LEAH THORNTON

By: Daniella Isaacson, Esq., Legal Intelligence

At this rate, women equity partners will reach 30 percent—by 2081. Without extraordinary new efforts, parity remains a distant possibility[1]

It is no secret that a lack of gender diversity is a long suffering issue for most industries, resulting in women facing greater risk of disenfranchisement by implicit bias within predominantly male organizations and in a lack of women in top leadership roles.

Big Law, in particular, is at a crossroads when it comes to gender diversity. In fact, the number of female lawyers in the Am Law 200 has flat-lined for the past five years at slightly over 30% of the workforce.  There is no disputing that this is an embarrassing statistic.  As enforcers of equal opportunity, lawyers are at the forefront of the push for equality as a legal matter. At the same time, the law is consistently ranked as one of the worst industries for hiring and retaining a diverse workforce and has failed to improve the bottom line despite efforts to change.

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By: Elizabeth Olson, New York Times

W. Neil Eggleston, a former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, is returning to the law firm Kirkland & Ellis as a partner in its government, regulatory and internal investigations practice in Washington.

Mr. Eggleston, 63, was a partner at Kirkland, a 1,900-lawyer corporate law firm, in 2014 when Mr. Obama named him to the White House post. In that job, he advised the president on legal and constitutional issues involving foreign policy and domestic matters, including congressional investigations, the judicial selection and appointments process, government ethics and petitions for clemency.

“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to serve in the White House under President Obama, and am looking forward to returning to Kirkland & Ellis, private practice and teaching once again,” Mr. Eggleston said in a statement.

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By Kate Farrar:

Attending conferences might be one of the best things you can do for your career. You’ll learn about industry trends, gain some new skills, and make all kinds of new connections . (And yes, there’s usually travel and free meals involved.)

But all those speakers, sessions, contacts, and conversations can also be overwhelming. Besides bringing boatloads of business cards and collecting them from other people , what else should you be planning on when you have an event coming up? From prepping beforehand to having a great time while you’re there, here’s what you need to know to make the most of your next conference. 

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KEVIN DONOVAN

How has WALRAA helped you in your field?

WALRAA has been a great way to get to know the DC recruiters better and to develop a stronger knowledge of their firms. It has also provided more interaction with other Career Services professionals on the school side.

How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?

I worked on recruiting throughout my 19 years in firm practice (serving on the Recruiting Committee for many of those years). When I decided I was interested in a new challenge, this was the only job for which I applied. (P.S. It has been a great choice.)

How do you balance your career and personal life?

You're supposed to do that? Just kidding. I try to stay committed to time with my family and one good hobby. I am one of those people who actually likes work, however. It took me a long time to admit that to myself. But that also allowed me to ease up on myself for spending more time working than is probably rational otherwise.

 What is the best professional advice you have received?

You cannot litigate in fear. (And it carries over to other jobs.) Do the right things for the right reasons and don't be fearful about the consequences or the outcomes.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.

Most people don't know that I have an absolutely great list of the best movies ever filmed.

By Julie Bagdikian, The Pollack PR Marketing Group

Social media can be used to build a thought leadership platform, increase market share, improve business intelligence, network and attract new talents. There is no cookie-cutter recipe for success on social media though. It’s just like baking desserts; the ingredients must be carefully chosen and measured. If a single thing goes amiss, the whole dessert is ruined. The soufflé collapses. The meringue crumbles. But the good news is, the framework of a social media strategy is no different than a recipe

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By Ellen Rosen, New York Times

Like other Silicon Valley giants, Facebook has faced criticism over whether its work force and board are too white and too male. Last year, the social media behemoth started a new push on diversity in hiring and retention.

Now, it is extending its efforts into another corner: the outside lawyers who represent the company in legal matters.Facebook is requiring that women and ethnic minorities account for at least 33 percent of law firm teams working on its matters.

Numbers alone, however, are not enough, under a policy that went in effect on Saturday. Law firms must also show that they “actively identify and create clear and measurable leadership opportunities for women and minorities” when they represent the company in litigation and other legal matters.

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By: Howard Flack, Law360

By now, I hope we’ve all looked in the mirror and seen our own reflection as it relates to our respective lateral recruitment efforts. It is, of course, interesting to see the results of a number of the surveys and much of the research done around the topic of lateral partner recruiting. Some focus on the very simple question of whether firms consider their lateral partner recruitments to have been "successful" or "profitable." 

Others focus on why lateral partners are leaving their firms, and, based on actual research, rank the factors that appear most important to a lateral partner's decision to leave. What is interesting, though, is that virtually all of the focus on the "success" of lateral partner recruiting in general, or why lateral partners consider moving in the first place, is on the individual lateral partner and not the firm.

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By: David Ruiz, Corporate Counsel, The American Lawyer

SAN FRANCISCO — As corporate legal departments push for increased diversity in the outside counsel they hire, many departments are mirroring those efforts in-house, working with a national organization that provides training and education to minority attorneys through several programs.

Early this year, HP Inc. said it would withhold payments from outside counsel that do not meet diversity requirements. And an April 3 The New York Times report said Facebook Inc.'s legal department requires outside counsel teams working directly on a matter to be 33 percent composed of women and ethnic minorities. Law is still one of the least diverse professions, according to many surveys.

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Courtney Carter

Diversity & Inclusion Manager

Jenner & Block

How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?