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:
- Members, Register for the Tenth Annual LCLD Membership Meeting
- LCLD Mentor Registration
- Fellows Explore Frontiers of Technology at Lockheed Martin
- LCLD Fellows Who Podcast
- Recent Regional Events
- 2019 1L LCLD Scholars Meet in Atlanta
- Fellows Alumni Gather for Eighth Annual Leadership Symposium
- Pathfinders Reunite for Third Annual Pathfinder Alumni Meeting
- Recent Regional Events
- Welcome, New Members!
- In the News
Did You Know?
The 2018 Annual LCLD Impact Report is now available. On a regular basis, LCLD surveys our program participants to assess the impact of our programming and the ways in which Member organizations take advantage of their participation. The results are summarized in this report.
Members, Register for the Tenth Annual LCLD Membership 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.
LCLD Mentor Registration
LCLD Mentoring Program participants at an event at the West Virginia University College of Law in March. (Photo courtesy of WVU Law)
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.
Fellows Explore Frontiers of Technology at Lockheed Martin
By Nichole Velasquez, Fellows Program Manager, LCLD
Technology and innovation took center stage as Maryanne Lavan welcomed the LCLD Fellows to the Lockheed Martin Global Vision Center (GVC) in Crystal City, Virginia, for the first Fellows Learning Experience of the year on May 8, 2019.
Lockheed Martin's commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace was also high on the agenda, as Lavan made clear in the first session of the day. She was joined by fellow LCLD Member Ellen Dwyer, Executive Committee Chair of Crowell & Moring, as well as by two senior Lockheed Martin leaders—Jeff Divney, VP and Associate General Counsel, and Rahsaan J. Coefield, Senior Manager, Corporate EEO Investigations.
Lavan described Lockheed Martin's expectations for outside counsel with respect to diverse teams as well as D&I efforts within the organization. Dwyer, who chairs the Innovation Committee of the LCLD Board of Directors, and Divney, who participated in the first LCLD Sustainable Partnerships Program, both talked about how membership in LCLD aids in their D&I efforts. Read more.
Look out for an article this summer about the Fellows' Learning Experience at Exelon Corporation that also took place in May. The next Learning Experience will be hosted by LCLD Member Don Liu, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and General Counsel at Target Corporation, on July 10, 2019. For questions about hosting a Learning Experience, please contact Nichole Velasquez, Fellows Program Manager, LCLD.
LCLD Fellows Who Podcast
By Averie Hason, 2014 Fellow, and Shanna Cohn, 2011 Fellow
The explosive popularity of podcasting provides a real opportunity to reach diverse audiences who are looking for access to useful information and stimulating entertainment through a platform that is easy to fit into their busy lives. With thousands of podcasts available, listeners can find almost any podcast to suit their interests, hobbies, or goals—or, better yet, to start their own.
A trio of LCLD Fellows Alumni—Demetra Liggins, Heather Hubbard, and Jason Barnwell (pictured above)—have done just that, jumping into the podcasting pool to bring diversity and their dynamic insights to this important and seemingly ever-growing medium.
We enjoy listening to, and highly recommend, their podcasts described in this article. Read more.
Recent Regional Events
LCLD would like to thank the following Member organizations and attorneys for organizing and hosting regional events this month:
- LCLD Members Stefan John, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of BASF North America, and Gary Wingens, Chairman and Managing Partner of Lowenstein Sandler LLP, who spoke at a Leadership Lunch at the New York City office of Lowenstein Sandler on June 14, 2019.
- More than 70 Fellows Alumni met with more than 170 of the 2019 Pathfinders at 45 Compass Conversation events across the country on June 5, 2019. These events are small group networking gatherings over lunch.
Please contact the following LCLD staff members for questions:
- Leadership Lunches: Nichole Velasquez
- Compass Conversations: Erin Hess
2019 1L LCLD Scholars Meet in Atlanta
A group of 2019 1L Scholars during a networking activity at the summit. (Photo by Wilma Jackson)
For enabling more than 360 1L Scholars to participate in challenging summer internships, LCLD would like to thank the 149 LCLD Member organizations and non-Member partnering organizations for hosting these up-and-coming attorneys. Click here to see the full list of participating organizations.
We'd like to extend a special thanks to King & Spalding LLP, Walmart Inc., and The Coca-Cola Company, which served as sponsors of the 2019 1L LCLD Scholars Summit, June 4-6, 2019 in Atlanta. We would also like to thank the LCLD attorney volunteers who conducted the Scholars' mock interviews. There were 329 Scholars in attendance, 150 of whom participated in mock interviews.
During the summit, Josh Kamin, King & Spalding's Atlanta Office Managing Partner, opened the meeting, which included several small breakout sessions led by LCLD Fellows Alumni on legal practice areas, judicial clerkships, and practicing in house.
Additionally, Scholars had several networking opportunities and learned ways to build networks, navigate their internships and the early years of their practice, strategies for overcoming bias in the workplace, and how to engage with professionals across generations. Click here to learn more about the summit agenda and view photos.
For questions about the 1L LCLD Scholars Program, please contact Nancy Richardson, Program Manager.
GOLD SPONSORS
SUPPORTING SPONSOR
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY
Fellows Alumni Gather for Eighth Annual Leadership Symposium
LCLD Fellows Alumni from the classes of 2011-2018 reunited for the Eighth Annual LCLD Fellows Alumni Leadership Symposium: Power of E.Q. and I.Q. - Leading with Engagement & Influence, at The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 20-22, 2019.
The Fellows Alumni learned about influential leadership from a panel of LCLD Fellows Alumni general counsel, as well as a panel including LCLD Board Member Deborah Majoras, P&G Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, and other C-suite P&G executives on what business leaders value in their lawyers.
Attendees also heard insights from keynote speaker Anna Maria Chávez, Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer at the National Council on Aging and former CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA (2011–2016). They also heard from a panel of Fellows Alumni on strategies for having successful discussions on compensation and advancement.
In addition to a community service project benefiting the Lighthouse Community School in Cincinnati and various networking events--some including LCLD Pathfinder Alumni--the fifth annual Rick Palmore LCLD Alumni Awards for exceptional leadership were presented to 2013 Fellow Valeria Chapa Garza and 2012 Fellow Zohra Tejani.
The Community Service Award was presented to the 2012 class of Fellows, who had the highest level of participation in the Lighthouse Community School project.
Finally, the Participation is Key Award was also presented to the 2012 Fellows class, which had the highest percentage of contributions to the 2018 All In! Campaign (the 2019 campaign ends July 31, 2019). Click here to view a photo gallery from the meeting.
We'd like to thank the following LCLD Member organizations that sponsored this symposium:
PLATINUM SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
SUPPORTING SPONSORS
DINSMORE & SHOHL LLP | EXELON CORPORATION
HUNTON ANDREWS KURTH LLP | LITTLER MENDELSON P.C.
MCGLINCHEY STAFFORD PLLC | PEPPER HAMILTON LLP
Pathfinders Reunite for Third Annual Pathfinder Alumni Meeting
LCLD Pathfinders from the classes of 2015-2018 also reunited for the Third Annual LCLD Pathfinder Alumni Meeting at the The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 20-22, 2019.
During the meeting, Pathfinder Alumni had the opportunity to earn CLE credit in sessions on "Conducting Effective Workplace Investigations, Addressing Pay Equity & Creating Cultures of Inclusion," and "Drons Overhead: What's All The Buzz About?"
Attendees also heard about the latest research on diversity from top law professors at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, as well as candid insights from a panel of in-house attorneys on their advice and pet peeves for outside counsel.
In addition to a number of networking opportunities, many of which were with the LCLD Fellows Alumni at the concurrent LCLD Fellows Alumni Leadership Symposium, Pathfinder Alumni also heard from keynote speaker Anna Maria Chávez, a panel of LCLD Fellows Alumni general counsel, and a panel of Fellows Alumni on strategies for discussions on compensation and career advancement.
We'd like to thank the following LCLD Members and local organizations that sponsored this meeting:
PLATINUM SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
Welcome, New Members!
Susan Murley and Robert Novick, Co-Managing Partners, WilmerHale. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion arises from our legacy of leadership on civil and human rights issues and our belief that diversity and inclusion is a key driver of the value the firm provides to clients. The range of perspectives, backgrounds, and talents of our lawyers helps us develop creative and effective solutions for some of our clients’ most complex and challenging legal issues. Collaboration and collegiality are additional guiding principles that reflect our commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace. Our goals are to engage all firm leaders in our diversity and inclusion efforts; recruit talented and accomplished lawyers, law students, and staff; provide resources and opportunities to enable each person to reach their career aspirations; and partner with clients and others to advance diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
Shawn Riley, President, McDonald Hopkins LLC. Our mission is to use our expertise and experience to provide exceptional value to our clients.
McDonald Hopkins is a business advisory and advocacy law firm with 145 attorneys in six offices. Working together on more than 50 specialized service and industry teams, our attorneys provide insightful legal solutions and meaningful business advice for the challenges at hand, and foresight for the issues on the horizon.
Since 1930, McDonald Hopkins has been helping our clients succeed and our communities thrive. As we approach our 90-year milestone, we are honoring our past and embracing the future by continuing to innovate, grow, and embark on new ways of doing business. The support and promotion of diversity and inclusion is an integral part of our culture. It is one of the fundamental principles that guides our decisions, management practices, and conduct.
In the News
Brad Smith, LCLD Immediate Past Chair and President of Microsoft Corporation, spoke about the importance of using artificial intelligence with caution to prevent discrimination.
Ellen Dwyer, LCLD Board Member and Chair of the Executive Committee at Crowell & Moring LLP, spoke about the firm’s growth on its 40th anniversary.
Julie Gruber, LCLD Member and Global General Counsel at Gap Inc., spoke about the company’s evolving use of legal operations.
Chad Jerdee, LCLD Member and General Counsel at Accenture, wrote about the importance of including people with disabilities in an organization’s talent strategy.
In a profile by Law360, Michael O’Connor, LCLD Member and General Counsel at MassMutual, discussed the company’s recent adoption of the Mansfield Rule.
Vania Wit, LCLD Diversity Professional and Deputy General Counsel at United Airlines, Inc. spoke about the company’s diversity initiatives.
Lisa Wolmart, LCLD Diversity Professional and Corporate Counsel at Prudential Financial, Inc., spoke about the company’s commitment to hiring women- and minority-owned firms.
In his Business of Law podcast, Jason Barnwell, 2016 Fellow and Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft Corporation, covered a recent event hosted by the LCLD Fellows Alumni that features five Fellows speaking about their career growth.
Indira Sharma, 2015 Fellow and Special Counsel at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP, was profiled in The Daily Record.
Naphtalie Librun-Ukiri, 2019 1L Scholar, was profiled in The Star Tribune, speaking about her experience at LCLD Member firm Ballard Spahr.
Various LCLD Member organizations were also 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 Manager.
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.
