The Jabot

Kathryn talks with Sona Pancholy, president of Meritas about the twists and turns of her career that took her to Meritas. They also talk about her goals as president and how she leverages her own personal story in achieving it. Also, they discuss the recently launched Black Lawyers Forum and Women's Leadership Congress and why that was such a priority in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Epi...

Kathryn talks with Brandi Russell, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Balch & Bingham about her new position and how her career has twisted to bring her here. They also talk about the goals and benchmarks for the firm and two D&I initiatives the firm is passionate about -- the Balch Business Boost and Susan B Livingston Boot Camp. They discuss how to sell the ROI on diversity for those that ma...

Kathryn is joined by Berkeley Law Professor Amanda L. Tyler. She's also a former clerk of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the co-author of the Justice's final book JUSTICE, JUSTICE THOU SHALT PURSUE: A Life's Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union. They discuss how Amanda went from clerk to writing this book with Justice Ginsburg. They dive into the book as Justice Ginsburg's final work, and how i...

Kathryn talks with Kerry Shad and Sharita Whitaker, both partners at Smith Anderson. They talked about why they went to law school in the first place and how they found the practice areas that are right for them. They also get into Diversity & Inclusion nitty gritty like what D&I means to them, what D&I initiatives are necessary for law firms, the advantages of D&I programs in mid-sized firms comp...

Kathryn is joined by Jacqueline Duval, a Partner with New York-based law firm Herrick, Feinstein's Tax Department, and the leader of the firm's Family Office group. They talk about why she went to law school in the first place, how she settled on tax law as a specialty. Jacqueline also has advice for associates trying to figure out their ideal practice area. They also talk about the twists in her...

In this episode, Kathryn talks with Dr. Anjali Vats about the intersection of race and IP law -- something that may not strike the average person as particularly obvious. They delve into how do the seemingly colorblind patent and copyright laws continue to favor white men, the role of American mythos in maintaining that system, and the stories about invention we should be telling. They also talk a...

Kathryn talks with author and lawyer Robyn Gigl, who has a legal thriller being released at the end of March - By Way for Sorrow. They talk about Robyn's long-time dream of being an author, and how she balanced her legal practice with writing. They also delve into Robyn's process for developing the characters in her novel and share tips for aspiring writers out there. In addition to being a lawyer...

Kathryn chats with Iffy about how she settled into an estate planning practice, and the turns her career has taken to get to this place. Iffy also offers advice for lawyers that struggle with finding the right practice area for them. They talk about how estate planning can embolden women, and why estate planning is an important tool for building generational wealth. Plus, they discuss how Iffy bal...

Kathryn talks with David about diversity in Biglaw and the challenges of recruiting and retention of diverse attorneys. They discussed his recent lateral move to Brown Rudnick, the things he looked for in making that jump, and advice for others looking to move firms. They also talk about David's passion for pro bono work and why is that so important for the legal industry. Episode Resources David...

Kathryn talks with Laura Leopard, founder, and CEO of Leopard Solutions. They talk about Leopard's recently rolled out ethnic diversity data in your law firm index and why it's vital for the legal industry, they discuss the state of gender and ethnic diversity within the top 200 law firms in the US and the biggest takeaways from that work. They also talk about the newly launched Law Firm Transpare...

Kathryn talks with Leigh Vickery about her work as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at LevelLegal. They discuss the ways the legal industry is changing as a result of COVID-19 and why this is a moment for innovation in the industry. They also delve into creating a culture of care as it applies to the legal industry and how things will be different under this model. Episode Resources Leigh Vicke...

Kathryn talks with the plaintiffs' attorney, Anabel Rosa, about her work fighting for Hispanic/Latinx causes in state and local governments. They talk about how her policy work dovetails with her legal career and why she recommends law school to those that care about social justice issues.   Episode Resources Anabel Rosa arosa@farrin.com   https://www.farrin.com/attorney/anabel-rosa/     Episode H...

Kathryn speaks with Molly J. Bowen and Julie Goldsmith Reiser of Cohen Milstein about their representation of Alphabet shareholders in a case over the company's handing of sexual harassment claims that led to a $310 million settlement that's been hailed as precedent-setting.   Episode Resources https://www.cohenmilstein.com/professional/molly-j-bowen   https://www.cohenmilstein.com/professional/ju...

Kathryn interviews Arent Fox partner Eva J. Pulliam about the firm's newly launched Center For Racial Equality. They chat about the creation of the Center and what motivated the firm to do so, the firm's role in racial equality, the goals of the Center, and which projects she is initially focused on.   Episode Resources Eva Pulliam  eva.pulliam@arentfox.com   https://www.arentfox.com/attorneys/eva...

Kathryn interviews Kalpana Kotagal, partner at Cohen Milstein and co-author of the Hollywood "Inclusion Rider" (made famous by Frances McDormand during her 2018 Oscars acceptance speech). They talk about strategies for diversity in the workplace and race and gender discrimination.   Episode Resources kkotagal@cohenmilstein.com   https://www.cohenmilstein.com/professional/kalpana-kotagal#:~:text=Ka...

Kathryn Rubino talks with Jessica S. Henry, author of "SMOKE BUT NO FIRE: Convicting the Innocent of Crimes that Never Happened", about the prevalence of no-crime convictions, some of the worst examples of no-crime convictions, how racial injustice exacerbates the issue, and finally what can be done, particularly within the current criminal justice reform zeitgeist.   Episode Resources Jessica S....

Kathryn talks with Thomasina Real Bird, Angelique EagleWoman, Paulene Abeyta, Christina McDonogh, and Aidan Graybill about the exclusion of Native voices in The Center for Women in Law and The NALP Foundation's study, "Women of Color – A Study of Law Student Experiences". They discuss the NALP study, then walk through the 4 identified issues with the survey. They also talk about the NALP response...

Kathryn Rubino talks with Linda Coberly, Chicago Office Managing Partner for the law firm of Winston & Strawn and Chair of the ERA Coalition's Legal Task Force, about the ongoing fight for the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment.   Episode Resources lcoberly@winston.com   https://www.winston.com/en/who-we-are/professionals/coberly-linda-t.html https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindacoberly   Episode...

Kathryn talks with Danielle Barondess (a federal law clerk in Hawaii) and Steven Arango (a federal law clerk in Texas) founders of a new program Law Clerks for Diversity. Law Clerks for Diversity connects diverse candidates with current and former law clerks, practitioners, and judges for mentorship and assistance applying for federal clerkships.   Episode Resources https://www.linkedin.com/groups...

Kathryn talks with Tai-Heng Cheng, global co-head of the international arbitration and trade practice at Sidley, about his recent pro bono efforts. He represents journalist Linda Tirado, who was struck in the eye with a rubber bullet while covering the protests following the murder of George Floyd, in her lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis.   Episode Resources https://www.sidley.com/en/people...

Kathryn Rubino talks to Lia Dorsey, newly elected President of the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals, and Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Dentons, about Biglaw's response to the violent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and to Black Lives Matter. Episode Resources lia.dorsey@dentons.com   https://www.dentons.com/en https://www.linkedin.com/in/lia-dorse...

Kathryn Rubino talks with Christina Moore, partner at Taylor English Duma LLP, about balancing home life with a thriving legal practice during the pandemic. They discuss COVID-19's impact on work/life balance, tips for dealing with the health crisis and a flourishing legal practice, what she's learned in becoming the firm's PPP point, and what challenges the legal industry faces as we continue to...

Kathryn Rubino speaks with Kori Carew, Seyfarth Shaw's chief inclusion and diversity officer and leader of The Belonging Project initiative. They talk about why the middle of a pandemic is the right time for Biglaw to double down on diversity. Episode Resources https://www.seyfarth.com/the-belonging-project.html    kcarew@seyfarth.com   https://www.seyfarth.com/about-us/firm-leadership.html   Epis...

Kathryn Rubino interviews Eliza Stoker, Executive Director of MLA's In-House Counsel Recruiting group, about Major Lindsey & Africa's new In-House Compensation Survey which reveals a gender pay gap. We discuss what folks need to understand about the in-house space that may contribute to the pay gap, what can/should be done to fix the pay gap, and what does gender equity looks like in the in-house...

Kathryn talks with Kyle McEntee of Law School Transparency about their new report that identifies --- and charts a way forward --- the problems with diversity and debt in legal education.   Episode Resources https://www.lawschooltransparency.com/   kyle.patrick.mcentee@gmail.com   Episode Highlights Law school transparency - 1:28 How everything started - 2:04 Kyle's background  - 2:45 Diversity an...