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:
- Agenda Now Available for Annual Meeting
- Get Ready for the 2018 1L LCLD Scholars Program
- Fellow & Pathfinder Program Informational Calls
- Diversity in the Legal Profession – A Stubborn Vision
- Fellows Alumni Serve Youth Through Nationwide Backpack Drive
- CPR, LCLD & FINRA Program Aims for Actual Selection, Not Just Training, of Diverse Neutrals
- LCLD Fellows Hosted by One of Their Own: Chad Walker of Morton Salt
- #ImLovinIt: Fellows Experience McDonald's from Burgers to Boardroom
- Recent Leadership Lunches
- Welcome, New Members!
- In the News
Did You Know?
You may view the Membership Map to see where current LCLD Members are located.
Agenda Now Available for Annual Meeting
We're excited to announce that the full agenda and current registrant list for the Eighth Annual LCLD Membership Meeting are now available!
LCLD Members, if you haven't already registered to attend the meeting, which will take place October 16-17 at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C., we encourage you to register here as soon as possible.
Please note that LCLD's block of rooms at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel has ended. If you need assistance with reserving a room, please email Stella Askin.
As a reminder, 2017 Fellows are asked to attend the 2017 Fellows Second Meeting, which will occur October 16-18, 2017 at The Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C.
For questions about registration or the hotel, please email Stella Askin, Programs & Events Specialist. For questions about the meeting agenda, please contact Jennifer Denton, LCLD Membership & Operations Director.
Get Ready for the 2018 1L LCLD Scholars Program
A small group of 2017 1L Scholars at last year's 1L Scholars Summit in Philadelphia. (Photo by Jay Haas)
LCLD Member organizations will be able to register to host 1L Scholars for summer 2018 internships from Wednesday, October 18 - Friday, November 17, 2017.
The 1L LCLD Scholars Program is designed to strengthen the legal pipeline by expanding the number of opportunities for diverse first-year law students. Prior to completing an internship at your organization, the 1L Scholars will be invited to attend the 2018 1L LCLD Scholars Summit, May 22-24, 2018, at the Sheraton Philadelphia Society Hill. This is a career-development conference designed specifically for the 2018 1L Scholars.
In preparation for the 2018 1L Scholars Program, we invite Members and diversity professionals to attend one of the two upcoming 2018 1L Scholars Program Informational Calls (Call-In Number: 877-294-8214, Access Code: 5075876#):
- Monday, October 2: 1:00-2:00 pm ET, or
- Friday, October 20: 1:30-2:30 pm ET
During the calls, we'll give an overview of the program and address any questions you may have. In the interim, you may review the Scholars Program FAQs and the Scholars Program Fact Sheet.
For questions, please contact Nancy Richardson, LCLD Program Manager.
Fellow & Pathfinder Program Informational Calls
The registration periods for 2018 Fellows and Pathfinders are still a couple of months away, but we hope you'll take this time to start to thoughtfully identify candidates for each program. Please mark your calendars for the following informational calls about each program, where you can learn more about the programs and ask questions.
2018 Fellows Program Informational Call
Thursday, October 12, 2017, 2:00-3:00 pm ET
Call-In Number: 877-294-8214; Access Code: 7717602#
Nomination Period: Friday, December 1, 2017 - Thursday, January 11, 2018
The Fellows Program is designed to connect high-potential attorneys (with 8-15 years of experience) from preeminent organizations for a year-long professional development series that focuses on leadership and relationship building. Click here for more information, or contact Nichole Velasquez, Fellows Program Manager.
2018 Pathfinder Program Informational Call
Tuesday, November 7, 2017, 4:00-5:00 pm ET
Call-In Number: 877-294-8214; Access Code: 5075876#
Selection Period: Friday, December 1, 2017 - Thursday, January 18, 2018
The Pathfinder Program is designed to connect high-potential attorneys for an eight-month professional development series that focuses on foundational leadership skills, professional networks and relationship building skills, and career development strategies. The program employs a range of training methods and networking opportunities available exclusively to Pathfinders. Law firm candidates should have three-to-five years of practice experience. In-house candidates should have three years or less of in-house experience, and less than eight total years of practice experience. Click here for more information, or contact Lori Lorenzo, Program Director.
Diversity in the Legal Profession – A Stubborn Vision
By Robert Grey, LCLD President
Some 10 years ago, Rick Palmore was walking back to his office in Chicago from yet another panel discussion on diversity. As always, he had exhorted the audience to take action, but on that walk he stopped and asked himself: “Hey, wait a minute, Palmore, what are you doing?”
That was the “seed,” recalls the former General Counsel for General Mills Inc. It led to his writing his powerful and influential “Call to Action” paper, pulling together general counsel and managing partners to think through the vision for a collaborative effort to advance diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
A vision is a stubborn thing. And in 2009, the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity was born. Rick Palmore, Senior Counsel at Dentons, was its first Chair. Read full article.
Editor's Note: This piece was published by Law360 on August 21, 2017, and used with permission. The article was published as an Expert Analysis relating to the Law360 2017 Diversity Snapshot.
Fellows Alumni Serve Youth Through Nationwide Backpack Drive
By Joe Slay, LCLD Strategic Initiatives Director
2014 Fellow Joe Hanna and a teacher from Harriet Ross Tubman Academy in Buffalo, NY, with donated backpacks full of school supplies.
The Fellows Alumni organized a fast-moving “Backpack Drive” this past August and September for kids who needed supplies for the start of school. Although it was just the first year, Fellows Alumni participated in nine cities around the country: Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Houston, New York City, Richmond, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
The drive was led by Alumni Outreach Committee Chair Joe Hanna (2014 Fellow) and Vice Chair Lisa Harris (2016 Fellow).
“The Backpack Drive” showed the terrific potential of the Fellows Alumni network, especially for a first-year effort,” said Hanna. “Fellows Alumni really respond, especially when they can see that their effort helps kids in their own communities.” Read full article and view photos.
For more information about the Fellows Alumni Outreach Committee, please click here, or contact Joe Hanna or Lisa Harris.
CPR, LCLD & FINRA Program Aims for Actual Selection, Not Just Training, of Diverse Neutrals
CPR’s Diversity Task Force, in collaboration with Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), have been hard at work on a program that aims not only to train diverse candidates to become mediators and arbitrators, but provides meaningful opportunities to position participants to ultimately become selected as neutrals—the only thing that will ultimately have an impact on diversity in ADR.
LCLD Fellows Brenda DiLuigi ('13), Joseph Hanna ('14), and Kristy Offitt ('17) (pictured above, left to right) are participating in the program this year and share more information about their experiences here.
Click here for more information on how you can participate in this program.
LCLD Fellows Hosted by One of Their Own: Chad Walker of Morton Salt
By Don Belt, LCLD Communications Director
General Counsel Chad Walker (right), a 2012 LCLD Fellow, invites Christian Herrmann, CEO of Morton Salt, to share insights and strategy with the 40 Fellows and Alumni who attended the Morton Salt Learning Experience in Chicago. (Photo by Jay Haas)
As General Counsel of Morton Salt, Chad Walker leads the legal department charged with stewarding one of America’s favorite brands—Morton Salt, symbolized by the iconic Umbrella Girl. This Chicago company, founded in 1848, has grown to become North America's leading producer and marketer of salt for home, industry, agriculture, and public uses such as aviation, highways, and water supply.
But when Walker, who was a 2012 LCLD Fellow at McDonald’s, welcomed the current class of Fellows to Morton Salt for a Learning Experience in August, little time was spent on backward glances.
In fact, the day-long program was focused almost entirely on the future, including the company’s ongoing efforts to “reignite the Morton Salt brand” since being acquired by German-based, international mineral company K+S Group (K+S) in 2009. Read full article.
3M Company and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. also hosted Learning Experiences on September 8 and 21, respectively. Look out for articles about these events in the LCLD Insider this fall. For questions about hosting a Learning Experience, please contact Nichole Velasquez, Fellows Program Manager.
#ImLovinIt: Fellows Experience McDonald's from Burgers to Boardroom
By Caitlin Puffenberger, LCLD Communications Specialist
LCLD Fellows at McDonald's headquarters. (Photo by Caitlin Puffenberger)
This summer, 35 Fellows visited the Oak Brook, Illinois, headquarters of McDonald’s Corporation to learn about the company’s global business, history, and vision for the future—and, of course, to eat.
In 1948 two brothers, Dick and “Mac” McDonald, opened a restaurant in San Bernadino, California, that specialized in 15-cent hamburgers, cooked fast. Now, almost 70 years later, the company they founded serves 70 million customers in more than 100 countries every single day.
“McDonald’s is a global company with a global reach making a global impact,” said Jerry Krulewitch, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, in his welcome remarks. As Fellows learned, globalization has changed not only where McDonald’s does business but how. Read the full article and view photos.
For questions about hosting a Learning Experience, please contact Nichole Velasquez, Fellows Program Manager.
Recent Leadership Lunches
We'd like to thank the following LCLD Members for hosting Leadership Lunches in September:
- Stasia Kelly, Co-Managing Partner (Americas) at DLA Piper, and Secretary of the LCLD Board of Directors; and Matthew Lepore, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer at BASF Corporation, for hosting a Leadership Lunch at the New York office of DLA Piper on September 7, 2017.
- Joe Conroy, CEO and Partner at Cooley LLP, along with guest Sean Edgett, Interim General Counsel at Twitter, and several members of Twitter's legal team. Conroy is hosting the event today, September 28, at Cooley's San Francisco office.
For questions about hosting or speaking at a Leadership Lunch, please contact Nichole Velasquez, LCLD Fellows Program Manager.
Welcome, New Members!
Deneen Donnley, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, USAA. The mission of the association is to facilitate the financial security of its members, associates, and their families through provision of a full range of highly competitive financial products and services; in so doing, USAA seeks to be the provider of choice for the military community.
Kirkland Hicks, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Lincoln Financial Group. Lincoln Financial Group provides advice and solutions that help empower Americans to take charge of their financial lives with confidence and optimism. More than 17 million customers trust our retirement, insurance, and wealth protection expertise to help address their lifestyle, savings, and income goals, as well as to guard against long-term care expenses.
In the News
Brad Smith, LCLD Immediate Past Chair and President of Microsoft Corporation, spoke out about the Microsoft legal team’s support of Dreamers.
Deborah Majoras, LCLD Board Member and Chief Legal Officer of The Procter & Gamble Co., and Alex Dimitrief, LCLD Member and General Counsel of General Electric Co., were elected to the American College of Governance Counsel.
Benjamin Wilson, LCLD Board Member and Chairman of Beveridge & Diamond, PC, shared advice on succeeding in the legal profession with The National Law Journal.
Kirkland Hicks, LCLD Member and General Counsel at Lincoln Financial Group, was profiled in Modern Counsel.
John Iino, Chief Diversity Officer at Reed Smith LLP, spoke about the importance of a top-down diversity commitment at his firm.
Stacia Jones, 2016 Fellow, and Associate General Counsel and Head of the Office at Diversity and Inclusion at Abercrombie & Fitch, was profiled in Modern Counsel.
Maja Berlin-Del Vigna, 2011 Fellow, and Vice President and General Counsel, Commercial Electronic Solutions & Engines and Power Systems at Honeywell International Inc., was named “One of Arizona’s Most Influential Women in Business for 2017” by AZ Business Magazine.
Christina Conlin, 2011 Fellow and Counsel at Baker & McKenzie LLP, was named one of the Most Influential Women Lawyers in Chicago.
Nicole Crum, 2017 Fellow and Partner at Sullivan & Worcester LLP, is now Co-Chair of the firm’s Women’s Initiative.
Erica Mason, 2012 Fellow and Partner at Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, is now President of the Hispanic National Bar Association.
Various LCLD Member organizations were featured in the news.
See What's Working at LCLD Member organizations. Read about innovative solutions for creating a more inclusive legal profession and find out if what's working for these organizations can work for yours, too. To submit an initiative, please email Caitlin Puffenberger, LCLD Communications Specialist.
Read the latest issue of the LCLD Weekly News Digest on major issues in diversity and the legal profession. If you would like to receive the news digest via email each Wednesday, please contact Caitlin Puffenberger.
Jessica Sabesan
Communications & Marketing Manager, LCLD Insider Editor
If you have any news or honors that are relevant to LCLD Members, please email Jessica Sabesan at jsabesan@lcldnet.com.
