Implications of Supreme Court Decision to Headline Discussion At Creating Pathways to Diversity® Conference

Implications of Supreme Court Decision to Headline Discussion
At Creating Pathways to Diversity® Conference

WASHINGTON D.C. – The Supreme Court’s recent ruling on Fisher v. University of Texas is likely to impact the diversity efforts of law firms and legal departments for years to come. What form that impact is likely to take is one of the topics to be addressed at the Creating Pathways to Diversity® Conference on September 16. Sponsored by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) the conference will take place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Now in its 14th year, Pathways brings experts and leaders together to network and discuss best practices for building diversity at the nation’s law firms and corporate legal departments. This year’s attendees will be able to attend educational sessions in three tracks, as well as two plenary sessions on major developments affecting the legal community:

• Talent Pipeline & Fisher’s Aftershocks: What ripple effects will the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Fisher v. University of Texas have for legal education and legal workplaces? In this plenary session, key experts will help law professionals understand how this ruling may affect their efforts to develop and recruit diverse legal talent.
• Minority & Female GCs in Fortune 500 Companies: For the past 14 years MCCA has cataloged the country’s top general counsel by gender and race. The data show that women and minority general counsel are making progress in industries across the board, particularly in ‘hard hat’ jobs and in the Fortune 500. This plenary will feature a number of these trailblazers and highlight what the legal community can learn from their successes, life lessons and insights.

During Pathways, speakers from some of the nation’s leading legal departments, organizations and law firms will present sessions in three educational tracks: Professional Development, Diversity & Inclusion Practitioner, and Leadership & Management. Speakers will include; Brackett B. Denniston III, SVP & General Counsel for General Electric; Grace Speights, Partner at Morgan Lewis; Hon. Jenny Rivera, New York State Court of Appeals; and Michael Yap, Chief Legal Officer of International Investments Business for Prudential Financial.  For a complete list of sessions, see Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference® on MCCA’s website, mcca.com.

MCCA will also present two major diversity awards during Pathways:

• The George B. Vashon Innovator Awards will go to four recipients: Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, New York Life Insurance Company, Pepper Hamilton LLP, and Prudential Financial. The awards honor in-house legal departments, law firms and bar associations that have led the way with innovative best practices to assist diverse attorneys.
• The Paula L. Ettelbrick Award will go to the Human Rights Campaign.  The award honors extraordinary achievements by an individual or organization in advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender attorneys.

“As individuals and organizations committed to the advancements of diversity and inclusion in the legal workplace, we know it takes strong leadership, effective practitioners, and solid professional development strategies to create success,” said Joseph K. West, MCCA’s president and CEO. “Pathways will give attendees the tools they need to help their firms and companies succeed.”

Conference attendees can qualify for CLE credits. For more information or to register for the Pathways Conference, go to the MCCA website event page or contact Aracely Muñoz Petrich, MCCA Vice President of Strategic Development, at 202-739-5841 or aracelymunozpetrich@mcca.com.

Media representatives who wish to attend may contact Diane Nowak-Waring at DNowak-Waring@crosbymarketing.com, Court Blatchford at cblatchford@crosbymarketing.com, or call them at 410-626-0805.

MCCA was founded in 1997 to advance the hiring, retention and promotion of diverse attorneys in legal departments and the law firms that serve them. MCCA accomplishes its mission through publishing, research and training, pipeline initiatives and networking. MCCA’s work has been recognized with awards from the National Minority Business Council, Inc., the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National LGBT Bar, and the Association of Corporate Counsel. MCCA is headquartered in Washington, D.C. For more information, go to mcca.com.