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:
- Fellows Alumni Join Leadership Ranks
- Reminder: Members, Register to Attend the Annual Meeting
- Mentor Registration Reminder
- Announcing New City Leads for the Mentoring Program
- Six LCLD Members Share What's Working in D&I at Their Organizations
- Supercharged: A High-Voltage Learning Experience at Exelon
- Recent Regional Events
- Welcome, New Member!
- In the News
Did You Know?
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Fellows Alumni Join Leadership Ranks
Nicholas Ranjan (left), 2017 Fellow and former partner at K&L Gates LLP, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a District Judge position on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Cate Heaven Young (right), a 2018 Fellow formerly with Stinson LLP, became General Counsel of Jostens, Inc. in March.
Congratulations, Nicholas and Cate!
Reminder: Members, Register to Attend the Annual Meeting
September 23-24, 2019, LCLD Members and their guests are invited to attend the Tenth Annual LCLD Membership Meeting* at the Mandarin Oriental Washington, D.C. There will also be a Welcome Reception at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery on Monday, September 23, 2019.
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 2019" block rate of $425 per night, by Tuesday, September 3, 2019. Rooms at this rate will be available until September 3, or until the block is sold out--whichever comes first.
Keep a lookout this summer for the Annual Meeting agenda.
*2019 Fellows, please note that you are invited to attend the concurrent LCLD 2019 Fellows Second Meeting, September 23-25, 2019 at the Hilton National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Tenth Annual LCLD Membership Meeting is designed specifically for LCLD Member Managing Partners, General Counsel, and their invited guests.
For questions about registration or hotel reservations, please contact Stella Askin, Events Manager. For questions about the meeting, please contact Jennifer Denton, Membership & Operations Director.
Mentor Registration Reminder
Attorneys at LCLD Member organizations may now register to become Mentors as part of the 2019-2020 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. 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.
Announcing New City Leads for the Mentoring Program
The LCLD Success in Law School Mentoring Program is active in 30 cities nationwide for the 2019-2020 academic year. LCLD would like to welcome the following volunteer City Leads to the program this year:
- Cleveland: Kimberly Moses (top left), Partner and LCLD Diversity Professional at Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP; Cleveland is a new city for the 2019-2020 program.
- Nashville: Casey Duhart (top center), Associate at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP (returning as a Co-City Lead with 2018 Fellow Christopher Bellamy and 2015 Fellow Blind Akrawi, both of Neal & Harwell, PLC).
- New York: Natalie Cavallo (top right), Diversity Program Specialist at Goldberg Segalla (Co-Lead with Joseph Hanna, Partner and a 2014 Fellow and LCLD Diversity Professional at Goldberg Segalla).
- Pittsburgh: Max Gelernter (bottom left), Associate and former LCLD Mentee, at K&L Gates LLP (Co-City Lead with Tami Mack, Associate at K&L Gates). K&L Gates uses a system of attorneys who rotate in and out of the City Lead role; we thank Sarah Czypinski, Associate at K&L Gates, for her years of dedication as her City Lead term ends.
- Raleigh/Durham: Co-City Leads Joan Dinsmore (bottom center), Partner and longtime LCLD Mentor at McGuireWoods LLP, and Lori Mahmoud (bottom right), Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel, and 2016 LCLD Fellow at BB&T Corporation.
We would also like to thank all of our returning City Leads for their continued dedication to driving the LCLD Success in Law School Mentoring Program.
For questions about the City Lead role or the Success in Law School Mentoring Program, please contact Nancy Richardson, LCLD Program Manager.
Six LCLD Members Share What's Working in D&I at Their Organizations
As the managing partners and general counsel of top law firms and corporate legal departments, LCLD Members are some of the most powerful legal leaders in the United States. But some of our Members go above and beyond in applying their leadership to advance diversity and inclusion at their organizations and in the broader legal profession. These individuals exemplify LCLD's mission to make the legal profession as diverse as the nation it serves. Read more about their diversity and inclusion initiatives in the following articles:
- Anne Madden (top left), Honeywell International: "4 Ways to Make the Most of Your LCLD Fellows"
- Ricardo Anzaldua (top center), Freddie Mac: "Sponsorship 2.0"
- Carlos Brown (top right), Dominion Energy, Inc.: "Inclusive Teams"
- Brad Butwin (bottom left), O'Melveny & Myers LLP: "Diversity as a Key Performance Indicator"
- Michael Harrington (bottom center), Eli Lilly & Company: "Diversity as a Key Performance Indicator"
- Mitchell Zuklie (bottomr right), Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP: "Collaborating for Change"
Learn more about 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 Manager.
Supercharged: A High-Voltage Learning Experience at Exelon
By Nichole Velasquez, LCLD Fellows Program Manager
When three dozen LCLD Fellows signed up for a two-day Learning Experience at Exelon Corporation in Baltimore, they expected to get an inside look into the energy company's business and legal department.
What they didn't bargain for was the learning adventure Exelon arranged for them the day before. Traveling by bus, the Fellows spent the day on expert-led tours of a regional nuclear power station and a hydroelectric plant before disembarking at Baltimore's famed Camden Yards stadium, where they dined on Maryland cuisine, met the Oriole's mascot, and saw the hometown O's play the Yankees from a VIP box co-hosted by LCLD Member law firm McGuireWoods and Tom O'Neill, LCLD Member and Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Exelon.
All that was just a warmup for Day 2, when O'Neill welcomed the Fellows to Exelon's corporate complex in Baltimore. He began by describing how Exelon, one of the nation's largest electric utilities, adapts to the changing business and regulatory environment by embracing innovation. He also highlighted the company's commitment to diversity and inclusion as a business imperative, citing LCLD and the Fellows Program as integral to the effort. Of the 11 Fellows that Exelon has sent to the program, six have since moved into executive positions. Read more and view photos.
Look out for an article this summer about the Fellows Learning Experience hosted by LCLD Member Don Liu, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and General Counsel at Target Corporation, on July 10, 2019. The next Learning Experience will be hosted by LCLD Member Christa D'Alimonte, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary at Viacom Inc., on October 22, 2019. For questions about hosting a Learning Experience, please contact Nichole Velasquez, Fellows Program Manager, LCLD.
Recent Regional Events
Guy Halgren and Megan Hurley speak to Fellows at the PepsiCo & Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP Leadership Lunch Plus on July 18. (Photo by Nichole Velasquez.)
LCLD would like to thank the following Member organizations and attorneys for organizing and hosting regional events this month:
- Megan Hurley, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, PepsiCo North America Beverages at LCLD Member corporation PepsiCo, Inc., and LCLD Member Guy Halgren, Chairman of the Executive Committee at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, who hosted a Leadership Lunch Plus on July 18 at PepsiCo's campus in Purchase, NY.
- LCLD Member Katherine Adams, Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Apple Inc., and Craig Adas, Managing Partner of the Silicon Valley Office at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, who hosted a Leadership Lunch at the firm on July 10.
- The Women's Initiative of Thompson & Knight LLP, which hosted a live viewing of the Corporate Homie podcast episode, “Winning as a Woman: Not Your Mama’s Advice,” for female 1L Scholars at Thompson & Knight's Houston office on July 8. We also thank Demetra Liggins (2012 LCLD Fellow) and Bemetra Simmons, twin sisters and co-founders of Corporate Homie.
Please contact the following LCLD staff members for questions:
- Leadership Lunches: Nichole Velasquez
- 1L Scholars Program: Nancy Richardson
Welcome, New Member!
Larry Hill, Partner, Moore, Hill & Westmoreland, P.A. Based in Pensacola, the law firm of Moore, Hill & Westmoreland, P.A. has provided legal representation and business services to clients located throughout Florida and the United States for 50 years. We are a broad-based civil litigation, business, and real estate law firm. Our clients have ranged from individuals to locally-owned businesses and Fortune 500 companies. Our attorneys have been leaders of the community and in bar affairs for many years. The firm reflects the diversity of the community in which we have chosen to live and practice law.
In the News
Rick Palmore, LCLD Founder and Chair Emeritus, weighed in on how law firms can create better leadership paths for female talent.
James Chosy, LCLD Member and Executive Vice President and General Counsel at US Bancorp, received the Lead By Example Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers.
Deneen Donnley, LCLD Member and Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary at USAA, received the President’s Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers on behalf of USAA.
James Lee (left), LCLD Member and Founding Partner of LTL Attorneys LLP, and Jason Barnwell (right), 2016 Fellow and Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft Corporation, were named among the Fastcase 50, which recognizes legal visionaries and leaders.
Suzette Long, LCLD Member and Chief Legal, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at Caterpillar Inc., was profiled by Law360.
Lee Reichert, LCLD Member and Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer at Molson Coors Brewing, spoke about his career path, being a mentor, and more.
Virginia Essandoh, Chief Diversity Officer at Ballard Spahr LLP, spoke about the firm’s diversity initiatives with Law360.
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.
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.
