In this Update:
What’s New
What’s Been Happening
What’s Coming Up
It can be a challenge to keep apprised of all the diversity and inclusion efforts going on so we thought it time to update you on the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP) and its activities and efforts.
WHAT’S NEW
IILP’s Up To the Minute News!
Keep up with IILP’s up to the minute news and activities! “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @TheIILP for the latest information about IILP!
Board Retirement
With her retirement from the University of Washington School of Law, Dr. Sandra Madrid is also retiring from the IILP Board. Sandy has been an energetic and enthusiastic member of the board and we shall miss her wise counsel and guidance. While we’re sorry to lose her, we wish her well and confess our envy that she’s retiring while still youthful enough to enjoy it. Thank you, Sandy, for your hard work and dedication!
IILP Advisory Board
Please join us in welcoming the newest members of IILP’s Advisory Board:
Andrew Lipton from Morgan Stanley
Lorraine McGowen from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP
Amanda Sommerfeld from Winston & Strawn LLP
New IILP Review on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession
IILP has now released its new Review on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession. The IILP Review 2012 summarizes the relevant data and statistics through the end of 2012, presents essays and articles about different facets of diversity and inclusion – the diversity within diversity – and reports on some of the most interesting and promising strategies, programs, and initiatives that are being implemented within our profession. The new IILP Review can be downloaded from our website, www.TheIILP.com.
For those who would like a hard copy, we have a limited number that will be available for those who attend one of our Symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession where we shall be featuring authors from the IILP Review who will speaking about their articles. This year, we’ll be presenting seven symposia:
- Chicago: Tuesday, December 3rd from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
- Dallas: Wednesday, October 23rd from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at AT&T
- Houston: Tuesday, October 22nd from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Baker Botts LLP
- Los Angeles: Tuesday, October 8th from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Sidley Austin LLP
- New York: Tuesday, November 19th from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Jenner & Block LLP
- Seattle: Friday, October 25th from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
- Washington, D.C.: Wednesday, November 13th from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Baker & McKenzie
To register for any symposium or to see which authors will be appearing at which symposia, go to www.TheIILP.com. Registration is $50 per person or $25 for members of co-sponsoring bar associations and other organizations: As of today, those are the National Association of Women Lawyers (“NAWL”); National LGBT Bar Association; National Native American Bar Association (“NNABA”); the California Minority Counsel Program (“CMCP”); and the Chicago Committee. If your bar association or organization isn’t already a co-sponsor, encourage them to contact us at Info@TheIILP.com. Application is being made for CLE accreditation for each symposium.
Our thanks to AT&T, Baker Botts LLP, Baker & McKenzie, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Jenner & Block LLP, Sidley Austin LLP, and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP for hosting the symposia and to our Premier Sponsor, The Claro Group, whose support has made this publication and these symposia possible.
The Ethics of Diversity and the Politics of Inclusion
In this unprecedented and thought-provoking discussion, hear from corporate General Counsel and Chief Legal Officers on a topic they’ve rarely if ever discussed in public: A philosophical discussion about the ethics, politics, and disparate objectives that may be underlying the diversity and inclusion stalemate of recent years. This program, followed by a reception with our panel participants, will be part of IILP fundraisers that will be held on October 1st in Chicago and October 2nd in New York, both from 2:30 PM – 7:30 PM.
IILP Chair Marc Firestone will be delivering the opening address followed by the roundtable discussion. Confirmed panelists to date include:
Gerhard (Gerd) Pleuhs (Chicago)
Executive Vice President & General Counsel
Mondelēz International
Hubert Allen (Chicago)
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Abbott
Stuart A. Alderoty (Chicago and New York)
Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel
HSBC North America Holdings Inc.
Elisa D. Garcia C. (Chicago and New York)
Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Office Depot
Michael A. Yap (New York)
Chief Legal Officer
Prudential Financial Investments
Cathy Tang (Chicago)
Chief Legal Officer
KFC Corporation
Carrie J. Hightman (Chicago)
Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
NiSource Inc.
Willie Miller, Jr. (Chicago/Moderator)
Deputy General Counsel
Mondelēz International
Deborah Lloyd (New York/Moderator)
Associate General Counsel
General Electric
(Visit www.TheIILP.com or follow us @TheIILP as we update each program with additional speakers.)
And to make the events even more exciting, an anonymous donor has issued a challenge grant to IILP: If we are able to raise $50,000 from registration fees and other contributions collected in advance of, during, and immediately following these programs, IILP will earn an additional $25,000. Please help us meet this challenge! A single registration is $500; five individuals from a single organization may register together for $2,000. If you like what IILP is doing, we hope that you’ll support us! You can register at www.TheIILP.com.
IILP gives very special thanks to Baker & McKenzie for hosting this event in Chicago and to Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, our New York hosts!
IILP in the UK
IILP is establishing itself as a charitable organization in the United Kingdom! Since many of the law firms and corporations with which we work also have a significant presence in the UK, we thought it made sense to start our global efforts there. Our UK arm will focus on educating lawyers in both countries about the similarities and differences in our diversity, equality and inclusion challenges, sharing information and strategies, and fostering greater collaboration between American and British lawyers seeking to enhance the diversity within our profession. It is our intention to use this new British charitable organization as a vehicle to maintain a steady exchange of information and programming in both countries so as to build continuity and momentum. IILP Chair Marc Firestone very much enjoyed the opportunity to meet with representatives of various law firms and chambers in the UK earlier this summer and we’re all looking forward to an ongoing relationship with the British lawyers to whom we’re been introducing IILP. We’re very appreciative of the support we’ve been receiving from the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Council of England and Wales as we launch this new effort. And we would be remiss if we didn’t thank Jane Hobson and Claire Roberts from Baker & McKenzie for handling the legal work to create the new organization.
Our next UK programs are scheduled for October 16-17, 2013. On October 16th, IILP, along with the Law Society and the Bar Council, will be convening a roundtable discussion in Birmingham with lawyers from the Midlands to discuss and explore how diversity, equality and inclusion issues and efforts might differ from London. Marc Firestone will be leading the discussion. If you know lawyers in Birmingham or the Midlands region of the UK who might like to attend, please feel free to encourage their attendance and participation but they should register early as space is limited. Sincerest thanks to DLA Piper for hosting this meeting.
On October 17th, IILP, along with the Law Society and the Bar Council, will be presenting an Anglo-American Symposium on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in the London offices of the Royal Bank of Scotland (“RBS”). In this session, IILP Chair Marc Firestone will be speaking about the legal profession’s diversity efforts in an international profession followed by panel discussions during which we’ll be exploring internal diversity, equality and inclusion efforts in law firms and corporate law department; external efforts by corporate clients; and leadership efforts by bar associations, law societies, and bar councils. If you are planning to be in London then, or if you have friends or colleagues in London who are interested in these issues, please encourage them to register to attend as space is limited. We want to thank our friends at RBS for hosting this event.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
New IILP Partners and Allies
IILP is pleased to welcome its newest Partner, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP and its newest Allies, Choate Hall & Stewart LLP and Morgan Stanley and to thank them for their support of and belief in IILP, its mission and its work. If your firm, company, agency, bar association, law school or other organization would like to become an IILP Partner or Ally, you may download the application form from www.TheIILP.com.
IILP on the Road
State Bar of Texas
IILP was pleased to participate in the State Bar of Texas’ Hispanic Issues Forum in Austin. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear about some of the emerging issues in Texas as well as a chance to meet Lisa Tatum, the first African American woman president of the State Bar there. We also had the chance to get to know some extremely bright law students from the University of Texas whom we were later able to introduce to some of the law firms with which IILP works. Thanks to Dahlia Gutierrez and the rest of the host committee for their generous hospitality.
State Bar of Wisconsin
IILP enjoyed a visit to Madison, Wisconsin where we were honored to be a part of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Young Lawyers program, “Working Together to Lead Together: There is a “We” in Diversity.” Lead by the State Bar’s YLD Diversity Committee Chair, Crystal Banse, it was exciting to be part of such a lively and enthusiastic discussion. Look for some great things to be coming from the young lawyers of Wisconsin!
Defense Research Institute
IILP participated in the Defense Research Institute’s Diversity Alliance Roundtable Meeting. It was a great opportunity to spend a day with some of the diversity bar association/organization leaders and discuss collaboration and cooperation. We appreciate all the work that Doug Burrell and the folks at DRI put into organizing the meeting.
American Bar Association
IILP was invited to participate at the ABA Section of International Law’s Spring Meeting in April in Washington, D.C. where we were part of a program titled, “Diversity & Inclusion – A Business Necessity for Global Success” lead by Professor Cheryl Nichols. Later that same week, IILP presented two programs for the ABA Section of Litigation at its Section Annual Conference in Chicago: “The New Rules of the Game” and “The Business Case for Diversity.” Our thanks to the extraordinary speakers and moderators who shared their knowledge and expertise to make these programs successful:
- The New Rules of the Game: Sharon E. Jones, Jones Diversity Group; Ann Chen, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company; Angela Frye, Verizon Wireless; and Martin Montes, Exelon.
- The Business Case for Diversity: E. Macey Russell, Choate Hall & Stewart; John Mathias, Jenner & Block; Ilah Adkins, RBS Citizens Financial Group; Dorian Denburg, AT&T; Martin P. Greene, Greene and Letts; Nate Saint-Victor, Morgan Stanley; and Gary Ropski, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione.
IILP was also part of a panel addressing diversity during the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco for the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (“TIPS”) Leadership Academy. The TIPS Leadership Academy is one of the best inclusion programs anywhere so it was a pleasure to get to be a part of it and see firsthand how it is continuing to grow.
New York Outreach Meetings
When you work in diversity and inclusion, you enjoy and appreciate all the interesting and inspiring people whom you get to meet. In May, IILP Chair Marc Firestone and IILP Board Member Stuart Alderoty spent a day in New York meeting with lawyers from corporations, law firms, public interest organizations, and others to introduce them to IILP and to learn about their work, to discuss the particular challenges they see in making the legal profession more diverse and inclusive, and to share thoughts and ideas about new efforts, directions, and strategies. IILP is very grateful to Cesar Alvarez, Mona Mehta Stone and Greenberg Traurig for hosting these meetings for us.
London Outreach Meetings
With help from Baker & McKenzie, the Law Society and the Bar Council, IILP convened similar meetings with lawyers in London to introduce them to IILP and to learn more about the perspectives and experiences of British lawyers dealing with diversity, equality and inclusion issues. We left feeling that we’d not only learned a great deal but that we’d also begun to make some new friends with whom we look forward to working with in the future.
Conference of World City Bar Associations
The Conference of World City Bar Associations convened its 2013 meeting in Frankfurt and IILP was invited to participate in that group’s first session devoted to diversity issues. The US was represented by the Chicago Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, and the Philadelphia Bar Association. Other bar associations that sent delegates included Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Brazil, Brussels, Frankfurt, Ho Chi Minh City, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Montreal, Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Toronto. There, IILP Chair Marc Firestone delivered one of the most brilliant addresses about diversity in a global legal profession ever heard! The excitement that his remarks generated among the delegates was palpable! The general consensus was that Marc’s address was the first time many of the delegates had ever heard someone speak about the need for diversity in the legal profession in a way that made sense beyond US borders.
American Bar Foundation
IILP was pleased to serve as a commentator to a presentation that the American Bar Foundation’s Director, Robert Nelson, was making to the National Association for Law Placement and the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals about ABF’s “After the J.D.” research. “After the J.D.” and ABF’s Legal Diversity Research Group are bringing together some of the most interesting academic research about diversity at its annual conference and it was an honor to be able to publicly recognize the important role they are playing.
Minority In-House Counsel Association
IILP also participated in the inaugural Minority In-House Counsel Association Conference. IILP was part of a panel addressing the topic of, “Real Change Now: Effective Strategies for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion.” We helped interview KFC Chief Legal Counsel Cathy Tang for the luncheon program. If you haven’t heard Cathy before, make an effort to attend something where she is speaking. Attendees were very excited by what she had to say, especially about the role and responsibility that in-house counsel should play in supporting the careers of diverse lawyers.
WHAT’S COMING UP
In addition to IILP’s programs on “The Ethics of Diversity and the Politics of Inclusion” and the symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession mentioned earlier, IILP has a busy autumn in the works. We’ll be participating in a number of law firms’ and corporate law departments’ internal diversity programs and conferences as well as completing our report on the findings from our Measure of Success research study.
Lavender Law
IILP is pleased that its report, “The Business Case for Diversity: Reality or Wishful Thinking?” is going to be used as a handout for a session on “A Day in the Life of a Managing Partner” at this month’s Lavender Law Conference in San Francisco. If our work is able to support and supplement the work of organizations such as the National LGBT Bar Association, then we are fulfilling part of our mission.
Philadelphia Bar Association
IILP is honored to be a participant in the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Chancellor’s Forum on “The Changing Parameters of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession” on September 10, 2013. It should be a lively discussion and if you are in the area, we hope that you’ll attend.
Thank You!
IILP was delighted to have University of Illinois student Janet Lee working as an intern with us this summer. Janet just took the LSAT and will be starting her senior year this fall. We’re grateful for all her hard work! One of her assignments was something that we’ll be sharing a little later: Given the expense of law school, the slow job market that awaits new law school graduates, and the statistical evidence that women and racial/ethnic minorities encounter disproportionate challenges within this profession, why would a woman or minority want to become a lawyer? Janet met with lawyers and judges from a variety of practice settings and generations to hear about their experiences and perspectives, learn about their career successes and regrets, and solicit their opinions before reaching her own conclusion: She still wants to be a lawyer! IILP will be publishing her paper so that you and students who are considering a legal career can see how and why she reached her decision.
And thank YOU for the interest that you’ve shown in the IILP. We hope that you’re pleased by the work we’re doing and we welcome hearing from you! Be sure to let us know if your email address changes so that you can continue to be kept apprised of our activities.
