Diversity Newsletter

Fall 2016

A Note from the Chair

As our firm heightens its standing as a diversity leader in the legal profession — a status reflected by exceeding our peer averages in representation of women, persons of color, and LGBT attorneys in our partnership ranks — we welcome the challenge issued by leaders of the in-house bar regarding accountability on diversity and inclusion by outside counsel. Last month, dozens of GCs announced their pledge to direct work to more diverse firms, reflecting the spirit of ABA Resolution 113. The leadership of this group should be commended.

Mintz Levin looks forward to working with our current and prospective clients in facilitating meaningful progress to enhance both diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. We view this as not only a business imperative, but given the diverse communities that our clients serve, it is also a way to build more efficient and well-rounded solutions to legal issues by providing a global perspective on difficult problems. We welcome our alumni to join us in these efforts, including their participation in our various programs to enhance the profiles and client relationships of our diverse attorneys.

In This Edition

» Mintz Levin Welcomes Marcia Clark

» MIATTY Group Meets Diversity Thought Leader

» Introducing Our New Diversity Scholar, Amanda Mei

» Mintz Levin Attends Lavender Law

» Attorney Profile: Poonam Patidar

» Congratulations to Our Award Recipients — and the Firm!

Mintz Levin Welcomes Marcia Clark

On May 4, 2016, the Boston office of Mintz Levin was proud to host a reception with Marcia Clark, chief prosecutor from the O.J. Simpson trial, on the issue of gender biases and perceptions in legal practice. The reception was attended by more than 150 Mintz Levin clients, alumni, and attorneys. Ms. Clark shared numerous examples from the trial, including incidents during live testimony as well as from media coverage, which highlighted the differences in the references to her as opposed to the male attorneys involved in the trial. The frank discussion emphasized the importance of continuing to fight implicit bias with respect to the perception of women attorneys, particularly in light of certain blind spots that remain in legal practice over 20 years later. The event was sponsored by the Women’s Initiative of Mintz Levin, which is headed by Meredith Leary. The reception with Ms. Clark was coordinated by fellow member of the Women’s Initiative Lisa Glahn.

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MIATTY Group Meets Diversity Thought Leader

Thanks to Joanne Hawana, MIATTY members recently had an opportunity to hear insights from an academic administrator on the frontlines of fostering diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. On September 9, 2016, MIATTY convened with guest speaker Dean José Bahamonde-González, Associate Dean for Professional Education at the University of Maryland School of Law, who spoke to the group from the firm’s DC office. Dean José has nearly 25 years of experience in promoting these important goals at the law school level, through both his formal activities as a dean and also through his extensive work with outside organizations such as the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) Diversity Committee. Currently, he also serves as the Inaugural Chair of the Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) for the entire University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus, and in that capacity he has the support of the university president. Dean José is well known in the Maryland and Metro DC communities for his outspoken and always-passionate promotion of law students and attorneys of color, and the importance of integrating their unique life experiences into the wider legal profession.

In his presentation to MIATTY, Dean José first described the impact that Freddie Gray’s death and the subsequent unrest in Baltimore City had on the law school community, and how professors, students, and administration responded to the call for mobilization, discussion, and reflection during those difficult months in 2015. He spoke about broader policing and justice reforms in Baltimore and nationally, and how these complex issues are shaping law students and young attorneys who will be the future of our profession. Dean José then shifted gears to talk about demographics and how the national slow-down in law school applicants has affected the ability to recruit students of color — but also made clear that Maryland School of Law’s longstanding commitment to a diverse student body has not waivered, and is still able to maintain approximately 30% of each entering class with students of color (even if those entering classes are smaller than they were before the Great Recession). This is much higher than the national average. The visit with Dean José concluded with a question-and-answer discussion in which MIATTY members from all offices asked him about assorted topics, including how to promote discussions of diversity in the workplace and what he recommends law firms do to engage more closely with law schools. Both Dean José and MIATTY members found the discussion to be enlightening.

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Introducing Our New Diversity Scholar, Amanda Mei

Congratulations to Amanda Mei, our 2017 Richard Mintz Diversity Scholar, who is currently a 2L at Boston University School of Law. Amanda is the Treasurer and Spanish Language Program Director for the Latin American Law Student Association. Amanda received a bachelor’s degree in communications, cum laude — with a double minor in Spanish and Chinese — from Boston College in 2013.

The Richard Mintz Summer Associate Diversity Scholarship is designed to support the diversity pipeline at the firm. Named in memory of Richard Mintz, a beloved partner in the firm for 57 years and the son of one of our original members, the annual scholarship provides its recipient with a paid summer position in Mintz Levin’s Boston, New York, or San Diego office between the second and third years of law school and $10,000 toward tuition for the third year.

We look forward to welcoming Amanda to our Boston office next summer!

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Mintz Levin Attends Lavender Law

In August, the Diversity Committee and Legal Recruiting Department co-sponsored the National LGBT Bar’s 2016 Annual Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair. The conference, hosted in Washington, DC August 3 – 6, was attended by hundreds of attorneys, corporate counsel, law students, law professors, and judges. Mintz Levin was in good company, with other sponsors including Wal-Mart, NBC Universal, GlaxoSmithKline, Target, Prudential, and BMW. Attendees spent three days attending sessions on topics including everything from LGBTQ information privacy to the growing importance of Title VII. The firm was represented by attorney Lyzzette Bullock at the plenary and small group sessions and networking events, and by Sarah Roberts, Legal Recruiting Coordinator, during the career fair, where we met several talented diverse law students from across the country. The keynote speaker this year was Stuart Delery, US Acting Associate Attorney General, the highest ranked LGBT individual to ever serve at the Justice Department. Next year’s conference is scheduled for August 2 – 4 in San Francisco.

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Congratulations to Our Award Recipients – and the Firm!

Lawyers Weekly recently recognized Elissa Flynn-Poppey and Adrienne Walker among this year’s Top Women of Law honorees. The list recognizes women attorneys who have made tremendous professional strides and demonstrated great accomplishments in the legal field — honoring women who are pioneers, educators, trailblazers, and role models in areas including pro bono work, social justice initiatives, advocacy, business, and other legal work.

Bond Buyer has named Poonam Patidar, profiled above, as one of only 24 professsionals under 40 on the publication’s very first list of Rising Stars! The list recognizes young municipal finance professionals who have demonstrated leadership skills, are excellent collaborators, have displayed innovation and creativity in approaching their jobs, and have made positive contributions to their communities.

Yale Law Women has named Mintz Levin one of the nation’s Top Ten Family Friendly Law Firms for 2016. The annual list recognizes the firm as a leader in developing and practicing family friendly policies, including its flex-time and part-time policies, in-home and on-site emergency child care, and billable hours and compensation practices. This is the sixth time that Yale Law Women has selected Mintz Levin for this important recognition.

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