vo-ca-tion /vo-ke-shun/[voh-kay-shuhn] noun—a particular occupation,business, or profession; calling.
Derede McAlpin
The goal of this column is to enlighten our readers about the private endeavors of attorneys who are part of the MCCA network. By examining lawyers and their work practices by day in contrast to the personal interests that they pursue outside of the office, it is our hope that this series of articles allows our readers to see the other side of lawyers who manage to pursue unique interests despite their demanding careers.
Derede McAlpin
Art and law: two pursuits that strike a lot of folks as entirely at odds or an unlikely coupling at best. Not so for artist and attorney Derede (pronounced "Deree") McAlpin. Since getting serious about her art, the crisis management expert has managed to deftly balance a demanding day job as vice president at Levick Strategic Communications and a painterly avocation. McAlpin achieves both legal and artistic success by effectively drawing from her varied work, life, and educational experiences.
In her first-ever exhibit, held this past July at the Touchstone Gallery in the Penn Quarter area of downtown Washington, D.C., McAlpin displayed not only a compelling talent, but also a keen sensitivity to the human condition.Titled Influences,the show´s take-away, in the words of the artist,"is that everyone makes an impact, and hopefully it´s positive. Much of my art is inspired by my past experiences at Superior Court, as well as frontline exposure to the most critical news stories of the day. But the biggest inspiration is my father. He painted when he wasn´t running the Montessori school he and my mother founded."
Like her late father, McAlpin´s preferred medium is acrylic on canvas.Her style is a mixture of abstract and representational, but not rigidly defined;the paintings are vibrant. Among the twelve works featured in Influences were "Family Court," in which an African American judge is seen offering fatherly advice to a young boy; and "Looking Back—Stereotypes," a strong portrait of a heavy-set, kerchief-clad woman. The exhibit also included an abstract portrait of President Obama, titled "Looking Forward—Leadership."
"While my work obviously depicts the black experience, I strive to make it appealing to everyone, and sometimes that means offering different interpretations," explains McAlpin. "When some people look at ‘Looking Back—Stereotypes,’ you might see an Aunt Jemima image that is historically pejorative. For me, I see a motivational influence—of how people of color are, unfortunately, sometimes stereotypically viewed, and how you have to move forward in life without letting others define you. It makes me push harder to succeed.There are two takes in many of my paintings; one that contrasts negative images in the media, and a second that gleans the impact of systemic disparities. My paintings are an amalgam of many influences and experiences, and that seems to resonate with people of all colors and backgrounds."
At Levick Strategic Communications, McAlpin taps her unique background in law, communications, and broadcast news to counsel clients on issues involving litigation communications,reputation management, crisis communication, and marketing/legal professional services. In short, her job is to get clients in the news—and in other instances to get them out. "In" when they are approaching a monetizing event, entering a new market, establishing a brand, or preparing for a merger; "out" when they are facing a hostile audience, confronting regulators or Congress, dealing with product recall, or engaged in intense litigation.
"I work with clients who are besieged in the media. They come to us when their backs are against the wall. They are facing bet-the-company crisis, litigation or reputation management issues,"explains McAlpin, who is based in the firm's Washington, D.C., office. "In the digital arena, the rules have changed. We now live in an era of unprecedented accountability,where the necessity of responding to a brand threat is [measured in] minutes instead of hours or days.
"It´s gratifying to be seated at the table providing counsel to powerful legal teams on some of the biggest issues of the day, to be in a war room outlining strategy and to see tangible results of your work playing out in the press," she continues. "I don´t see anyone who looks like me working this particular niche in the industry. Of course,there are women of color working in the public relations field, but I haven't met any who are combining crisis and litigation."
Growing up in Philadelphia,McAlpin was encouraged to discover her strengths and do what she liked. Her well-educated parents exposed McAlpin to the arts,academics, and travel. She excelled in ballet and, later, track and field.For a time, the family lived in Switzerland while McAlpin’s father studied for his doctorate in child sychology. And though her formative years were exceptional in many ways, they were not entirely idyllic.
"It wasn´t unusual for me to be the only black kid in the class,"recalls McAlpin. "Our neighborhood was almost exclusively white,and sometimes we were exposed to racist remarks; racial epithets were scrawled on the sidewalk in front of our home. On occasion,my brother or I would hear the ‘N’ word, but my parents taught us how to rise above displays of ignorance and how to invest our energy into something positive rather than something we couldn´t control. They provided us with all of the tools necessary to overcome adversity.
av-o-ca-tion /avoke-shun/ [av-uh-kayshuhn]noun—something a person does in addition to a principal occupation, esp. for pleasure; hobby.
"Growing up in a somewhat isolated environment played a part in my choosing Howard University for undergrad," she shares. "I definitely was looking for an opportunity for more exposure to black culture. Books that most of my African American friends had read in high school—like Richard Wright´s Black Boy or Ralph Ellison´s Invisible Man—were foreign to suburban school curriculums. My college years gave me the opportunity to learn more about the role of Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. Dubois, and other positive contributors to the black experience that are often downplayed in the mainstream arena."
While attending Howard, McAlpin discovered a passion for communications. "Initially I set out to study medicine, but midway through, my direction changed. "Communications became my entire focus. Law school also figured in the plan, but after graduation I first wanted to seize opportunities in the media."
McAlpin´s first job after college was on the news team of WPVI, Philadelphia´s ABC-owned station. As a member of the on-air news team, McAlpin worked with the camera crew covering local and national news, sports, and entertainment stories. She also contributed to coverage of countless high-profile issues in the courtroom, the newsroom, and on the courthouse steps, simultaneously developing a feel for journalism and the law. Among the stories McAlpin covered were the RICO trial of organized-crime figure Nicky Scarfo and the case of a serial killer whose crimes helped to inspire the psychological thriller Silence of the Lambs.
Again, McAlpin found herself on uncharted ground. "There weren´t many women working on the technical side of the profession—running the live satellite trucks, setting up live signals, running camera when the photographer was unavailable,"she observes. "I never ran into any problems in a male-dominated field. However, it was different when we were covering sports. Athletes would on occasion make remarks in the locker room, and once one of the Eagles [Philadelphia´s NFL franchise] dropped his towel as part of an obnoxious gesture, but otherwise it was fine."
"What I loved about TV news was being able to see the world unedited," explains McAlpin. "Today, I still have news in my blood. My work at Levick is often triggered by high-profile news stories. When a case is going into litigation or through voir dire, I work in tandem with legal teams to outline a communications strategy to account for each step in the legal process. I can anticipate what journalists might do next, because I think like one and I also understand the law. My type of mindset comes in handy when working with attorneys on high-profile litigation or crisis issues."
Six years into her news TV career, McAlpin enrolled in Temple Law School´s evening program and kept her day job. A year earlier, her then-67 year old mother, already a nurse and a teacher, had begun law school, motivating McAlpin to follow suit. "Even though it was a very hectic time, I really enjoyed the challenge of law school," she recalls. "It was exciting to be trained to think in a different way. I also enrolled in Temple´s study abroad program in Rome learning the intricacies of Italy´s new legal system. It was a very intellectually rewarding time in my life."
Following law school, McAlpin worked as a judicial law clerk for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, focusing on civil, criminal, and family law calendars."I worked on cases from the point they were filed through the trial process—it was the equivalent of a medical residency," reflects McAlpin. "As a law clerk, I learned how to anticipate outcomes in all aspects of the legal process—how the courts evaluate pleadings or an argument, and the likely outcome of motions or trials. This helps me enormously at Levick."
While working as a judicial law clerk, McAlpin´s illustrations were published in a children´s book for the United States Patent & Trademark Office. Currently she is working on commissioned projects for professional offices. She expects to be a part of more exhibitions in the not-so-distant future.
"It´s sometimes challenging to find time to paint at the end of a 12-hour day, or over a busy weekend,"she shares. "But it´s a priority for me, so I make time. Painting is relaxing and provides a means to express myself in a way that´s not always possible in a corporate environment. My paintings are a repository for my thoughts, and provide me with a perfect forum to share my views on how we all have the ability to make a difference with the people that come in and out of our lives."
While McAlpin happily admits that she would like to one day be known for her artwork, she is unwilling to pursue that goal exclusively. "I love to paint, but I could never give up the thrill of working on a breaking news story or issues related to the courtroom. Who knows? Maybe it's time to set a new goal. I´ve been researching Ph.D. programs in forensic psychology lately, to work more closely on juror issues." DB
Patrick Folliard is a freelance writer based in Silver Spring, Md.
From the September/October 2009 issue of Diversity & The Bar®