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:
- Robert Grey Receives ABA Spirit of Excellence Award
- Building Expertise and Networks: Benefits of the Fellows Alumni Conference
- City Leads Needed for the Mentoring Program
- Darden Restaurants Hosts Learning Experience
- Welcome, New Members!
- In the News
Robert Grey Receives ABA Spirit of Excellence Award
Robert Grey gives his acceptance speech at the ABA Spirit of Excellence Awards ceremony. (Photo still from video, courtesy of the ABA.)
In a gala ceremony in Houston, Texas, LCLD President Robert Grey was honored with the American Bar Association's 2015 Spirit of Excellence Award, in recognition of his efforts to increase diversity in the legal profession.
Other honorees included Kim Askew, a Partner at LCLD Member firm K&L Gates in Dallas; Jacquelyn Nguyen, Circuit Judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Pasadena, California; and Kevin Washburne, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Click here to read more and watch the video of Robert's acceptance speech.
Building Expertise and Networks: Benefits of the Fellows Alumni Conference
By Jessica Smith, LCLD Communications & Marketing Manager
2012 Fellow Gerard Gregoire and 2013 Fellow Valeria Chapa-Garza attending the Third Annual LCLD Fellows Alumni Conference in Miami, FL. (Photo by Jay Haas.)
The Fourth Annual LCLD Fellows Alumni Conference will take place June 11-14, 2015 at Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, Louisiana. Attendees will participate in a full agenda including substantive sessions on leadership, diversity in the legal profession, corporate board participation, executive education, and the judiciary.
“The LCLD Fellows Alumni Conference was founded by the Fellows Alumni and it has thrived on their hard work, creativity, passion, and most importantly, support,” said Andrew Giacomini, LCLD Board Member and Managing Partner of Hanson Bridgett LLP. “The continued growth of the entire Fellows and Fellows Alumni programs depends largely on involvement from the Fellows Alumni, and one of the best ways to demonstrate this commitment is to attend the conference.”
The keynote speaker will be Kenji Yoshino, a constitutional law professor at New York University School of Law and expert on the detrimental effects of "covering"—the tendency of individuals to over-manage or downplay their differences from others at work. Additionally, Sharon Davies, Executive Director and law professor at the Kirwan Institute on Race and Ethnicity of The Ohio State University, will speak about diversity in the legal profession.
“At the past two Fellows Alumni Conferences, I learned about solving challenges that corporate law departments face,” said Gerard Gregoire, 2012 Fellow and Director of Litigation Services at Allstate Insurance Company. “The leadership and professional improvement presentations resulted in personal growth for me and my direct reports, as I’ve passed these lessons on to my team.” Read full article.
For more information about the Fourth Annual LCLD Fellows Alumni Conference, please click here or contact Courtney Nolde, LCLD Special Projects Manager and Advisor to the Fellows Alumni Conference.
City Leads Needed for the Mentoring Program
LCLD Mentor attorneys and Mentee law students at a Group Mentoring Program event hosted by Barnes & Thornburg last fall in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo courtesy of Sandy Cha Sifferlen of Eli Lilly and Company.)
The 2014-2015 Success in Law School Mentoring Program was a great success, with more than 760 matches around the country! We know we could not have achieved this result without the dedicated efforts of our Mentors and the leadership of our City Leads. Thank you!
Many of our City Leads have served since the program's inception, and some are ready to give others an opportunity to step into a leadership role. We are currently seeking new City Leads in the following locations:
- Baltimore (to partner with current City Lead)
- Boston (to partner with current City Lead)
- Dallas (to partner with current City Lead)
- Minneapolis (to partner with current City Lead)
- Bloomington - New City for 2015-2016
- Austin - New City for 2015-2016
An important part of the City Lead role in 2015 will be to attend the City Lead Training Session on Thursday, April 30, 2015 at the Jones Day office in Atlanta, Georgia. Specific start and end times will be announced in the coming weeks.
If you're interested in serving as a City Lead in your city or if you know someone who may be interested, please contact Louise Bald. Feel free to forward this invitation to others. Should you or others have questions about the role, please contact Louise Bald.
Darden Restaurants Hosts Learning Experience
On February 6, the 2014 LCLD Fellows traveled to Orlando, Florida, for an inside look at the legal and operational framework of Darden Restaurants, Inc., during a corporate Learning Experience hosted by Teresa Sebastian, LCLD Member and Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of Darden Restaurants, Inc. The night before the Learning Experience, the Fellows were hosted for dinner by LCLD Member firm Cozen O'Connor.
Darden Restaurants owns several national restaurant chains including Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, The Capital Grille, Eddie V's Prime Seafood, and Yard House.
Look for an article about this Learning Experience in next month's issue of the LCLD Insider.
If you're interested in hosting a corporate Learning Experience, please contact Stephanie Uzel.
Welcome, New Members!
Earl J. Barnes, II, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, OhioHealth. OhioHealth is a family of not-for-profit, faith-based hospitals and healthcare facilities based in Columbus, Ohio. OhioHealth has been serving the community since 1891 and remains dedicated to its mission “to improve the health of those we serve.” As OhioHealth grows, so does the belief that people come first.
At OhioHealth, every patient deserves the best care, regardless of their ability to pay. Founded on the values of integrity, compassion, excellence, and stewardship, OhioHealth delivers expert, individualized care locally by sharing knowledge and innovation across its system of 11 hospitals and more than 50 outpatient facilities. OhioHealth is proud to partner with LCLD in its work to build a more open and diverse legal profession.
Mark A. Cantor, Managing Partner, Brooks Kushman, PC. With more than 90 intellectual property professionals in Michigan and California, Brooks Kushman is a leading intellectual property and technology law firm, representing clients nationally and internationally with respect to protection, enforcement, and monetization of IP.
Brooks Kushman attorneys are trained in a variety of technical disciplines and deliver a full range of innovative solutions to IP issues including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
Brooks Kushman recognizes that diversity and inclusiveness are fundamental tenets of the firm, and utilizes this philosophy to better serve clients and the community. Through a number of key partnerships and relationships, Brooks Kushman works within the community to further diversity initiatives within the firm and in the legal profession as a whole.
Ernest L. Greer, Vice President and Atlanta Managing Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Greenberg Traurig is an international, multi-practice law firm with approximately 1800 attorneys serving clients from 37 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Individual attorneys are committed to nurturing diversity throughout the firm and creating an environment where differences are embraced and utilized creatively.
That commitment is reflected by the fact that overall, 40 percent of Greenberg Traurig’s attorneys worldwide are women or minorities as defined by the American Bar Association. At the same time, Greenberg Traurig’s Diversity Leadership Community has initiatives that focus on fostering an environment that supports and encourages diversity and inclusion, and increasing diversity in the profession by increasing access to a legal education for minority students.
C. Lash Harrison, Managing Partner, FordHarrison LLP. FordHarrison is a labor & employment law firm with 28 offices, including five affiliate firms, and is the sole U.S. member firm of the global HR law firm alliance Ius Laboris. The firm is committed to adhering to the FH Promise, a set of principles that guides how the firm delivers legal services and works with its clients.
FordHarrison is also dedicated to continuing to develop a firm of professionals that embraces diversity and inclusion and appreciates the contributions of all individuals. The firm’s attorneys represent employers in labor, employment, immigration, and employee benefits matters, including litigation. For more information on FordHarrison or Ius Laboris, visit fordharrison.com or iuslaboris.com.
James K. Lehman, Managing Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, with more than 500 attorneys and government relations professionals in Atlanta, Boston, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and throughout the Carolinas, partners with clients to provide creative solutions to complex legal, business, and policy issues.
The firm's legal, government, and policy professionals provide counsel across a full-range of corporate; government enforcement; complex and class action litigation; e-discovery and litigation readiness; healthcare; education; and transactional, regulatory, and public policy issues.
Nelson Mullins is committed to excellence in all respects, including the achievement of robust diversity in all aspects of firm life. Nelson Mullins believes that its success as a law firm is dependent on maintaining steadfast commitment to the creation and maintenance of a climate of inclusiveness, with its professionals enjoying outstanding opportunities for their professional development and growth.
In the News
Robert Grey, LCLD President, was interviewed by U.S. News and World Report on law school diversity.
Sara Moss, LCLD Member and Executive Vice President and General Counsel with The Estee Lauder Companies, was profiled in Inside Counsel.
Patrick Quinn, LCLD Member and Managing Partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, wrote an article for the New York Law Journal on diversity as a business imperative.
Gloria Santona, LCLD Member and Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary at McDonald’s Corporation, was profiled in Diversity Woman as a Landmark Lawyer.
Ahmed J. Davis, an LCLD diversity contact and Principal at Fish & Richardson P.C., received the 2015 Diversity Leader Award from the Profiles in Diversity Journal.
Juan Garcia, 2013 LCLD Fellow and Partner at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, was profiled in Law360’s Minority Powerbrokers series.
Tracy Richelle High, 2011 Fellow and Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, received the 2015 Diversity Trailblazer Award from the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion of the New York State Bar Association.
Demetra L. Liggins, 2012 Fellow and Partner at Thompson & Knight LLP, was profiled for Law360’s Minority Powerbrokers series.
Marlene Quintana, 2013 LCLD Fellow and Shareholder at GrayRobinson P.A., received the Cuban American Bar Association’s Presidential Award for her involvement in the South Florida community.
Jiali Huang, a Mentee in this year's the Success in Law School Mentoring Program in New York, won the inaugural Asian Heritage Law School Scholarship from Infinity Law Group.
Carlton Fields Jorden Burt and Jones Day, LCLD Member firms, were recognized by the Daily Report for their diversity recruiting efforts. Both mentioned participation in LCLD and its programs as an important way to find talented minority lawyers and organizational awareness of diversity.
Chevron Corporation and The Procter & Gamble Company, LCLD Member corporations, were the 2015 winners of the Catalyst Award for their corporate diversity strategies. Click here to read about Chevron’s initiative and here to read about P&G’s initiative.
IBM, an LCLD Member corporation, attributed its outstanding patent production to the global diversity of its researchers.
K&L Gates LLP, an LCLD Member firm, recently started the Cyber Civil Rights Legal Project, believed to be the first civil rights group of its kind.
Various LCLD Member firms were recognized by The National Law Journal for promoting high numbers of women to partner positions. Click here to see the Member firms that were recognized.
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.
