Personal Leadership Stories on Diversity: A Fireside Chat
with Two Exceptional General Counsels
(Sponsored by Littler Mendelson)
Hear two of the legal profession’s most highly regarded general counsel share their
personal journeys leading diversity and inclusion efforts throughout their careers.
Discover the source of their commitment, the lessons they have learned, how they are
leading their organizations, and what they think we all should be doing to advance the
cause in law firms and legal departments. This will be a rare glimpse at the challenges
and successes stories of two dynamic leaders as they have endeavored to individually
move the needle on diversifying the legal profession.
Moderator:
Arin N. Reeves, President, Nextions
Speakers:
Kristin Campbell, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Staples, Inc.
Roderick A. Palmore, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief
Compliance Risk Management Officer, General Mills, Inc.
Doral Resorts & Spa • April 15, 2011
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Presenting MCCA’s 2009
Diversity Award Winners
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By Joshua H. Shields
Raised in the conservative bastion of Salt
Lake City, and still athletic at 54 (he climbed
Mt. Kilimanjaro this year), Gary Kennedy
might not look like a national leader in
diversity. But, true to his credo, Kennedy
defies stereotypes. For decades, Kennedy
stressed the business and moral justifications
for a diverse legal workforce. In 2009, he
was recognized for his efforts, and in a big
way!
Kennedy and his legal department have
earned MCCA’s Employer of Choice award for
the South/Southwest region, the Texas
Minority Counsel Program’s Corporate
Photo by John Abbott Photography
Counsel of the Year Award, Fort Worth
Business Press Power Attorney Award, the
Diversity Initiative Achievement Award from the National Association of Minority
and Women Owned Law Firms, and the Allies for Justice Award from the
National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Bar Association. He adds
these honors to those already on his mantel, including the 2008 Corporate
Diversity Award from the Dallas Hispanic National Bar Association, the 2003 and
2007 Dallas Business Journal Best Corporate Counsel Award, and the 2008
Texas General Counsel Forum Magna Stella Award.
Kennedy has served as the senior vice president and general counsel of
American Airlines since 2003, but started his career as an attorney for the
company in 1984, instilling his values from day one. “I view diversity in an
extremely broad context,” he explains. “Religion, geography, age, gender,
sexual orientation, race; they are all important. Growing up, I joked that I was
one of five Catholics in Utah. It affected my view on diversity because I was a
minority in an overwhelmingly Mormon community.”
He is quick to highlight his team’s role in these accolades. “I think the awards
are representative of our legal work. We have a great legal department with a
strong emphasis on diversity and pro bono activities. It is mandatory that all
our attorneys dedicate some time to those without the means to afford legal
representation.”
MCCA WOULD LIKE
TO THANK OUR 2011
STRATEGIC
DIVERSITY
“Gary is a general counsel who is not only making an impact in his department,
but throughout the legal community as a whole,” shares Michelle Peak, a senior
attorney in American Airlines’ legal department and a diversity leader in her
own right. “He sits on several boards that make a difference in a number of
communities. He is instilling his idea of inclusion to everyone. Being a diverse
attorney, that makes me feel comfortable, and it adds value to the work we
do.”
SPONSORS
It is Kennedy’s hope that by stressing diversity at a local level, a corporate
level, and at the firm level, diversity will be expedited.
He has served as a mentor in the mentorship program established between
American Airlines and Texas Wesleyan School of Law. And in his spare time, he
serves as a director of MCCA, and one of the founders of the Leadership Council
on Legal Diversity.
Kennedy continues to be an innovator and advocate waiting for diversity to
become the zeitgeist of this age. Until then, he will keep working on promoting
diversity wherever he can.
2009 Employer of Choice Award
Winners
South/Southwest Region
American Airlines
Coca-Cola
Midwest Region
Exelon Corporation
KeyCorp
West Region
Google
Qwest
Mid-Atlantic Region
Duke Energy
XO Communications
Northeast Region
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Xerox
2009 Sager Award Winners
South/Southwest Region
Vinson & Elkins
Midwest Region
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione LLP
West Region
Littler Mendelson P.C.
Mid-Atlantic Region
WilmerHale
Northeast Region
Dewey & LeBoeuf
From the November/December 2009 issue of Diversity & The Bar®
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Cover Story: Hispanic Power
Couples
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By Chana Garcia
Combining two successful legal careers with a successful marriage is no easy
feat. The following Hispanic power couples, Carol and Nelson Roman,
Georgina and Frank Angones, and Holly and Marlon Paz, prove that it is
indeed possible—and more often than not, prosperous for the entire
community.
Long before Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina to serve on the
nation’s high court, she was well-known and well-respected by a network of
influential Hispanic attorneys. Back in the late ’90s, one such group, the
Puerto Rican Bar Association (PRBA), decided to launch a grassroots
campaign to get a Latino justice on the Supreme Court, and Sotomayor was
on the organization’s short list.
To rally support for their cause, PRBA officers headed to the nation’s capital,
where they literally knocked on lawmakers’ doors. Among them was thenpresident Nelson S. Roman, now an associate justice on the New York State
Supreme Court, Appellate Division.
For Judge Roman, who is of Puerto Rican descent, advocating for other
talented Latino attorneys was a no-brainer. The highest court in the land
needed a diversified bench, he believed, and he was determined to help all
the qualified candidates he knew get on the radar of empathetic legislators.
“We talked to a lot of congressmen and -women,” Judge Roman recalled.
“Many were receptive…We told them, ‘These are candidates that you should
look at.’ We were promoting the idea of diversity and excellence. We hear
the term ‘merit selection.’ And we had candidates who had the scholarship,
the academic credentials, and the merit for serious consideration.”
A little more than a decade after Judge Roman’s prescient trip to
Washington, his vision—and the vision of the PRBA—came to fruition.
Sotomayor made history last summer when she was appointed to the
Supreme Court. And, fittingly enough, sitting among the crowd at her
confirmation hearings was Carol Robles-Roman, Judge Roman’s wife of 19
years.
Carol, New York City’s deputy mayor for legal affairs and counsel to Mayor
Michael Bloomberg, was, like her husband, a longtime supporter of
Sotomayor. By chance or by fate, she found herself working alongside
Bloomberg as he prepared his congressional testimony on Sotomayor’s
behalf.
MCCA WOULD LIKE
TO THANK OUR 2011
STRATEGIC
DIVERSITY
It was as if everything had come full circle. Judge Roman had lobbied so
hard for the day when a Latino would don the robes of a justice, and his wife
SPONSORS
got to witness it in action.
“I felt like this is the message Judge Roman and I had been sending our
whole lives,” noted Carol. “We have excellent Hispanic judges and attorneys,
and it feels like it’s been our job to shine a light on that.”
It’s a job the couple has been doing since the start of their careers. Judge
Roman, a former New York City police officer, has remained committed to a
lifetime of public service since retiring from the force in 1982. He put himself
through law school and then joined the King’s County District Attorney’s
office, where he served as an assistant D.A. for five years. He started his
judicial career in 1997, when he was appointed to the New York City Housing
Court. He was later elected to the civil court and then to the State Supreme
Court bench. Last year, New York Gov. David Paterson appointed him as an
associate justice. Looking back, his career pursuits ideally prepared him for
his current role as an appellate jurist.
Carol’s professional career includes executive positions in law, business, and
management. She served as a court administrator and an assistant attorney
general for the New York State Department of Law Division of Civil Rights.
She later became senior vice president of the Puerto Rico Industrial
Development Company, where she promoted the relocation of Fortune 500
Companies to the island. New York’s deputy mayor since 2002, she advises
the mayor on legal policy and spearheads numerous public-private
initiatives, such as Family Justice Centers, or as Carol calls them “state-ofthe-art one-stop centers for domestic violence victims.” She also oversees
New York’s “Let’s End Human Trafficking” campaign, which is designed to
raise awareness about human trafficking in New York and elsewhere.
At a time when Hispanics are becoming the fastest growing minority group in
the nation, the Romans represent a new kind of power couple. They’ve
developed considerable influence as a result of their individual and collective
successes in the legal field. Yet despite their achievements, or perhaps
because of them, they’ve made it a point to create opportunities for others.
More than 1,000 miles away in Miami, the same is true for Francisco and
Georgina Angones. Back in the ’60s, Frank and Georgina (better known as
Georgie) came to this country from Cuba following the 1959 revolution.
Georgie fled with her family, while Frank arrived on U.S. shores as a part of
Operación Pedro Pan, or Operation Peter Pan, a program that supervised
unaccompanied child sent to The States to seek a better life. As is the case
with many of their peers, Frank and Georgie were the first in their families to
go to college. Their parents and grandparents stressed the importance of
higher education, and they both took heed. Frank, now a partner at
Angones, McClure & Garcia and past president of the Florida Bar, and
Georgie, assistant dean for alumni relations and development at the
University of Miami School of Law, studied hard and worked even harder,
intelligently navigating their careers and propelling themselves into
America’s upper-middle class.
Like the Romans, the Angoneses are dedicated to nurturing the next
generation of Hispanic attorneys. They consider the time they spend helping
young law school students secure financial aid or land interviews at
reputable firms in South Florida as more than just a way of giving back. In
many ways, their work is a natural extension of who they are and the
principles that make up the very core of their relationship.
“I entered the academic world to put a husband through law school,” notes
Georgie. “Frank got accepted to a university in Chicago, but he had to turn
down a full scholarship because we both couldn’t manage to go to school and
work at the same time.” To ensure that they each had a chance to pursue
their legal dreams, these high school sweethearts enrolled at the University
of Miami, where Georgie landed a job. With her tuition remission, and her
decision to take the maximum number of credits possible each semester,
Georgie freed up time for Frank to hit the books—all the while ensuring that
they both graduated with minimal debt.
“My wife is a problem-solver,” Frank says. “What first caught my attention to
her was that she was a natural leader. She was the person who organized
everything. She has always had the ability to take the bull by the horns and
get things done. I’m not like that. I worked at becoming a leader and coming
out of my shell. I was incredibly shy growing up. But Georgie was not, and I
admire that.”
The couple, who count former teachers, employers, and mentors among
those who’ve contributed to their professional successes, fondly remember
the sacrifices of those who came before them, and that keeps them
motivated to reach out to those following in their footsteps.
“If I can touch just one or two people a year, then I’ve done something
absolutely fabulous,” says Georgie, who is a member of the Judicial
Nominating Committee for the Southern District of Florida. “It’s our
responsibility to point out resources and to encourage young Hispanic
students to remember that education is the way up for every minority group.
The next generation wants to be part of the melting pot, but it’s also
important to retain your culture, no matter if it’s Cuban, Portuguese, or
Puerto Rican. It’s important to speak the native tongue of your parents
because that will open doors for you. Kids who are bilingual are extremely
marketable. In Florida, young attorneys who are interested in doing public
interest work can get a job at the public defender’s office, or they can work
for a nonprofit. There’s also a lot of immigration work. It’s not as lucrative as
going to a big firm, but it can be rewarding work for recent grads.”
Recruiting notable talent has also been a driving factor for Marlon and Holly
Paz. And for this Washington, D.C.- based couple that has included
identifying opportunities for the hardest-working attorneys they know—each
other.
After meeting at University of Pennsylvania Law School, the couple married,
started a family, and set out on what, at times, has seemed like parallel
career paths. Marlon, who is originally from Honduras, and Holly, who grew
up in Illinois and Pennsylvania, both landed positions as tax lawyers soon
after graduating. Marlon got his start at a firm and then made the leap over
to the corporation litigation world, but working at the Securities and
Exchange Commission had always been his dream job. Holly eventually
made her way to the IRS, where she now works as a managing attorney.
With her government position, she often came across federal job postings,
but one in particular, with the SEC, caught her eye.
It was an “obscure posting,” Marlon recalls, but Holly nevertheless
encouraged him to apply. Marlon got the job and eventually rose through the
ranks to become senior counsel to the director, where he worked for six
years before becoming the principal integrity officer for the Inter-American
Development Bank in July.
“All lawyers are naturally competitive people,” Holly notes. “But the one
thing I appreciate about our marriage is that we’re not competitive with each
other. We celebrate each other’s accomplishments.”
“And it’s usually Holly helping me,” Marlon interjects. “Law is a tough
business, whether you’re in private practice or work for the government. It
helps to have an ally and someone to share ideas with.”
The Pazes have since done a lot of recruiting for the federal agencies where
they’ve been employed. With firsthand knowledge of the confusing and often
difficult application processes, they’ve participated in discussions sponsored
by the Hispanic bar associations, the African American counsels, and
universities in D.C. to talk to young attorneys interested in tax law and
government work about how to get their foot in the door.
“I sent in my materials at least 10 times to several agencies and never heard
anything,” adds Marlon, the past president of the Hispanic Bar Association of
D.C. and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. “I felt like it went
into a black hole. But Holly kept the hope alive. She helped me get an
interview, and that led to a job where I spent years doing something I loved.
But there are a lot of people like me out there who are unaware of the steps
you need to take. It’s not rocket science; there’s just no guidance. We’re
trying to help explain the process.”
Although Latinos remain largely underrepresented in the legal field, their
future in the profession seems bright if the growing number of Hispanic
power couples is any indication. From city to city, Latino attorneys
understand the benefits of building a strong network for themselves and for
a country that is becoming increasingly diverse.
“My hope is that there are more and more Latinos interested in the field—a
flood of people waiting in the wings,” Marlon says. “But it should never be
couched as a feel-good thing. It’s a business case. We ought to promote
inclusion because it makes an organization, a law firm, or a government
agency stronger.” DB
Chana Garcia is a freelance writer, editor, and blogger based in New York
City.
From the September/October 2010 issue of Diversity & The Bar®
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MCCA reflects on the extraordinary career of James L.
Lipscomb, MetLife’s trailblazing executive vice president and
general counsel.
By Patrick Folliard
In describing his successful tenure as executive vice president and general counsel
at MetLife, Inc., James L. Lipscomb credits much of his achievement to being
“proactive, anticipating where things ought to be going and what people need to be
doing to make it happen.” Throughout an impressive legal career spanning almost
four decades—all spent at the same corporation—Lipscomb has maintained this
same vigilant attitude toward diversity as well. It comes as little surprise, then, to
learn that MetLife’s much-lauded legal affairs department will receive MCCA’s 2010
Employer of Choice award for the Northeast Region, honoring the group’s
commitment to creating and maintaining an inclusive corporate legal department.
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MetLife’s diversity committee. Seated: Patricia
Curran Reinhardt, James L. Lipscomb, Taa Grays.
Standing: Ashley Rowe, Mauricio Vivas, Lisa
Stenson Desamours, Joseph Morledge, Alfred
Ayensu–Ghartey, Sandra Garrick–Tinto, Matthew
Ricciardi, Paula Barnes, James Huang, Mayleen
Fitzcharles.
MCCA WOULD LIKE
TO THANK OUR 2011
STRATEGIC
DIVERSITY
Established 140 years ago,
MetLife is a leading provider
of insurance and other
financial services to millions
of individual and institutional
customers throughout the
United States. Outside the
U.S., MetLife companies
have direct insurance
operations in Asia Pacific,
Latin America, and Europe.
This year marks the
company’s second time
winning MCCA’s Employer of
Choice award. The first
award was conferred in the
fall of 2002.
Lipscomb remembers
accepting that first award on
behalf of the department for
Gary Beller, then MetLife’s
GC, who was unable to
attend the ceremony. “As I
Photo by John Abbott Photography
stood before the 800-plus
people in the room, my thoughts went to my very first day at MetLife,” he recalls.
“At that time, I was only one of two African American attorneys on staff. We had
come a long way, and it was a time for reflection—to look back at where we had
been, and ahead to where we wanted to go.”
Lipscomb also remembers the tremendous sense of ownership and pride exhibited
SPONSORS
by his fellow MetLife associates who were present that night in 2002. “It was their
award—a product of their efforts to create an inclusive work environment,” he
shares. “I was there to assure them that they had the support of senior
management, and that we were committed to building on the excellent progress
that we’d already made.”
At the very beginning of his legal career—not long, in fact, after Lipscomb joined
MetLife as an attorney in 1972—his boss approached him about coming up with
ways to get more minority firms involved with MetLife work. In addition to finding
the firms and introducing them to the company, Lipscomb went on recruiting drives
to historically black and majority law schools in a quest to identify and encourage
future minority attorneys.
In truth, his initial efforts were not overly successful. “Among the leadership, there
was an outward desire to follow Martin Luther King’s clarion call to make a
difference, but you couldn’t get it through the middle,” recalls Lipscomb. “The tone
may be right at the top of a company, but if the middle level isn’t with the
program, it’s not going to happen. I was able to find the minority firms, but they
[others in the company] didn’t use them. It was a Catch-22 situation: They’d
demand things from these firms that they couldn’t provide because those firms had
never had the opportunity to do that kind of work before.”
Over time, MetLife came to embrace diversity more fully, particularly in its 800person legal affairs group, where now more than half the employees are women
and almost 30% are people of color. Over his career, Lipscomb has promoted
diversity in a deliberate manner. He believes creating an environment where people
want to work is paramount. “I’ve never tackled diversity issues with a lot of
dictates,” explains Lipscomb. “Instead, my approach is to get people together and
ask them to help create their work environment.
“Almost forty years after I came to MetLife, the tone is still set at the top by
promoting opportunity and an atmosphere of openness,” he continues. “But today,
diversity efforts are owned at all levels. As early as the interview process, many
young attorneys already have an idea of what they want: They ask about MetLife’s
commitment to women and people of color, and about giving back to the
community and creating pro bono opportunities. Young attorneys bring new ideas
and perspectives, and if there are things that need to be a part of MetLife’s work
environment, they take it on themselves and make it happen.”
Lipscomb grew up in Albany, New York, in a family of fourteen children.
Circumstances were challenging, and he began working while still a boy—first
washing floors, and later painting houses. By high school, he was making money by
cutting custom slip covers and upholstering furniture. “From an early age, my goal
was to get in the best position to earn a living,” says Lipscomb. “The first challenge
was graduating high school, and after that was finding the money to go to college.
That was something I had to do for myself.”
After completing junior college, Lipscomb moved on to Howard University, where he
majored in political science and graduated cum laude in 1969. He headed directly
to Columbia University School of Law. The shift from the historically black Howard
to the predominantly white Columbia didn’t particularly faze young Lipscomb.
“There were about 30 black students—we called ourselves black in those days—in a
class of 300,” he remembers. “We were very active in the newly formed BALSA
[Black Allied Law Students Association], and we were definitely asserting ourselves.
Columbia was a good place to be.”
A self-described “child of the 60s,” Lipscomb
remembers the importance of the courts and
lawyers in the Civil Rights Movement. Early
in life, he learned the significance of the law,
and considered a career in the profession. In
law school he was a poll watcher for Charles
Evers in the 1970 governor’s race in
Mississippi; nevertheless, he did not pursue
a career in civil rights law. Instead, he
followed his childhood desire to become a
business lawyer focusing on real estate.
At Columbia, a professor suggested
Lipscomb
not interview with firms. “Some of
Taa Grays, James Lipscomb, and
the biggest real estate is owned by
Matthew Ricciardi
insurance companies,” the professor
advised. When Lipscomb was hired at
Photo by John Abbott Photography
MetLife, he eschewed the idea of rotating
among different departments, asking instead that the company allow him to
concentrate solely on real estate. His new employers agreed.
“At heart, I like to build things,” confides Lipscomb. “To this day, part of me would
still like to be an architect. Throughout my law career, I’ve helped build buildings in
America’s largest cities. Literally billions of dollars of real estate has been put in
place across the nation through work I’ve been involved with.”
People come to work with many different objectives in mind. Throughout his career,
Lipscomb showed up to excel, to lead, to make a difference. It was important for
him, as he puts it, “to have some skin in the game.” Not surprisingly, after only six
years at MetLife, Lipscomb was made a corporate officer, an accomplishment
incredibly rare for anyone at MetLife at that point in time. During this period,
Lipscomb attended the New York University School of Law at night to earn his
Masters of Legal Letters degree in corporate law. Soon after, he transferred to
MetLife’s California office, where he oversaw real estate investing in ten western
states through 1989.
Later, back in New York, Lipscomb was asked by MetLife’s CEO to be part of an inhouse strategic resource group charged with exploring issues affecting the
company’s future. Soon he was called upon to join the business side of MetLife in
real estate investments, where he managed a multi-billion-dollar mortgage
portfolio, and eventually became a senior vice president. In addition, he led
MetLife’s corporate planning and strategy department from 1998 to 2000. Next, he
moved to Hartford, Conn., to serve as president and CEO of Conning Corporation (a
former MetLife subsidiary), overseeing its asset management portfolio, private
equity group, real estate loan origination and servicing platform, equity broker
dealer, and insurance industry research group.
From 2001 to 2003, Lipscomb served as senior vice president and deputy general
counsel at MetLife’s New York headquarters, with the commitment from
management that he would be named general counsel after the then-general
counsel was ready to pass the baton. In 2003, he was appointed to his current
position.
As executive vice president and general counsel, Lipscomb oversees the company’s
legal affairs group with responsibility for the global operation of the MetLife law,
government and industry relations, and corporate compliance departments. He also
provides advice to the board of directors and management on corporate
governance and business operations.
A career like Lipscomb’s cannot be reproduced in the current environment. To stay
with the same corporation for almost four decades seems to be an unlikely
milestone for lawyers to reach in the future. Corporations, young people, the
world—all have changed. Today’s average professional will be employed by five or
more companies before retirement.
“A lot of young people coming out of law school these days feel they’re ready to
take the reins of a company, as opposed to working their way up through the
ranks. And in many cases, particularly in the tech area, they’re right,” notes
Lipscomb. “Young people are showing up equipped with multiple skill sets from day
one. Different businesses require different resources. I dare say that in ten years, I
couldn’t be here unless I worked heroically to stay abreast of the company’s
movement.”
At the end of April, Lipscomb will retire from MetLife. Understandably for a man
who has worked since he was nine years old, he looks forward to his time being his
own. He does, however, want to give more of his attention to the Center of Hope
(Haiti), Inc. (www.centerofhope-haiti.org), a charity committed to fostering the
future of the impoverished country’s orphans. The nonprofit corporation is currently
building an orphanage and school in Hinche, a city in central Haiti that was not
affected by the devastating earthquake in January. Lipscomb also plans to spend
more time with his family and eventually to live permanently in Arizona, where he
already owns a home.
When the Northeast Region’s Employer of Choice awards are presented in
November in New York City, Lipscomb will no longer be general counsel—but,
without question, his legacy will continue to resonate. Without James Lipscomb’s
years of hard work, devotion, and remarkable foresight, MetLife’s legal affairs
department would not be what it is today—an awardwinning place to work. MCCA
salutes Lipscomb’s many accomplishments, and looks forward to checking back in
with MetLife later this year to see how its commitment to diversity continues to
flourish. DB
Patrick Folliard is a freelance writer based in Silver Spring, Md.
From the March/April 2010 issue of Diversity & The Bar®
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Four accomplished lawyers reflect on their
professional journeys
from general counsel to corporate officer. These
leaders share their
views on what it takes to make a successful
transition.
By Patrick Folliard
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Growing into the complex role of corporate officer is not an ideal fit for every
lawyer. Along with the increased compensation and added prestige that
typically accompany the appointment, the elevation comes with additional
responsibilities and a change of focus. For those attorneys who are named
officers within their company’s legal function, their daily involvement with the
law remains constant; but at the same time they are, suddenly a part of their
organization’s leadership team, making quick decisions and reporting to those
at the top. For those attorneys who make the move from the legal department
to the business side of the company, their job description changes entirely:
Not only must they understand how their company makes money and what its
ongoing business concerns are, but they also play a more substantial role in
making its business aspirations a reality part of the leadership team
determining their organization’s next move, they play a part in making its
business aspirations a reality.
In this article, four officers talk about how they navigated the professional
jump from attorney to C-Suite executive, and share what others can do to get
there too. They discuss the circumstances surrounding their respective
appointments, as well as the challenges and satisfactions they have
encountered in adjusting to their new jobs.
N. Cornell Boggs III was named chief responsibility and ethics officer for
MillerCoors in July 2008.“Officers are appointed to become part of an
organization’s leadership,and to work for the president or the CEO in helping
to guide our company’s strategic compass,”declares Boggs.
“And when an attorney is appointed officer, usually
it’s within a company’s legal department, but it’s
not impossible for him or her to make the transition
outside of legal and take on a very senior business
role with their organization.”
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In filling his relatively new position, Boggs moved
outside the legal department and became
responsible for ensuring that the Chicago-based
beer giant “lives up to its commitment to respect
consumers, community,and the planet,”as the
company terms it on its Web site. To accomplish
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N. Cornell Boggs III
this none-too-simple task, he leads a multi-faceted
group that deals head on with many aspects of external and community
affairs, ethics and business conduct, and the company’s corporate social
responsibility and sustainability apparatus.
“Part of MillerCoors’ operating plan is comprised of key drivers, for which my
team and I are principally responsible,” explains Boggs. “We spend our time
promoting the responsible enjoyment of beer; working to embed
environmental sustainability through the operation; investing in the
communities where we work and in which our products are sold; and modeling
best practice in transparency and reporting to create a clear avenue for those
who want to make an ethics complaint.”
While a legal background is helpful in his current position, Boggs notes that
people without law degrees are doing his same job at other companies.
“What’s most important is that you really like what you’re doing,” he advises.
“If you like making Tootsie Rolls,then that’s what you should be doing. When
you really have a heart for the fundamental core and underlying business of an
organization,there is no limit to the possible business opportunities you may
find there. And this includes being made an officer. One of the best
compliments that a corporate attorney can receive is when his or her
company’s president or CEO really feels that they are a good business partner
who just so happens to be a lawyer.”
"What’s most important is that you really like what you’re doing. If you like
making Tootsie Rolls, then that’s what you should be doing.”
N. Cornell Boggs III
Not long after Miller and Coors Brewing Company merged in 2007, its CEO
asked Boggs to take on his current job as chief responsibility and ethics
officer. “The process to bring together two huge beer companies was busy and
sophisticated,”recounts Boggs. “When I was offered a new role in the joint
venture, it was a challenge that I was eager to accept. It has been and
continues to be a great experience.”
Prior to that, Boggs was chief legal officer and group vice president at Coors.
“I’m interested in all aspects of the beer business. As chief legal officer at
Coors, I was helping to build store displays in a Stockton [Cal.] grocery store,”
he says. “I spent a day helping a delivery driver unload his truck. It’s
important for an attorney to know his company beyond its legal function.
“Since my very first moment at law school at Valparaiso University in Indiana,
I was lucky to have had very good mentors,” continues Boggs. “Probably my
most important mentor was and still is today Richard Duesenberg, the now
retired senior vice president and general counsel for Monsanto Corporation.
For one week every year, he ran his company’s legal department on our
[Valparaiso] campus. During the course of the day,he maintained an open
door policy for curious students,and I took full advantage. Often, very good
mentors inspire you to emulate them. That’s how it was for me.”
“As a partner at a firm, I found that being a part of the business side
interested me just as much as legal matters,”explains Clarissa Cerda ,
secretary and general counsel of LifeLock, Inc., a leader in identity theft
protection. “So when I joined my first company as a general counsel and
executive officer, the transition was very natural I was simply following my
interests and strengths.”
For other lawyers, the change can be more difficult. “When you’re an attorney
at a firm, you don’t necessarily get involved at the decision stage of business
issues,”notes Cerda.“You may know how to do a merger and acquisition
transaction or litigate a case, but the big business decisions have been made
before the legal matter gets to you. As a result, many lawyers at firms, unless
they’re very senior, rarely get exposed to the inner workings of a corporation.
You can’t just drop any partner from a large firm into a corporate officer
position. It doesn’t always work.”
For internal and outside attorneys who aspire to
one day become corporate officers, Cerda advises
that knowing the law and legal solutions is not
enough. They cannot simply review contracts and
agreements in a purely legal context; instead, they
must understand every legal matter in the bigger
business context. Otherwise, they risk falling short
of the mark as a corporate in-house attorney.
Frequently,Cerda half-jokingly reminds her legal
team that she has no use for lawyers who can only
do legal theory in a bubble.adapted to industries
that are cutting edge, and hypergrowth companies
Clarissa Cerda
that are still morphing. In general, I believe, it is
more difficult to come from an established manufacturing company, for
example, with a slow and steady growth rate to a hyper-growth tech company
than the other way around.”
"Moving from one industry to another is not impossible for an executive
officer," comments Cerda. "LifeLock is my third GC position. The others—
Initiate Systems and Open Port Technology—were bothin the software
industry. There are always commonalitites, but for me, my skill sets are
probably best adapted to industries that are cuttting edge, and hyper-growh
companies that are still morphing. In general, I believe, it is more difficult to
come from an established manufacturing company, for example, with a slow
and steady growth rate to ahyper-growth tech company than the other way
around."
Robbie Narcisse, Pitney Bowes Inc.’s vice president for global ethics and
business practices since 2005, never sought out to be named an officer;
instead, the job came looking for her. When her predecessor was in the
process of retiring, Narcisse was identified by her then-boss, as well as by
Pitney Bowes’ general counsel, as a potential successor, even though she had
not formally applied for the job. When they approached Narcisse to learn if she
had any interest in fulfilling the role, she had to think about it: “I knew it
would be a departure from the everyday practice of law; I wasn’t sure if I
wanted to leave that and move into a different area of the company.”
As it happened, Narcisse accepted the position,
which she describes as “not strictly business, but
somewhere between law and business,” and has
since remained a part of the Connecticut-based
company’s legal function to a great extent. “There
is enough legal involved in what I do each day to
keep me very much on my game in terms of what
the law requires, new laws coming out,and how the
law is applied in our business. The business side of
my job requires me to apply those laws in a very
practical way.”
Robbie Narcisse
As head of the global ethics and business practices,
Narcisse is responsible for the company’s day-to-day ethics and compliance
program. She and her team work to ensure that employees understand what is
required of them with regard to Pitney Bowes’ policy, values, and practices.
Although Narcisse reports up through the legal department, her work is
separate from the attorney division.
Prior to her appointment as an officer, Narcisse was a deputy general counsel
for the $6 billion global provider of integrated mail and document management
solutions. That position allowed her to become very familiar with company’s
business practices by working with each of its business units in some capacity
on legal matters. According to Narcisse, that experience,along with her ability
to communicate and partner with management in resolving multi-faceted
issues, made her a particularly good fit for her current position.
“When I first joined Pitney Bowes in 1989, an attorney crossing over to
become a business officer was unheard of," recalls Narcisse. “However, my
general counsel at the time succeeded up the ranks of our company to become
CEO and proved that it could be done. He took the bull by the horns and made
his way. Since that time, I’ve noticed that more attorneys are seeking out
business-side experience, either by going directly to work in a business unit or
a different corporate function that allows them to take on more business
roles.”
Were she to begin her career over again, the Arizona native and Berkeley Law
grad says she would do things exactly the same way. “As deputy general
counsel, I was very content,” she explains. “My ambition was focused on
taking the next step in the legal path. However, for those young attorneys
hoping to one day become corporate officers, I’d suggest they focus on the
preparation. Gauge how their own skill set measures up with the skill set
required to be an officer. Talk to officers at various levels within the company,
and actively seek out mentors. Mentors are an enormous help.”
Wendell Chambliss was named Freddie Mac’s vice president and deputy
general counsel for mission and anti-predatory lending in December 2007 (he
first joined Freddie Mac in 1999). Since his promotion, Chambliss’duties have
remained within the legal function (he is responsible for providing legal and
regulatory advice regarding Freddie Mac’s statutory Charter and affordable
housing goal regulations as well as managing the coordination of the
company’s anti-predatory lending efforts), but as an officer he is now more
involved in the management of the legal division, as well as being an active
participant in senior management committee meetings and decision-making.
“What I do now goes beyond the typical provision
of legal advice,” notes Chambliss. “It goes more to
helping to develop and create an overall strategy,
one that contains legal components. When you’re
named an officer, you become not only a lawyer,
but also a counselor within a corporation where
you’re providing both legal and prudential advice.”
About making the jump, “primarily the biggest
change that occurs when you receive an
appointment like VP is the heightened degree of
accountability and responsibility,” he explains. “In
Wendell Chambliss
my prior job, the subject matter was very similar,
but I reported to a VP; even though I was delegated authority in some
instances,every final decision had to be made by an officer. Now I’m the
decision maker on any number of issues that crop up throughout the day.”
As expected, the transition to officer is not free of challenge. “You’ve got to
run a little faster than you did prior to the appointment, and you need to
develop a better way in which to make legal/business-oriented judgments
based on information that isn’t always as comprehensive as you might like,”
explains Chambliss.“You’re now having greater and more intense interaction
with the next level up than you were having before, so you need to develop
relationships and find common ground with your new officer counterparts and
company leaders.
“It’s my belief that the most significant set of skills you need as an officer is
the ability to work with people,” he continues. “It’s important at all levels, but
it’s vital when you’re an officer. Nothing is more important than building trust
and understanding with your team.For any young attorney who sees him or
herself as an officer on the horizon, they need to develop substantive skills,
but can’t forget to hone their people skills too.”
Chambliss’ twenty years of legal experience include ten years on Capitol Hill,
working in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives as
legislative counsel and legislative director to members of the Alabama
Delegation. He credits his experience there with preparing him to be an officer
at Freddie Mac. “The Hill made me a nimble thinker. When you’re a staffer,
you need to be able to learn a lot in a short time, to remove the surrounding
noise, and concentrate on the matter at hand,”notes Chambliss. “That’s been
very helpful to me in the current climate of change at Freddie Mac,and it was
helpful when I first came on board here. The work was very new to me, so I
had a lot to catch up on quickly.”
He continues, “When you’re an attorney in the legal department—and even
more so when you’re an officer—it is important to be able to convey your
views and messages clearly, crisply, and concisely. By watching members of
Congress, speechwriters, and press secretaries from a close proximity, I
focused on the use of words to obtain a specific objective, and became an
effective communicator. Working for politicians teaches you to talk and
interact with folks from all stations in life. That experience has been invaluable
to me as an officer.”
The journeys taken by these outstanding attorneys and gifted corporate
executives are a testament to individual success. But they also illustrate a
widening of opportunity for minorities and women to become officers within
their corporate legal departments, as well as an increased chance for corporate
attorneys in general to bridge the divide from legal to business trends long in
coming, but very welcome nonetheless. DB
Patrick Folliard is a freelance writer based in Silver Spring, Md.
From the September/October 2009 issue of Diversity & Bar®
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How General Counsel Support their CEOs' Diversity
Efforts
By Peggy Nagae
Diversity is now more than ever a key corporate strategy as customers
become more diverse, companies become more global, and racial/ethnic
communities have even greater buying power. CEOs are leading diversity
initiatives with general counsel supporting such efforts by their words and
deeds.
Three such general counsel are Paula Boggs, executive vice president, general
counsel and secretary of Starbucks Coffee Company, headquartered in Seattle,
Wash.; Samuel M. Reeves, associate general counsel of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
in Bentonville, Ark.; and Andrew Cuyugan McCullough, senior vice president
and general counsel of Century Theatres in San Rafael, Calif.
While their legal departments vary in location, size, and scope of work, these
corporate counsel have invested in a variety of methods to enhance their
companies' diversity efforts. The three have much in common: a fervent
commitment to take action and a deep understanding that valuing diversity
means exercising leadership, building relationships with outside organizations,
and keeping diversity as a front and center priority on an ongoing basis.
Focus on Diversity
Paula Boggs speaks with great enthusiasm about Starbucks Coffee Company's
commitment to diversity. "As a leader, it's very easy because this is a
company driven by its guiding principles, and our second principle is that we
will embrace diversity in everything we do," says Boggs.
As stated by Boggs, "Orin Smith [the recently retired president and CEO of
Starbucks] had leadership meetings where he told us we should look at
diversity like we look at other things such as the quality of our coffee and the
satisfaction of our customers. It is part and parcel of what makes us
successful. The diversity is not only racial/ethnic and gender diversity, but
diversity of opinion, age, cultural experiences, family status, and sexual
orientation. A lot of different kinds of diversity coming together makes
Starbucks what it is."
"Our experience has been that the wider we cast our net,
and the more organizations we can partner with that are a
conduit for talent, the less the challenge."
MCCA WOULD LIKE
TO THANK OUR 2011
STRATEGIC
DIVERSITY
— Paula Boggs
Boggs' commitment to diversity was made clear early on: As one of Starbucks'
most senior leaders, Boggs voluntarily requested that diversity be a
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component of her performance plan under Smith's leadership and now Jim
Donald's (Starbucks' new CEO). In turn, she made diversity goals a part of her
direct reports' performance plans. Next fiscal year, Donald intends to include
diversity goals in the performance plans of his direct reports. "Diversity is very
central to who we are, and it has been since virtually the founding of the
company," says Boggs.
Boggs is also clear that supporting the company's diversity initiatives "starts at
home." In Starbucks' legal department, an active diversity committee focuses
on two major issues: Ensuring that outside counsel are living up to Starbucks'
diversity goals and standards, and making sure that the legal department is
doing everything it can to further the company's diversity initiatives.
To reach these goals, the legal department has made sure its hiring process
attracts a diverse pool of applicants, through partnerships with local and
national minority bar associations and women's groups. Boggs also notes a
shift in recruitment focus: "Until a couple of years ago, both staff and attorney
candidates pretty much came from the law firm community. We've continued
to attract gifted and talented individuals from law firms but we've found
tremendously talented people by expanding our focus to other sources, like
corporations and other venues. That's been another way of really improving
our diversity story."
The department's recruitment efforts have paid off: Fifty percent of Starbucks'
in-house lawyers are female; 22 percent are lawyers of color; and a fair
number are self-identified gay lawyers. The department also boasts an age
range of partners (employees) from their mid-20s to their mid-60s. "By these
statistics, we walk the walk," Boggs declares. "We show we can do this."
Like Boggs, Samuel Reeves, an associate general counsel at Wal-Mart Stores,
Inc. takes diversity seriously and is equally enthusiastic about its value. This
type of commitment begins at the top with Wal-Mart's CEO, H. Lee Scott, Jr.
Wal-Mart's legal department consists of approximately 25 percent minority
representation among the attorney group, with 43 percent of the attorneys
being women. Within those groups, department leaders have worked hard to
ensure that minorities and women lawyers hold key positions that place them
in line for promotion to officer positions in the department. Additionally, 30
percent of the legal department officers consist of minorities and 20 percent of
them are women.
To assist with the company's diversity efforts, Wal-Mart established the Office
of Diversity in 2003 and named Charlyn Jarrells Porter as its chief diversity
officer. Porter is a lawyer who began her career with Wal-Mart in the legal
department. Porter hired attorney Angel Gomez as the director of internal
diversity relations. According to Gomez, Wal-Mart's diversity initiative has a
two-pronged approach that entails fostering diversity internally for associates,
and establishing strategic relationships with organizations outside of the
company. Gomez also conveyed that the legal department has been
exemplary in its efforts and execution. For example, Gomez explains, "The
department's recruitment efforts with respect to minorities and women as well
as the outside counsel program, align closely with the company's overall
diversity initiative."
"When we
consider
hiring new
outside
counsel,
we have
several
core
requirements, one of
which is diversity. We
ask difficult questions,
expecially about the
Reeves is responsible for the hiring of all
outside counsel and focuses his diversity
efforts in three main areas: gathering and
maintaining diversity data on the law firms
they currently use; participating in minority
bar associations and other diversity-related
programs; and creating processes for diversity
to thrive within the legal department.
As to the first area of focus, Reeves says,
"When we consider hiring new outside counsel,
we have several core requirements, one of
which is diversity. We ask difficult questions,
especially about the diversity within the
partnership ranks. We focus on partners rather
than associates because that's where the
'rubber meets the road;' that's where the
ownership of the legal profession lies. In
addition, we have worked on identifying and sending business to minorityowned law firms. The business we send to them is not on a piece-meal basis,
it is substantial." Secondly, participation in diverse bar associations is
important. "When we've sponsored events, we don't just write a check; we get
involved," Reeves stresses. "Our lawyers attend so we can identify and
network with potential in-house candidates and outside counsel." Reeves adds,
"It also gives us an opportunity to meet great lawyers who are Asian,
Hispanic, Native American, and African American."
diversity within the
partnership ranks."
—Samuel M. Reeves
At the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association annual meeting, 14
Wal-Mart lawyers attended to "let the ethnic bar associations know that we
have open positions and that we're looking to expand our pool of candidates.
We're working hard to cast a wider net to identify quality attorneys," says
Reeves.
Reeves further explains that Wal-Mart's philosophy is to lead by example.
"Three of our senior lawyers attended the MCCA® CLE expo last year," he
shares. "We announced to a room of 250 lawyers that we had open positions,
and we wanted to talk with interested attorneys. And we did just that: We
interviewed three candidates, two of whom were hired." This impromptu
recruitment was just another example of the senior leadership being actively
involved in the diversity process, and according to Reeves, "There is no one
more committed and better at getting involved than Tom Mars, our general
counsel."
Reeves' view on diversity is straightforward. "At Wal-Mart, the message is
clear: Diversity is important to our business. Our customers are diverse and,
internally within the department and externally with our outside counsel, we
need to reflect that customer base. Internally, we do reflect our customer
base. We have people with different backgrounds, experiences, and
perspectives solving legal problems. We want the same from outside counsel,"
he declares.
Reeves' third area of responsibility is the legal department's diversity
initiatives. Two lawyers at Wal-Mart focus solely on that initiative—one looks
at hiring and the other at retention. Diversity and recruiting are at the top of
the list at every weekly meeting with the general counsel. "We take it
seriously; we aim to keep it a priority," Reeves emphasizes.
Andrew Cuyugan McCullough, senior vice president and general counsel of
Century Theatres—privately owned by the Syufy family—has had a wholly
different and, at the same time, similar experience to Boggs and Reeves. Prior
to his current position, McCullough worked for the San Francisco City
Attorney's office. When he became the chain's general counsel 10 years ago,
he looked around to find other legal talent and recruited two candidates from
the city attorney's office, both of whom were from racially diverse
backgrounds. "We hired what was best for Century Theatres, and that best
included diversity," says McCullough.
Unlike larger corporations, Century Theatres' commitment to diversity has
come about without formal edicts or programs. "We have a wonderful
environment, and we've increased our diversity naturally," says McCullough.
"It's so unusual to do it this way. I believe the best expression of diversity is
when you do it organically."
McCullough knows the commitment comes right from the top—the Syufy
family owners. While the current CEO, Raymond Syufy, is a second-generation
American, his parents emigrated from Lebanon, a mainly Christian country
among mostly Muslim neighbors. McCullough believes the family's value for
diversity is anchored in the senior Syufy's immigrant perspective, which has
influenced his son's leadership style.
With a cluster of theaters in Northern California and more in 12 other states,
the company's 5,000 hourly employees truly represent the diversity of the
respective communities in which the theaters are located. "We employ people
who live next door to us," explains McCullough, "and that means diversity."
"We also promote from within. Many vice presidents started as hourly
employees and were promoted upward because the company believes that
those who know the business best are those who have worked on the line.
This process naturally included diverse candidates," says McCullough.
"We not
only asked
our outside
counsel to
tell us
what
they'd
done in the
past year, but we also
incorporated their
diversity grade into
our letter."
—Paula Boggs
During McCullough's 10-year tenure, there
have been four full-time attorneys and one
part-time attorney working for the
corporation—all of whom have been attorneys
of color and/or white females. McCullough, a
Filipino American, and another female attorney
are in-house. Another attorney in the company
is Latino and has assumed a business role for
the company. A fourth attorney, who started
in the legal department and is of South Asian
descent, left the parent company about two
years ago. The fifth attorney was a female
who worked part-time for several years.
"We have not as yet had any white male
attorneys join our company. While that may
seem unusual, what is even more notable is we have done exceedingly well
against our industry peers. In fact, we have posted a profit every year in our
history, which is especially noteworthy because in the late 1990s almost all
the major theater chains were filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,"
says McCullough.
The Benefits of Diversity
The rewards of diversity are clear to all three general counsel. "When I look at
the law department, diversity has made what was already a great department
even better," says Boggs. "It has advanced our effectiveness and augmented
our talent, which makes us stronger and, frankly, a more fun place to work.
The rewards are also huge. My department's satisfaction and engagement
rating is very high, and it is directly tied to our diversity."
"I've also learned a lot from partners who are different than me," Boggs adds.
"I wouldn't know who the Black Eyed Peas are but for my colleagues." While
knowing that band may not, at first glance, seem relevant to practicing law—it
is. The Black Eyed Peas are an important hip-hop group, and hip-hop fans are
a significant segment of Starbucks' customer base.
For Reeves, the benefits of diversity are easy to articulate. "For us, it is both a
moral imperative and our desire to drive change within the legal profession,"
Reeves explains. "We're known to drive change in other areas, and we're
uniquely situated to do that in the legal profession as well. With 130 lawyers
in-house and hundreds of outside counsel, Wal-Mart can take the lead in
articulating the value of diversity."
Andrew McCullough notes that diversity can create rewarding situations. "If
people of color, who do not feel particularly at home in many corporate
environments, find one that is comfortable, why would they leave?"
McCullough muses. "Diversity promotes loyalty and retention. We can provide
both that comfortable environment as well as monetary compensation.
Employee and employer both benefit."
Another gratifying example McCullough describes is the department's outside
employment counsel, a women-owned legal group with partners who migrated
from large firms. "They do great work, they are wonderful to work with, and
they represent genuine diversity," McCullough notes. "They are such a find,
and our working relationship is truly a win-win situation for both of us."
The Challenges of Diversity
Diversity is not without its challenges. While each general counsel frames it
differently, the challenges they face are both similar and unique.
For Boggs, diversity hiring and retention are some of the biggest challenges.
"Our experience has been that the wider we cast our net, and the more
organizations we can partner with that are a conduit for talent, the less the
challenge," Boggs delineates. "For example, we've participated in the National
Bar Association's job fair for several years, and now we have a track record of
retaining outside counsel as a result of our participation. This has given us
credibility. We've also developed relationships with the National Asian Pacific
American Bar Association, National Hispanic Bar Association, Northwest
Women's Law Center, and other legal organizations." In fact, one new hire at
Starbucks heard about the opening through MCCA's monthly "Hot Jobs" email
blast.
"Building those relationships takes work and happens only over time," Boggs
continues. "We've made the upfront investment to cast our net widely, but we
know we must have staying power because results will not happen overnight.
We've had many conversations with a variety of ethnic bar associations to
really make the point that we are serious and that we need their help to
achieve our diversity goals."
"If you
impose
selection
criteria for
outside
counsel
that isn't
consistent
with what you use for
hiring within, it's a
prescription for
disaster."
—Andrew Cuyugan
McCollough
Another diversity challenge is to ensure that
outside counsel understand Starbucks'
commitment to diversity. Boggs did this in
several ways. Soon after becoming general
counsel, she asked her team whether she
should sign the Bell South "Diversity
Statement of Principle"—the Fortune 500
general counsel statement supporting diversity
that also encouraged firms and law
departments to advance diversity. The
response was a resounding yes, so Starbucks
became a signatory. Then, Boggs reports,
"Our team decided we would first inform the
law firms we use about our diversity
commitment, seek to understand how
important diversity was to them, and finally
measure their commitment to diversity."
Almost three years ago, Starbucks sent letters to its top 25 law firms (based
on legal fees) asking for diversity information with respect to the firm as a
whole, and more specifically, as to who was doing Starbucks' legal work.
The next year, Boggs reports, "We looked afresh at the top 25, and wanted to
measure how well they'd done. The second year's letter was even more
tailored than the first year's, because the state's ethnic bar associations had
published a report card giving grades to Seattle area law firms on their
diversity efforts. We not only asked our outside counsel to tell us what they'd
done in the past year, but we also incorporated their diversity grade in our
letter." The legal department has also met the diversity challenge in their
selection of outside counsel beyond those they find through sources such as
the NBA job fair. "For beauty contests, in tie situations from a talent
standpoint, if there's little to distinguish firm A from firm B, we've given the
business to the firm with the better diversity record," Boggs explains.
For Wal-Mart, the challenges are both internal and external. Looking down the
road, Reeves wants to ensure that Wal-Mart maintains its diversity momentum
as the company grows and adds attorneys to the legal department. He desires
diversity to continue to be an area of focus. Another challenge is external:
Developing the pipeline of students who choose law. "It's a challenge we need
to address as a legal profession: Reaching students who would not otherwise
consider going into law. We're talking about how to do that right now. Again,
we see ourselves as being able to lead in this area, and we're asking how WalMart can impact diversity within the entire legal profession," Reeves notes.
One of Andrew McCullough's diversity obstacles is finding diverse outside
counsel for remote middle market areas. "It's hard to get references for
attorneys, regardless of their background, let alone racially diverse attorneys.
In addition, much of our litigation is basic personal injury defense. That focus
can further decrease the pool of potential lawyers and make it challenging to
identify diverse lawyers who are well suited for our work."
Another challenge for McCullough is more personal. He relates, "As attorneys
of color within a corporate environment, the challenge is to remember who we
are and to provide the leadership in diversity that is needed. We need to
support the hiring of excellent employees of color either as in-house lawyers
or as employees in other positions. We cannot take our roles and our
environment for granted; we cannot rest on our laurels. We need to continue
to foster diversity."
Advice for Other General Counsel
Based on their varied and instructive experience, these three general counsel
offer straightforward and practical advice.
As stated by Boggs, making diversity work takes patience and partnership. "It
takes work to build those relationships; you have to make that upfront
investment in my view. You also must have staying power because change will
not happen overnight. We've had conversations with many different bar
associations and law firms to really make the point that we are serious and we
need their help to achieve our goals," says Boggs.
"Get involved," recommends Reeves. "There is no diversity road map, so look
around for opportunities. Attend diversity events at places like historically
black colleges, local and national minority bar associations, and the MCCA®.
Once you start doing that, other things unfold and your particular path will
become more apparent."
Reeves also advises general counsel to keep diversity "front and center" within
the organization. "Every week we discuss diversity in our senior leadership
meetings with the general counsel," says Reeves. "We also discuss diversity
daily within my area of the department." Essentially, Reeves knows that what
is focused on gets done.
Andrew McCullough's advice, while in a different direction, is also quite clear:
"If you impose selection criteria for outside counsel that isn't consistent with
what you use for hiring within, it's a prescription for disaster. If the
commitment does not exist internally, then it won't be taken seriously by
outside lawyers."
McCullough relates that when he has interviewed potential outside law firms at
the California Minority Counsel Program (CMCP) job fairs, the lawyers have
often been quite candid with him. "These folks can surmise whether they have
a good shot at getting hired as outside counsel by what the general counsel's
hiring results have been within their legal department," shares McCullough,
who remembers hearing these sentiments from outside lawyers. His advice,
then, is that the commitment to diversity first "starts from within."
In 2005, valuing diversity by general counsel has come a long way from a
decade or so ago. From Andrew Cuyugan McCullough at Century Theatres to
Sam Reeves at Wal-Mart and Paula Boggs at Starbucks, each has his or her
distinct ways of supporting diversity, but all have a fervent commitment to
take action, provide leadership, and focus on continuing improvement. With
these leaders, their overall commitment bodes well for enhancing diversity
within their corporations and throughout the legal profession.
Peggy A. Nagae is the owner of peggynagae consulting and specializes in
cultural competence, leveraging diversity, leadership coaching, and strategic
planning. She is also the past president of the National Asian Pacific American
Bar Association and a current board member of the National Asian Pacific
American Legal Consortium and the Asian Pacific American Women's
Leadership Institute.
From the May/June 2005 issue of Diversity & The Bar®
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