A Word from the ChairI was pleased and honored when Bob Bodian asked me to assume leadership of our Diversity Committee, which is entering its fifth year of service to the firm. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rosemary Allen and Karen Lovitch, who successfully guided our committee over the past several years through a variety of initiatives and programs. Evidence of their success is the firm’s inclusion on Vault’s list of the top 20 firms for diversity for 2010. I intend to carry on their work, and I am pleased that we have a number of new members who will assist me. Existing Diversity Committee members Eddie Rodriguez, David Salisbury, John Delehanty, Rosemary Allen, Katy Von Mehren and Wendy Starr will be joined by new members Andy Urban, Michele Floyd, Susan Weller, Adam Sisitsky, Maryann Civitello and Sue Finegan. To further one of the committee’s goals of maximizing the firm’s efforts to look outward from a business development perspective, our Chief Marketing Officer Amy Fowler has joined us. In addition, Heather Kelly from Mintz Levin Professional Development will help focus our practice development efforts, and our practice group administrators, Kathy Armstrong, Michelle Leinbach and Judy Prahl, will assist us with work allocation initiatives. Mintz Levin’s diversity commitment is a natural outgrowth of our genesis: lawyers from diverse backgrounds who wished to practice law together even though they didn’t fit the mold of lawyers at that time. Because the firm’s core values are based upon the search for diversity and demand for inclusion, our diversity initiatives today reflect what the firm has become: a celebration of differences that create a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere in which to practice law. The Committee will continue its mission to understand and value diversity in our firm and clients and to integrate diversity into our vision, culture, business, mission, policies and practices. I welcome your ideas and input and look forward to working with you.
— Jen Rubin In This EditionNew York Office Supports New York Tolerance Center Mintz Levin Honors California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno Sue Finegan, A Woman of Justice Mintz Levin Hosts Minority Bar Summer Potluck New York Office Supports New York Tolerance CenterOn June 30, 2009, the New York office participated in a program at the New York Tolerance Center. Our partner Dick Block brought this organization to the attention of the Diversity Committee shortly after joining the firm and the Diversity Committee thought this organization deserved the firm’s support. The New York Tolerance Center is a professional development multi-media training facility targeting educators, law enforcement officials, and students. Modeled after the successful Tools for Tolerance Program at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, the Tolerance Center provides participants with an intense educational and experiential daylong training program. Through interactive workshops, exhibits, and videos, individuals explore issues of prejudice, diversity, tolerance, and cooperation in the workplace and in the community. The Center customized a program for the firm, which included the New York summer associates, that involved video and other interactive presentations and active participation in role modeling behavior. The program provided very meaningful guidance in examining prejudice and diversity in the workplace and world. Mintz Levin Honors California Supreme Court Justice Carlos MorenoOn June 17th, the San Diego office continued to demonstrate Mintz Levin’s strong commitment to diversity by hosting the San Diego La Raza Lawyer’s Annual Reception for the Judiciary at which California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno was the Guest of Honor. The mission of the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association is to advance the cause of equality, empowerment, and justice for Latino attorneys and the Latino community in San Diego County through service and advocacy.
One of the keynote speakers was Michael Lachuk, Deputy General Counsel and Director of the Intellectual Property Group at Science Applications International Corporation. He discussed the many challenges facing minorities in law firms and offered examples of various ways a law firm can foster diversity efforts. Mr. Lachuk ended his talk with a demand for Fortune 500 companies to require that their outside law firms support diversity. During one of the evening’s most memorable moments, Justice Moreno engaged the guests with a poignant discussion on the importance of diversity in the U.S. judicial system. Many of the attendees were very deeply moved by his heartfelt statement that the Korematsu v. United States case (which held that the need to protect against espionage outweighed the rights of Americans of Japanese descent) may have had a different outcome if there were an Asian or Japanese American Justice on the Supreme Court bench at that time. The event provided the opportunity for our San Diego office to host over 200 guests that included 20 federal and state court judges; Holly Fujie, the President of the State Bar of California; as well as many attorneys from the public and private sectors. According to Mintz Levin Member Fred Hernandez, “the Judge’s Reception was a great event for the San Diego community and for Mintz Levin. The event was attended by many individuals, including community leaders, and it did much to further promote Mintz as a leader in diversity awareness.”
Sue Finegan, A Woman of Justice
Congratulations to Sue Finegan for receiving the 2009 Woman of Justice Award. Sue was among 40 women recognized by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, in partnership with the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers and the Women’s Bar Association, during an awards luncheon at the InterContinental Hotel in Boston on December 4, 2009. The Women of Justice Award honors individuals who have made meaningful and inspiring contributions to the fields of social justice and advocacy, and includes both lawyers and non-lawyers. Sue was recognized for her demonstrated leadership in numerous civic organizations, including: the Women’s Bar Foundation; the Gender Equality Advisory Board to the Chief Justice for Administration and Management; the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence, Standards of Practice for Attorneys Representing Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking in Civil Protective Order Cases; the Boston Bar Association Task Force on Civil Gideon; the Boston Bar Association, Delivery of Legal Services Section; the Youth Advocacy Project; World Unity Inc.; the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project; and the United Way Women’s Leadership Breakfast. Sue, who is Chair of the firm’s pro bono program, was also recognized for managing and championing the firm’s nation-wide pro bono efforts. In the words of a colleague, “Sue has been an extremely effective and eloquent guardian of Mintz Levin’s diverse pro bono program, ensuring that hundreds of pro bono clients (from applicants for political asylum, to victims of housing or employment discrimination, to low-income entrepreneurs) receive the best of everything that Mintz Levin can offer them.” (Susan Cohen, Member, Immigration) Under Sue’s leadership, the firm has been recognized by American Lawyer as one of the “2009 Top 100” firms in the country for pro bono and the firm has received awards for its pro bono leadership by a host of Massachusetts organizations, including the Boston Bar Association, Lawyers Clearinghouse on Affordable Housing and Homelessness, the Elizabeth Stone House, the Boston Business Journal, the Medical-Legal Partnership and the Standing Committee on Pro Bono Publico Legal Services. Sue’s effort to broaden the firm’s pro bono reach beyond Massachusetts has also been recognized by the Mississippi Center for Justice, the San Diego Bar Association, and My Sister’s Place in New York. Mintz Levin Hosts Minority Bar Summer PotluckApproximately 150 attorneys, law students, and their families attended the first annual Minority Bar Summer Potluck on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009 held at the San Diego offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. The participating groups included Lawyers Club, the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego, San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association, Iranian American Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association, Korean American Bar Association, Tom Homann Law Association, and Native American Law Association.
“The purpose of the event was to allow the members of the various minority bar associations to get to know each other in an atmosphere that was not filled with the expected networking,” said Lawyers Club board member Udoka Nwanna, who organized the summer potluck, “and that accepts that their families are an important aspect of who they are and adds dimension to how they practice law.” Lawyers Club member Michele Wilson, said she enjoyed seeing colleagues and friends having fun with their families. “I got a kick out of watching little kids playing in the hallway of a prominent law firm like Mintz Levin – not a sight you see every day,” Wilson said. David Salisbury, Mintz Levin’s Director of Business Development and a member of the firm’s Diversity Committee said he looks forward to next year’s summer potluck – including the good food brought by the different groups. “When Udoka approached Mintz Levin regarding hosting the event, I was really excited about the unique opportunity to bring together the diverse bar associations that make up the San Diego legal community,” he said. “The event was very fun and provided the attendees with an opportunity to meet in a comfortable relaxed environment, while also allowing us to experience the unique food and cultures the different organizations represent. Mintz Levin looks forward to hosting the next one.” DC Office in Support of BUILDThe DC office has continued its active support of BUILD, a national entrepreneurship-focused college access program whose mission is to provide real-world entrepreneurial experience that empowers youth from under-resourced communities to excel in education, lead in their communities, and succeed professionally. In the DC Metro area, BUILD recruits mentors to guide and teach public high school students technical skills, critical and creative thinking which students can then apply to their academics. Chuck Samuels sits on BUILD’s board and Kevin Kappel and Tyler Stone, Project Analysts in the DC office, mentor with BUILD. Mentors work weekly with groups of BUILD students to assist these young students in formulating cohesive business plans, developing honed business skills, and launching their businesses in their local communities. With business concepts ranging from basic services to products such as perfumes and shirts, these students are provided small stipends to take control of their own businesses and gain real-world entrepreneurial experience. BAGLY’S Annual AuctionFor the fifth consecutive year, Mintz Levin is sponsoring the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth (BAGLY)’s annual auction and fundraiser on April 8, 2010 at the Artists for Humanity Center in South Boston. This year BAGLY is celebrating its 30th anniversary, marking 30 years of providing critical social programming and health services designed to help gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth reduce their feelings of isolation, build their self-esteem and develop a sense of empowerment to become confident, active and successful leaders and members of our communities. Over 700 youth regularly participate in BAGLY’s weekly programming, with over 3,000 youth participating in all of BAGLY’s annual activities. 80 percent of these youth are low-income or poor, over half identify as youth of color and over 85 percent live within the city of Boston. If you are interested in attending the event using one of Mintz Levin’s complimentary tickets, please contact Tavis Morello (x 504464; tjmorello@mintz.com). Upcoming EventsPan Asian Lawyers of San Diego – Annual Dinner Hispanic National Bar Association – Mid-Year Conference Women of Color in Law – Spring Luncheon Lambda Legal – Anniversary Event  |
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Diversity Committee Editors
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