Welcome to the Pathfinder Newsletter
“Pathways” is distributed to current and alumni Pathfinders each quarter and features program news and information, alerts of upcoming events, updates on your fellow Pathfinders, and other resources to help you get the most out of your involvement in the LCLD Pathfinder Program. Past Pathways newsletters are archived on the LCLD website.
We want to hear from you! If you received a promotion, changed jobs, are engaged in community service, or have a practice-related publication, we want to share it. If you plan to host a Pathfinder Meet-Up, or are attending an event and want to connect with other Pathfinders while traveling, let us know. We also want to hear personal updates--so let us know if you got married, had a baby, or had other big life changes, and we'll help you celebrate. Email newsletter submissions to Communications Specialist Caitlin Puffenberger or Program Manager Erin Hess.
In this Issue:
- Personal Announcements
- Keeping in Touch
- 2018 Pathfinders: Need to Know
- Pathfinder Events
- In the Spotlight
- You Asked, Fellows Answered
- Worth a Read, Worth a Listen
- Events and Opportunities of Interest
2017 Pathfinders at their Final Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Announcements
Did You Know?
You can view upcoming Pathfinder events here.
2017 Pathfinder Abigail Cotterill is now Counsel at Miller & Chevalier Chartered.
2017 Pathfinder Kyle DeThomas is now Associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP.
2017 Pathfinder Xakema Henderson is now Litigation Associate at Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP.
2017 Pathfinder Amanda Johnson was promoted to Counsel, Corporate Law Department, at Viacom Inc.
2017 Pathfinder Mark Johnson is now Attorney at Microsoft Corporation.
2017 Pathfinder Punam Kaji is now Assistant General Counsel at Ben E. Keith Company.
2017 Pathfinder Samina Kapadia is now at Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority.
2017 Pathfinder Alvin Lee is now Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.
2017 Pathfinder Mariloly Orozco is now at the United States District Court for S.D.N.Y.
2017 Pathfinder Stephanie Mercedes Tennant is now U.S. Associate at Covington & Burling LLP.
2017 Pathfinder Charys Williams is now Associate Counsel at Walmart, Inc. She will also be moderating a panel at the Hispanic National Bar Association Corporate Counsel Conference on March 16, entitled "Innovation in Diversity: What Can We Learn About Diversity from Silicon Valley?"
2016 Pathfinder Stanley Ball is now at Akerman LLP.
2016 Pathfinder Alexis Early is now at King & Spalding LLP.
2016 Pathfinder Matthew Feery is now at Much Shelist, P.C.
2016 Pathfinder Patrina Ozurumba is now at Pepper Hamilton LLP.
2016 Pathfinder Bindu Palapura is now Partner at Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP. Read more here.
2016 Pathfinder Katherina Pappas is now Counsel at Miller & Chevalier Chartered.
2016 Pathfinder Ronnell Robinzine is now Associate at Foley & Lardner LLP.
2016 Pathfinder Maia Woodhouse is now Associate at Adams and Reese LLP. Read more here.
2015 Pathfinder Cynthia Brady is now at Crowell & Moring LLP.
2015 Pathfinder Jennifer Ervin is now Interim General Counsel & Chief Legal Counsel at Shelby County Schools.
2015 Pathfinder Helen Hwang is now at Covington & Burling LLP.
2015 Pathfinder Ashley Southerland is now Counsel at Crowell & Moring LLP. Read more here.
Keeping in Touch
3 SIMPLE WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED:
- Use the Pathfinder Directory: In town or when you travel, use the directory to reach out to Pathfinders and Pathfinder Alumni and connect whenever you get the chance.
- Share your achievements: Publish an article? Speak at a conference? Send that news to LCLD so we can share your successes with your colleagues in the Pathways newsletter. Also, don't forget to update your Pathfinder Directory Profile so others know how to get in touch with you.
- Engage on social media: Join the LCLD Pathfinders LinkedIn group to engage with other Pathfinders on relevant topics. You can also like LCLD on Facebook, and follow LCLD President Robert Grey on Twitter for news on diversity in the legal profession.
2018 Pathfinders: Need to Know!
WHAT TO DO BEFORE YOUR FIRST MEETING
To get the full value out of your First Pathfinder Meeting, please complete the following tasks (and take note of due dates for select items):
- Complete the "Getting to Know You" form by March 15.
- Complete your Pathfinder Profile and submit a photo by March 19.
- Complete the Myers-Briggs Type Coach Verifier by March 23. If you will attend your first meeting at Walmart in Bentonville, AR, please use access code 8X1S1X. If you will attend your first meeting at Abercrombie & Fitch in Columbus, OH, please use access code REN7QM.
- Set up your Pathfinder E-Module Portal Account. If you have not received instructions by email from webmaster@lcldnet.com, please contact Jessica Sabesan, LCLD Communications & Marketing Manager.
- Add the @lcldnet.com domain to your safe sender list and ask your IT professionals to carry out the whitelisting actions listed here.
Please refer to your Pathfinder Welcome Packet (page 5, Next Steps) for more information. Contact Program Manager Erin Hess is you need a new copy of the welcome packet.
2018 PATHFINDER FIRST MEETING: Walmart, Inc., Bentonville, AR - April 5-7, 2018
If you have been assigned to the First Pathfinder Meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas, click here to register and click here to reserve your hotel room. Please note that the LCLD special room rate will only be available through Monday, March 26.
2018 PATHFINDER FIRST MEETING: Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Columbus, OH - April 12-14, 2018
If you have been assigned to the First Pathfinder Meeting in Columbus, Ohio, click here to register, and click here to reserve your hotel room. Please note that the LCLD special room rate will only be available through Thursday, March 22.
View the full calendar of upcoming 2018 Pathfinder events here.
Pathfinder Events & Opportunities
SAVE THE DATE: ADVANCEMENT, TRANSITIONS, AND CAREER PLANNING: Chicago, IL - April 5, 2018, at 11 a.m. CT
Please save the date for our next Fellows Alumni Speaker Series! The Speaker Series will take place on April 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT and will focus on Advancement, Transitions, and Career Planning. Panelists Keikoh Park (SVP and Global Compliance Counsel - Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated), Rod Perry (Partner, Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP), Christina Conlin (Counsel, Baker & McKenzie LLP), Ryan Harding (Assistant General Counsel, Legal Operations and Administration Exelon Corporation), and Monica Mosby, Senior Counsel, McDonald’s Corporation) will discuss the following topics and more:
- Strategies for finding new opportunities and creating new roles at your existing workplace
- Deciding when to stay and when to go
- Pitfalls to avoid when moving from one role or one team to another
- Best practices for acclimating to a new team or new workplace
- What to negotiate for/what I wish I had known before transitioning
- Legal and ethical obligations when moving from one state to another, or between jurisdictions internationally
The program is intended to be two hours long. The first hour will consist of a broadcast of our distinguished panel. The second hour will be devoted to a breakout session led at the local level by one in-house lawyer and one law firm partner. The Chicago program will be hosted at the offices of Winston & Strawn LLP. If you are interested in hosting a viewing party and breakout session in your city, email Samara Schwartz at SSchwartz@mortonsalt.com or Steve Flores at saflores@winston.com and we will help to facilitate the program.
FELLOWS ALUMNI SPEAKER SERIES: BECOMING FLUENT IN LEADERSHIP TEMPERAMENT: Washington, D.C. and online - April 24, 2018, at noon ET
You are invited to attend the next installment of the Fellows Alumni Speaker Series with Career Coach Tracy Spears. The event will be held at the Washington, D.C. office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP on Tuesday, April 24, but you can also view online. Click here for more information.
SAVE THE DATE: PATHFINDER ALUMNI MEETING: Los Angeles, CA - June 21-23, 2018
The second Pathfinder Alumni Meeting will be held in conjunction with the Fellows Alumni Leadership Symposium, June 21-23. If you have questions or would like to be more involved in planning the meeting, reach out to 2016 Pathfinders Derrick Lam at dlam@littler.com and Witt Chang at wwchang@venable.com.
Not sure whether you want to attend? Here's what 2017 Pathfinder Hana Vizcarra had to say about last year's meeting: “I have a hard time choosing a favorite part of the meeting. It provided a welcome opportunity to interact with Pathfinders from different years while providing engaging and interesting programming. It was the right mix of directed conversation with the speakers, and informal networking and discussion amongst ourselves.” Click here to read more about last year’s Pathfinder Alumni Meeting.
In the Spotlight: Rubin Pusha
2017 Pathfinder Rubin Pusha was a Summer Associate at Barnes & Thornburg before joining the firm full-time in 2012, where he is now a member of the Finance, Insolvency, and Restructuring and Corporate departments. He serves on the firm’s Recruiting and Legal personnel committees and on the boards of the Indianapolis Charter School and the Catch the Stars Foundation. Rubin’s long-term goals include making capital partner and opening a bar with a dog park.
Learn more about Rubin here.
For a chance to be chosen for the Pathfinder Spotlight, make sure your Pathfinder Directory Profile stands out and tells your story.
You Asked, Fellows Answered: How Do Your Navigate Your Organization?
The farther you go in your career, the more important it is to be deliberate about the type of work you do and the relationships you build. How do you navigate your organization in order to best reach your personal goals? We gathered tips from 2012 Fellows Demetra Liggins, Partner at Thompson & Knight LLP and Co-Founder of Corporate Homie, and Anthony Gay, Vice President of Governmental and External Affairs at PECO Energy, an Exelon Company. Read their advice here.
You can also check out these additional resources on navigating your organization:
- Strategically Managing Career Transitions on the Path to In-House Leadership, Major, Lindsey & Africa
- Changing Legal Practice Areas, FindLaw
- Articulating Why You Matter, Advice to My Younger Me, Episode 28
- How to Engage Your Boss, Corporate Homie Podcast, Episode 23
- Having Difficult Conversations, Hustle & Flow, Episode 53
To suggest a topic, email Communications Specialist Caitlin Puffenberger at cpuffenberger@lcldnet.com, and we'll solicit answers from the LCLD Fellows.
Worth a Read, Worth a Listen
Couples That Work, Harvard Business Review
Mutually supportive relationships have lots of benefits, but they can also be tough to maintain. Three experts describe a truly supportive dual-career relationship, and understand how to get your own relationships closer to that ideal.
Steps to Building a Sustainable Career, Law Practice Today
“To be the best lawyers that we can be, as well as to feel motivated and purposeful, means integrating (which comes from the Latin root to make whole) our full complement of human intelligence into our thinking, then acting accordingly.”
Three Anchor Stories You Need, Coaching for Leaders, Episode 325
Leadership comes from storytelling, and most people have great stories that they undervalue. Learning how to tell three key types of stories can make you a better, more authentic leader.
Events and Opportunities of Interest
THE LAW AND SOCIAL MEDIA: TIPS FOR EVERY LAWYER: Webinar - March 15, 2018 | 1.5 credit hours
Click here for more information and to register.
MORE EFFECTIVE WRITING MAKES MORE EFFECTIVE LAWYERS: Washington, D.C. - March 23, 2018 | 6 credit hours
Click here for more information and to register.
THE COLOR OF LAW: THE ROLE OF U.S. LAW AND POLICY IN RACIAL SEGREGATION IN HOUSING: New York, NY - March 23, 2018 | 1.5 credit hours
Click here for more information and to register.
ABA HISPANIC COMMISSION: Dallas, TX - March 27, 2018 | 3 credit hours
Click here for more information and to register.
#METOO: EMPOWERING EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS TO ADDRESS WORKPLACE SEXUAL HARASSMENT & VIOLENCE: Webinar - April 3, 2018 | 1.5 credit hours
Click here for more information and to register.
ETHICS FOR LATERAL HIRES: Webinar - April 10, 2018 | 2 credit hours
Click here for more information and to register.
Questions?
If you have questions about the Pathfinder Program, email Program Manager Erin Hess or Program Coordinator Walt Lohmann. If you have questions, suggestions, or submissions for Pathways for Pathfinders, email Communications Specialist Caitlin Puffenberger.