The LCLD Alumni welcomed their new Executive Council members, City Leads, Class Liaisons, and committee members on June 12, 2020, during the LCLD Alumni Virtual Leadership Symposium. The Symposium began with a keynote address by Kim Rivera, President, Strategy and Business Management, and Chief Legal Officer for HP Inc. and LCLD Board Chair-Elect. In her remarks, Rivera said, “Going forward,…making choices and conducting our profession in a way that makes the ideals of [the legal] system an actual reality is our highest calling[.] [I]t is incumbent upon the legal profession to act in a leadership capacity.”

Incoming Executive Council Chair, Bonnie Lau, a 2013 Fellow and Partner at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco, outlined plans for the LCLD Alumni community to answer this charge over the next year by committing to action and initiatives to promote racial justice and equal administration of the law. Building on LCLD Founding Chair Emeritus Rick Palmore’s original manifesto, “A Call to Action,” Lau challenged LCLD Alumni to commit to a Renewed Call to Action to diversify the legal profession, change institutionalized systems, and organize for protest, engagement, and allyship.

As part of this year’s platform, the LCLD Alumni will provide opportunities for their 2,600 members to (1) connect and support each other through advocacy groups and regional and virtual programming; (2) create resources and toolkits for Alumni to educate their colleagues, host important discussions, and advocate for policy changes in their organizations; and (3) commit to pro bono and charitable activities that combat racial injustice. Alumni and LCLD Member Organizations interested in joining working groups focused on each of these issues should reach out to Robert Grey, LCLD President; Bonnie Lau, Alumni Executive Council Chair; or Erin Hess, LCLD Alumni Program Manager.

The LCLD Alumni, led by the 28 members of the Executive Council, 56 City Leads, 18 Class Liaisons, and dozens of committee members, are committed to reaching these ambitious goals and making this moment count. Expect big things over the course of the next year!

Erin Hess is the LCLD Alumni Program Manager. Please contact her at ehess@lcldnet.com for questions.