partner of Bricker & Eckler, was recognized for championing advancement of women at the firm.
Mitchell Zuklie, LCLD Member and Chairman of Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe LLP, was quoted in article about the firm’s new parental leave policy.
Kimya Johnson, LCLD diversity contact and Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Pro Bono at Cozen O’Connor, wrote an article on diversity and inclusion referencing LCLD’s focus on leadership.
Kevin Gooch, 2015 Fellow and Partner at Alston & Bird LLP, was featured as a “One to Watch” in the Atlanta Tribune.
Joseph Hanna, a 2014 Fellow and Partner at Goldberg Segalla, recently reached the milestone of shipping the 6-millionth golf ball overseas to U.S. soldiers and veterans as part of his nonprofit organization, Bunkers in Baghdad.
Morgan Mouchette, 2015 Fellow and Associate Blank Rome LLP, was named a Rising Star by the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York.
2013 Fellows Brian Seaman, Counsel at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, and Min Suh, Partner at Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP, were named 2015 Diverse Attorneys of the Year by The Legal.
LCLD Member firm K&L Gates LLP was named the Outstanding Firm for Furthering Women’s Advancement (Recruitment, Retention, and Promotion) in the Chambers Women in Law Awards, USA 2015.
LCLD Member firm McDermott Will & Emery LLP was recognized because the new partner in charge of the firm’s D.C. office is the first female lawyer to hold this position.
LCLD Member firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP partnered with JPMorgan Chase & Co. on the Legal ReEntry program, which targets female lawyers who have taken time off from their careers.
LCLD Member corporation Wells Fargo & Company was profiled for its diversity hiring initiatives.
The legal department at LCLD Member corporation Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. was recognized for spearheading diversity initiatives at the company.
Various Member organizations received special recognition from The American Lawyer’s Diversity Scorecard and an article on firm advancement of women, Working Mother’s 2015 Best Companies for Multicultural Women, and The National Law Journal’s 2015 IP Hot List.
Jessica Smith, Communications & Marketing Manager, LCLD Insider Editor
If you have any news or honors that are relevant to LCLD Members, please email Jessica Smith at jsmith@lcldnet.com.
