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:
- Members Gather for Sixth Annual Meeting in Chicago
- 2016 Scholars Member Organization Registration Now Open
- Three LCLD Fellows Alumni Celebrate Their Firm's One-Year Anniversary
- Upcoming Leadership Lunch at Southern California Edison
- 3M and the SEC to Host Fellows Learning Experiences
- Welcome, New Members!
- In the News
Did You Know?
You can learn more about Fellows and Pathfinder program participants by browsing the Fellows Directory and the Pathfinder Directory.
Members Gather for Sixth Annual Meeting in Chicago
President Robert Grey welcomes LCLD Members to the Sixth Annual LCLD Membership Meeting. (Photo by Joe Mahoney)
A record number of LCLD Members and Fellows met in Chicago on September 28 and 29 for the Sixth Annual LCLD Membership Meeting, to build on the organization's success in developing programs and initiatives to advance diversity in the legal profession.
Click here to read more about the event, view photos, and watch the keynote speech from Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow and the LCLD 2015 Year in Review video. LCLD Members and Diversity Contacts will receive an email soon with additional meeting resources.
For questions about the Annual Membership Meeting or general membership, please contact Jennifer Denton, Membership & Operations Manager.
2016 Scholars Member Organization Registration Now Open
1L Scholars at the 2015 1L LCLD Scholars Summit, May 28-30, 2015 in Dallas, TX. (Photo by Joe Mahoney)
Act Now – register your organization to participate in the 2016 1L LCLD Scholars Program. LCLD will post the complete list of opportunities on our website beginning December 1, 2015, so that 1L law students may apply directly to participating organizations for summer internships.
We invite you to learn more on the 1L Scholars Informational Call, October 21, 2015 at 12:00 pm ET. Dial 877-294-8214 and enter access code 5075876#.
Please register your organization by November 15, 2015 to participate in the 2016 program.
Click here for more information about hosting 1L LCLD Scholars, or contact Nancy Richardson, Program Manager.
Three LCLD Fellows Alumni Celebrate Their Firm's One-Year Anniversary
By Caitlin Puffenberger, Communications Coordinator, LCLD
Left to Right: Aaron May, Joseph Ybarra, Katherine Huang, and Carlos Singer, Founding Partners of Huang Ybarra Singer & May LLP. (Photo courtesy of HYSM LLP)
Just after finishing their respective LCLD Fellows years, Katherine Huang, Joseph Ybarra, and Carlos Singer joined colleague Aaron May to create a Los Angeles-based boutique law firm. The goal of Huang Ybarra Singer & May LLP was to meet a need for high caliber lawyers who can represent clients in complex matters that don’t necessarily warrant the rates of big firms.
“I’m happy to say that we’ve survived our first year – and happier to say that we’ve thrived,” said Singer, Founding Partner of HYSM, 2012 Fellow, and new LCLD Member.
Friends and colleagues for years, Singer and Huang reconnected in part through the Fellows program; Singer also served on a nonprofit board alongside Ybarra. When they began talking about starting their own firm, their similar educational backgrounds, clerkships, and work experience made a good match. Huang and Ybarra were also former partners at LCLD Member firm Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, a distinction that sets them apart from many other boutique firms. But their diversity also played a part in their decision to start the firm. Read the full article.
Upcoming Leadership Lunch at Southern California Edison
I
n advance, we'd like to thank LCLD Member Russell Swartz (left), Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Southern California Edison (SCE), for hosting a Fellows Leadership Lunch tomorrow, October 16, 2015. We'd also like to thank the following SCE attorneys will help facilitate the discussion: Ken Araki, Senior Attorney (2015 Fellow); Robert Kang, Senior Attorney; Jennifer Shigekawa, Assistant General Counsel; and Kris Vyas, Senior Attorney (2014 Fellow).
For more information about hosting or speaking at a Leadership Lunch, please contact Stephanie Uzel, Program Manager.
3M and the SEC to Host Fellows Learning Experiences
On October 27, 2015, the 2015 LCLD Fellows will get an inside look at the legal and operational framework of 3M Company during a Learning Experience hosted by Ivan Fong, Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, and General Counsel at 3M Company. The event will take place at the 3M headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Then on November 5, 2015, the Fellows will have the opportunity to get an inside look at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, D.C.
Watch out for articles and photos from these events in upcoming issues of the LCLD Insider.
For more information about hosting a Learning Experience, please contact Stephanie Uzel, Program Manager.
Welcome, New Members!
John Arrastia, Jr., Managing Partner, Arrastia Capote Partners LLP. Arrastia Capote Partners LLP is focused on exemplifying that a minority- and woman-owned law firm can consistently provide excellence and value to its clients as a trusted partner while reflecting the multicultural breadth of our community. A core value of the firm is developing the next generation of attorneys as the future leaders of diversity and inclusion in the courtroom, the boardroom, and the profession.
Paul S. Chan, Managing Principal, Bird, Marella, Boxer, Wolpert, Nessim, Drooks, Lincenberg & Rhow, P.C. Bird Marella litigates complex civil and white collar criminal matters in state and federal courts across the United States. For more than 30 years, we have built our reputation on the quality of our lawyers and the outstanding results we achieve for our clients.
Rhonda Comer, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Inc. Nationwide Children's believes that no child should be refused necessary care and attention for lack of ability to pay. Upon this fundamental belief, Nationwide Children's is committed to providing the highest quality: Patient Care; Advocacy for children and families; Pediatric Research; Education of patients, families, and future providers; and Outstanding Service to accommodate the needs of patients and families.
In the News
Brad Smith, LCLD Board Chair, was promoted to President and Chief Legal Officer at Microsoft Corporation.
LCLD Members Jami McKeon (left), Chair-Elect of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Terrence Truax (center), Managing Partner of Jenner & Block LLP, and J. Stephen Poor, Chairman of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, discussed law firm and in-house relationships at the Big Law Business Summit.
Nikki Simon, LCLD Diversity Contact and Shareholder of Client Development and Corporate Social Responsibility at Greenberg Traurig, P.A., was named to the Kozyak Minority Mentoring Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Valeria Chapa-Garza, 2013 Fellow and General Counsel-Latin America at Honeywell, was named a 2015 Woman Worth Watching by Diversity Journal for her work on Abogadas, MX.
Manu Gayatrinath, 2015 Fellow and Partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, was named a D.C. Rising Star by The National Law Journal.
Raquel Tamez, 2011 Fellow and Principal at Source America, was profiled in Hispanic Executive magazine.
Bobbie Wilson, 2013 Fellow and Partner at Perkins Coie LLP, was named a 2015 Woman Leader in Tech Law.
Several LCLD Member organizations recently made the news--click here for more information.
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.
