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:
- One Week Left to Register to Mentor a 1L Student
- Register to Attend the LCLD Annual Membership Meeting
- Recent Learning Experiences
- What's Working: 3 Steps Toward a More Inclusive Culture
- Chicago Leadership Lunch
- Welcome, New Member!
- In the News
Did You Know?
You can learn more about the impact of LCLD programs at Member organizations in the 2017 LCLD Impact Report.
One Week Left to Register to Mentor a 1L Student
As a reminder, attorneys at LCLD Member organizations may click the button below to register to become Mentors as part of the 2018-2019 LCLD Success in Law School Mentoring Program. In the fall, registered Mentors will be matched with diverse, first-year law students in major cities across the country. The registration deadline is Friday, September 14.
We look forward to working with your organization as part of the Mentoring Program this year! Thank you in advance for your help.
For more information about becoming an LCLD Mentor, please review this brief FAQ page. For any other questions, please contact Nancy Richardson, LCLD Program Manager.
Register to Attend the LCLD Annual Membership Meeting
October 15-16, 2018, LCLD Members and their guests are invited to attend the Ninth Annual LCLD Membership Meeting* at the Mandarin Oriental Washington, D.C. On the evening of October 15, there will be a Welcome Reception at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
You may click here to register for the meeting. Please click here to book your hotel room at the Mandarin Oriental Washington, D.C. under the "LCLD Annual Meeting 2018" block rate of $425 per night, by Monday, September 17, 2018. Rooms at this rate will be available until September 17, or until the block is sold out—whichever comes first.
Click here to view the agenda for the Annual Meeting.
*2018 Fellows, please note that you are invited to attend the concurrent LCLD 2018 Fellows Second Meeting, October 15-17, 2018 at The Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C. Click here to register for the meeting and reserve a hotel room.
For questions about registration or hotel reservations, please contact Stella Askin, Program & Events Coordinator. For questions about the meeting, please contact Jennifer Denton, Membership & Operations Director.
Recent Learning Experiences
We would like to thank the following LCLD Member hosts and planning committees at their organizations for hosting Learning Experiences for Fellows this month:
- The Clorox Company, August 9, 2018, hosted by LCLD Board Chair Laura Stein, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Affairs at Clorox, in Oakland, CA. LCLD Member law firm Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP hosted a Welcome Event on the evening of August 8, and both organizations hosted an additional event for Fellows on August 10.
- AT&T, Inc., August 28, 2018, hosted by LCLD Member David McAtee, II, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel at AT&T, in Dallas, TX. LCLD Member Law Firm Baker Botts L.L.P. hosted a Welcome Event on August 27.
Look out for articles and photos from these Learning Experiences in the LCLD Insider this fall.
For more information about hosting an LCLD Fellows Learning Experience, please contact Nichole Velasquez, LCLD Program Manager.
What's Working: 3 Steps Toward a More Inclusive Culture
In a large organization, it can be challenging to make everyone feel invested in the same goals—particularly when those goals relate to diversity and inclusion. But LCLD Member firm Barnes & Thornburg LLP has found three ways to help all employees feel connected to one another—and the value of diversity.
“Barnes & Thornburg is a big law firm with a lot of talent spread out across the country,” said Dawn Rosemond, Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Development at B&T. “Elevating our women and minority talent, and getting them the same level of access and exposure, is not going to happen by accident.”
Under Rosemond’s leadership, the firm developed a strategy to help ensure diverse attorneys can gain that access and exposure. Part of that strategy is two new initiatives aimed at building connectivity across the firm: I Am Barnes & Thornburg and the Women's History Month - Redefine campaign. Read more.
Read more about "What's Working" at LCLD Member organizations for creating a more inclusive legal profession and find out if what's working for these organizations can work for yours, too. To submit a "What's Working" initiative, please email Caitlin Puffenberger, LCLD Communications Specialist.
Chicago Leadership Lunch
LCLD Fellows with Stasia Kelly and Susie Lees (center, left; and center, right) at the Chicago Leadership Lunch. (Photo courtesy of John Huh, 2018 Fellow)
We'd like to thank LCLD Board Secretary Stasia Kelly, Managing Partner (Americas) at DLA Piper US LLP, and LCLD Member Susie Lees, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Allstate Insurance Company, for speaking to Fellows at the Leadership Lunch on August 8, 2018. The event was hosted at the Chicago office of DLA Piper.
For questions about hosting a Leadership Lunch, please contact Nichole Velasquez, Fellows Program Manager.
Welcome, New Member!
JoAnn Chávez is Vice President, Legal and Chief Tax Officer for DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE), a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a natural gas utility serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE Energy portfolio includes non-utility energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage, and energy marketing and trading.
At DTE Energy we recognize that diversity cultivates varied perspectives, experiences, talents, and interests, which allows us to more effectively represent the company and our customers. Our goal is to ensure that diversity, in all its forms, is respected and valued by promoting an environment of inclusiveness to create an organization as diverse as the communities in which we live and serve.
DTE Energy is committed to encouraging the use of outside law firms that have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and promoting inclusion in the legal profession by supporting pipeline programs and mentoring students from underrepresented or historically marginalized groups.
DTE is proud to partner with LCLD in advancing diversity and inclusion in the U.S. legal profession.
In the News
Robert Grey, LCLD President, wrote an article for Savoy Magazine on LCLD’s mission, progress, and continued efforts to build a more inclusive profession.
Karen Roberts, LCLD Board Member and General Counsel of Walmart, announced the company’s $100,000 grant to help minority and low-income students attend law school.
Verona Dorch, LCLD Member and Chief Legal Officer at Peabody Energy Corporation, spoke about incorporating diversity into the process of building a roster of outside counsel.
Kimberly Johnson, LCLD Member and Chair of Quarles & Brady LLP, wrote about innovations in legal operations and how they can improve the law firm-client relationship and lead to greater diversity among outside counsel.
Marilyn McClure-Demers, 2014 Fellow and Associate General Counsel at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, was profiled in Modern Counsel for her commitment to inclusion.
Jaimala Pai, 2012 Fellow and Principal Legal Counsel – Health Law at Medtronic, Inc., was interviewed for an article on how law firm lawyers can catch the attention of in-house counsel.
Manita Rawat, 2015 Fellow, has been promoted to Managing Partner of Duane Morris LLP’s Silicon Valley office.
Ten members of the LCLD community received 2018 National Women in the Law Awards for advancing the empowerment of women in the legal profession.
Various LCLD Member organizations were featured in the news.
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.
Caitlin Puffenberger
Communications Specialist
If you have any news or honors that are relevant to LCLD Members, please email Caitlin Puffenberger at cpuffenberger@lcldnet.com.
