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 Alumnae Join Leadership Ranks
- Reminder: 1L Scholar Registration
- Still Seeking Mock Interviewers for 1L Scholars Summit
- Fellows Visit Facebook
- Fellows in Mexico City: The First Learning Experience on Foreign Soil
- Recent Regional Events
- Welcome, New Members!
- In the News
- In Memoriam
Did You Know?
Communications assets such as the LCLD logo, the “LCLD Member” logo, and press release templates for the 2019 Fellow and Pathfinder programs can be found here.
Fellows Alumnae Join Leadership Ranks
2014 Fellow Shiau Yen Chin-Dennis was recently promoted to Managing Partner of the K&L Gates LLP office in Portland, Oregon. Congratulations, Shiau Yen!
2011 Fellow Vanessa Allen Sutherland has been promoted to Senior Vice President Law and Chief Legal Officer at Norfolk Southern. Congratulations, Vanessa!
Reminder: 1L Scholar Registration
Please click here to register each of your 2019 1L Scholars by Friday, May 3, 2019.
We are looking forward to our largest group of 1L Scholars joining us at the 2019 1L LCLD Scholars Summit at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, June 4-6, 2019 in Atlanta, GA. Click here to review the agenda and instructions for reserving hotel rooms for your Scholars. LCLD's hotel conference rate is available through Monday, May 13, 2019, or until the block sells out--whichever comes first.
For questions, please contact Nancy Richardson, Program Manager, LCLD.
Still Seeking Mock Interviewers for 1L Scholars Summit
LCLD still needs attorney volunteers to conduct Mock Interviews for 1L LCLD Scholars at the 2019 1L LCLD Scholars Summit. The summit will take place June 4-6, 2019, in Atlanta, GA. Mock Interviews will be held June 4, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sheraton Atlanta.
If you are interested in conducting interviews, please click here to learn about the time commitment and the interview process. The deadline to register as a mock interviewer is Friday, April 26, 2019.
For questions, reach out to Nancy Richardson, Program Manager.
Fellows Visit Facebook
By Caitlin Puffenberger, Communications Manager, LCLD
Fellows gather at the Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California, November 2018. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)
Be Bold. Be Open. Build Social Value. What would you do if you weren’t afraid? Nothing at Facebook is somebody else’s problem. These were just a few of the company values and ideals that were seen on posters hanging throughout Facebook’s offices when Fellows recently visited their headquarters in Menlo Park, California. “Building community” was also a message that Fellows learned more about during their visit.
“Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together,” LCLD Member Colin Stretch, Vice President and General Counsel, told Fellows in his opening remarks. Over the course of the day, Fellows learned how Facebook builds communities both internally and among users around the world. They also learned the role the legal department plays in that function and how diversity and LCLD fit into the puzzle.
LCLD President Robert Grey started off the day by asking Fellows to think about the opportunities provided by their own community. “You’re in a unique position,” he said. “Nobody else will have the opportunity to build the network that you are building, and nobody will be in the position to understand the ability of leadership to move organizations to the next level.” Read more and view photos.
Keep a lookout for an article about the LPL Financial Learning Experience this spring. There are also two Learning Experiences coming up in May. LCLD Member Maryanne Lavan will host one at Lockheed Martin Corporation in Crystal City, VA, on May 8, and LCLD Member Thomas O'Neill will host one at Exelon Corporation in Baltimore, MD, on May 22.
For more information about hosting a Learning Experience, please contact Nichole Velasquez, Fellows Program Manager, LCLD.
Fellows in Mexico City: The First Learning Experience on Foreign Soil
By Nichole Velasquez, Program Manager, LCLD
Video compilation of the Mexico City Learning Experience (by Jonathan Zúñiga).
For the first time in LCLD history, nearly two dozen 2018 LCLD Fellows traveled outside the United States last November for a two-day Learning Experience in Mexico City (see agenda here), cementing a cross-cultural relationship years in the making.
They were hosted by Abogadas MX, a non-profit organization founded by 2013 LCLD Fellow Valeria Chapa-Garza, Assistant Vice President, Senior Legal Counsel at AT&T México. Inspired by her experience in the Fellows Program, Chapa-Garza created Abogadas ("female lawyers") to provide similar opportunities for support and relationship building for women attorneys in Mexico.
In 2018, LCLD and Abogadas MX formed a partnership that allowed five Mexican attorneys to participate in the Fellows Program; in return, Abogadas MX would host an LCLD Fellows Learning Experience in Mexico City.
The Learning Experience began with a Welcome Reception hosted by the Mexican law firm of Nader Hayaux & Goebel at Club de Empresarios. The Fellows were hosted by 2018 Fellow Vanessa Franyutti, Nader partner and Abogadas MX board member. Read more.
For more information about hosting a Fellows Learning Experience, contact Nichole Velasquez, Fellows Program Manager.
Recent Regional Events
LCLD Members Matthew Taylor (top center, left) and Ellen Glaessner (top center, right) with LCLD Fellows at a Leadership Lunch in Philadelphia, April 5, 2019. (Photo by 2018 Fellow Oderah Nwaeze)
LCLD would like to thank the following Member organizations and attorneys for organizing and hosting regional events this month:
- LCLD Members Chris Gawart, Vice President - Law and General Counsel of Nortwestern Mutual, and Kimberly Johnson, Partner & Firm Chair of Quarles & Brady LLP, who will speak to Fellows at a Leadership Lunch hosted at Quarles & Brady's Chicago office on April 19, 2019.
- Capital One Financial for hosting a Spring 2019 Group Mentoring "Fireside Chat" with Capital One LCLD Mentors in Richmond, VA, on April 9, 2019.
- LCLD Members Ellen Glaessner, U.S. General Counsel, TD Bank, and Matthew Taylor, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Duane Morris LLP, who hosted a Leadership Lunch at Duane Morris' Philadelphia office on April 5, 2019.
- Winston & Strawn LLP and the LCLD Fellows Alumni for hosting the Fellows Alumni Speaker Series event, "Attorney Well-Being: The Profession’s Pessimism Problem,” at Winston & Strawn's Chicago office on April 4, 2019.
- Goldberg Segalla LLP and Viacom, for hosting a spring Mentoring Program event, "The Importance of Building Relationships and Growing Your Network: Tips for Young Lawyers," at Viacom's office in New York, NY on April 3, 2019. We also thank LCLD Fellows Whytne Brooks, Joseph Hanna, Kersti Hanson, Elena Lazarou, and Ranfi Rivera for speaking on a panel during the event.
- Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, for hosting a Spring Group Mentoring Event at their St. Louis office on April 2, 2019.
Please contact the following LCLD staff members for questions:
- Leadership Lunches: Nichole Velasquez
- Mentoring Program: Nancy Richardson
- Fellows Alumni Speaker Series: Erin Hess
Welcome, New Members!
Adam R. Kokas, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Atlas Air Worldwide. Atlas carries the world. We are the leading global provider of outsourced aircraft and aviation operating services. We operate the world’s largest fleet of 747 freighters and provide our customers a broad array of 747, 777, 767, 757, and 737 aircraft for domestic, regional, and international cargo and passenger applications. Our customers include express delivery providers, e-commerce retailers, airlines, freight forwarders, the U.S. military, and charter brokers. We provide global services with operations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America.
Amy Fliegelman Olli, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, VMWare, Inc. The mission of VMWare's Legal Department is to: Lead with strategic solutions, Inspire an ethical culture, and Drive VMware’s success.
David Sochia, Managing Principal, McKool Smith. With over 165 trial lawyers across offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Marshall, New York, and Washington, D.C., McKool Smith has established a reputation as one of America’s leading trial firms. The firm has won more VerdictSearch and The National Law Journal "Top 100 Verdicts" over the last 10 years than any other law firm in the country.
Courtroom successes like these have earned McKool Smith critical acclaim and helped the firm become what The Wall Street Journal describes as “one of the biggest law firm success stories of the past decade.” McKool Smith recognizes the importance of diversity for the long-term success of our firm. We are, and have been, committed to creating an inclusive, open and respectful culture comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds, where each and every one is given a platform for success.
In the News
Brad Smith, Immediate Past Chair of the LCLD Board of Directors, and Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer, used the Microsoft blog to call on the tech industry to do more to prevent violent content from spreading online. His call comes in the wake of the mass shooting in New Zealand. Relatedly, Smith has written a book about his company’s efforts to tackle privacy, cybercrime, AI, and other digital challenges.
Kim Koopersmith, LCLD Board Member and Chairperson of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, was recently honored by New York Lawyers for the Public Interest at its 26th annual Law and Society Award Luncheon.
Louise Pentland, LCLD Board Member and Executive Vice President, Chief Business Affairs and Legal Officer at PayPal Inc., discussed details of how PayPal is working at all levels to close the pay gap. “We don’t leave it to chance, and we don’t leave it to individual managers to pick their favorite people,” says Pentland.
Sergio F. Oehninger, 2015 Fellow and Counsel at Hunton Andrews Kurth, was recently quoted in a Law360 article on the significance of Anadarko’s Texas Supreme Court joint venture insurance win and published another piece on insurance coverage for losses related to the Government Shutdown.
Lei Shen, 2019 Fellow and Partner at Mayer Brown LLP, was featured in a profile on Law.com, discussing her experience of making partner while working an alternative schedule.
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 Don Belt, LCLD Communications Director.
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 Jessica Sabesan, LCLD Communications & Marketing Manager.
In Memoriam
Paul Rawlinson, LCLD Member and Global Chair at Baker McKenzie, passed away on April 12, 2019.
In a statement released by Baker McKenzie, "The Firm’s thoughts are with Paul's family, who we will continue to support during this most difficult of times."
"Our thoughts also go out to the very many friends at Baker McKenzie and outside the Firm who worked with and admired Paul. For all of us Paul was a visionary, a true leader and a good friend. He will be greatly missed."
If you would like to pass on your condolences to Paul’s family, please email PaulRawlinson.Condolences@bakermckenzie.com.
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.
