Conference Agenda

Conference Day 1

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

3:00pm – 5:00pm

Women of Color Forum

This forum brings together women lawyers of color to kick off CMCP’s 30th Anniversary Business Conference for connection, inspiration and insights on careers and professional life. This signature event will feature brief presentations by three outstanding leaders:

Jolen Anderson
Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer and Chief Counsel Employment & Corporate Responsibility,
Visa, Inc.

Hailyn J. Chen
Co-Managing Partner, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP

Vanessa Washington
Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Bank of the West

Following the presentations, participants will engage in facilitated roundtable discussion groups exploring the opportunities and issues faced by women of color in the law.

Potential table topics:

Finding a Sponsor in the Age of #metoo

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Women Promoting Women

Primary Caregivers and Bread-Winners

Building your Personal Board of Directors

Women’s Initiatives and Women of Color

Bringing Your Whole Self to Work: Can it be Done?

Like these topics? Have ideas of your own?
Take this anonymous survey and let us know!

Sponsored by

5:00pm – 7:00pm

Welcome Reception

Join conference attendees for a networking reception and celebration to start CMCP’s 30th Anniversary Annual Business Conference!

Sponsorship Opportunity Available for this Reception

Conference Day 2

Thursday, September 12, 2019

8:00am

Registration Opens

8:00am – 9:00am

Continental Breakfast

9:00am – 10:30am

Opening Plenary and GC Panel

Welcome from the CMCP Board and Executive Director

CMCP Board Co-Chairs:
Camilo Echavarria, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Sharon Tomkins, Vice President of Strategy and Engagement, Southern California Gas Company

CMCP Executive Director:
Robert White, Executive Director, California Minority Counsel Program

GC Panel
Leading General Counsel talk candidly about the legal landscape and issues they face.

Jeffrey S. Harleston, General Counsel and EVP Business & Legal Affairs, Universal Music Group
Mark Zemelman, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.

Additional speakers will be announced.

Sponsorship Opportunity Available for this Reception

10:45am – 11:45am

Conference Buddy Connect

10:45am – 11:45am

1st Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Concurrent Session 1A

Promoting Equity: The Influence of Implicit Bias and Racial Anxiety

Many individuals believe in racial and gender equity and reject discrimination in any form. Yet mental processes shaped by history and culture can lead us to view the world through a biased lens and to behave contrary to our deeply held egalitarian values. Dean Richardson will discuss how implicit bias and racial anxiety can impact our behaviors, perceptions and judgments in ways that lead to problematic disparities. She will offer some recommendations for increasing the likelihood of positive outcomes.

L. Song Richardson,
Dean and Chancellor’s Professor of Law
University of California, Irvine School of Law

CA MCLE: 1.0 hour

Sponsored by

Concurrent Session 1B

New Developments in Technology: AI, Autonomous Vehicles, and Blockchain

With new technology comes new opportunities but also new challenges, such as regulatory issues, data privacy, cyber security and digital equality.

Speakers:

Natalie A. Pierce, Shareholder | Co-Chair, Robotics, AI and Automation Practice Group
Littler Mendelson P.C.

James M. Lee, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, LegalMation

Additional speakers will be announced.

CA MCLE: 1.0 hour

Sponsored by

Concurrent Session 1C

Financial Success: Making Your Money Work for You

Panelists will discuss making financial decisions and recognizing the financial milestones related to your career, including budgeting, paying off law school loans, protecting your assets, understanding equity and tax implications, making a career change, making partner, and preparing for retirement. This session will provide tools and tips on how to strategically make your money work for you. This session will also touch on how we were taught to think about money and discuss how to address the ways our backgrounds impact our approaches and attitudes toward money management.

Moderator:
Zakiya J. Norton, Partner & Co-Founder, Norton Basu LLP

Speakers:
Jirayr Kembikian, Private Wealth Advisor, Citrine Capital

Lydia Mendoza Mosser, Owner, Mendoza Mosser Law

Dwayne M. Isaac, Vice President, Citi Private Bank

Sponsorship Opportunity Available for this Session

Concurrent Session 1D

Take a Career Leap: Going In-House

What you need to know about navigating a path to a position in a corporate legal department for attorneys at law firms, in the public sector or other industries:

How to get in-house referrals and networking tips

Driving the referral – What to prepare and ask for?

Advice on cover letters

Understanding the roles and responsibilities

“Off-the-record” discussions pre- and post-offer – Questions to ask

Professional growth and development comparison firm v. in-house best strategies

Moderator:
Evie Hightower, Lead Counsel, Facebook

Speakers:
Brian Lewis, Associate General Counsel, Security, Facebook

Rebecka M. Biejo, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Pilgrim Media Group, LLC

Tam T. T. Pham, Managing Director, In-House Practice Group, Major, Lindsey & Africa

Brittany D. Jones, Corporate Counsel, Autodesk Inc

Additional speakers will be announced.

Sponsorship Opportunity Available for this Session

12:00pm – 1:30pm

2 Concurrent Lunches

Concurrent Lunch A

The No Bosses Allowed Lunch

CMCP’s Signature Interactive Leadership, Career Development and Networking Lunch for:

Law firm associates and other non-partners

In-house non-managers

This popular, highly interactive lunch program will feature workshop-style table discussions.
Turning Your Real Response into the Right Response

Topics may include:

How to deal with discussing political issues at work

What management gets and doesn’t get on recruiting and keeping younger diverse attorneys

What to do when discrimination is blatant or insidious

Why networking (in and out of the firm/company/organization) is important and how to best go about it to advance your career

Session Leaders:
Lisa L. Garcia, Associate, Alston & Bird LLP

Cassandra S. Payton, Counsel, Dine Brands Global, Inc.

Christopher Braham, Associate, Vedder Price, LLP

Sponsorship Opportunity Available for this Session

Concurrent Lunch B

Lunch for Partners and Managing Counsel

This popular, highly interactive lunch program will feature workshop-style table discussions.
Topics may include:

How to deal with discussing political issues at work

What management gets and doesn’t get on recruiting and keeping younger diverse attorneys

What to do when discrimination is blatant or insidious

Why networking (in and out of the firm/company/organization) is important and how to best go about it to advance your career

Session Leaders:
Somita Basu, Partner & Co-Founder, Norton Basu LLP

Michelle M. Holmes, Associate, Littler Mendelson P.C.

Negin Yazdani, Corporate Attorney, Virgin Orbit, LLC

Sponsored by

1:45pm – 3:00pm

2nd Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Concurrent Session 2A

Politics: NSFW? Navigating Political Landmines in the (Polarized) States of America

There may still be some careers that allow you to check politics at the door entirely, but law is not one of them. Whichever side of the divide you fall on, you likely agree that talking politics at work can feel like a minefield.

Join us as our panel explores topics that arise for all lawyers, such as:

Do you avoid “friending” colleagues so they won’t see your political posts?

Whether avoiding a topic as prevalent as current politics affects your ability to build a relationship with colleagues and clients and advance your career

How employment laws, First Amendment protections, and ethical obligations affect our freedom to express political views as lawyers

How are legal employers dealing with politics in the workplace on an institutional level? Are there any best practices?

Moderator:
Kenneth Trujillo-Jamison, Associate, Munger Tolles & Olson LLP

Speakers:
Edward Brown, Senior Industrial Relations Specialist, E. & J. Gallo Winery

Manita Rawat, Partner, Duane Morris LLP

Akasha Perez, Workplace Investigator, Intuit Inc.

Sponsorship Opportunity Available for this Session

Concurrent Session 2B

Getting More Color on Top:
Successful Strategies to Promote Diverse Associates to Partners

Associates of color face unique challenges as they make the run for partner. This session will focus on the stories of successful partners of color, including winning and losing strategies for how get the brass ring. Potential issues to address:

What are the stumbling blocks to recruiting and retaining partners of color?

What is working and what has worked?

What can we do at different levels to retain and recruit diverse associates?

Why do diverse associates leave?

When do you need to leave? Identifying when you won’t make partner and how to make the next right step

Importance of mentoring/inclusion – what both associates and partners can do to further this goal?

Moderator
Barrington E. Dyer, Shareholder, Polsinelli LLP

Speakers
Samuel J. Park, Partner, Alston & Bird LLP
Raul F. Salinas, Shareholder, AlvaradoSmith P.C.
David Salisbury, Director of Business Development and Strategic Marketing,
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.

Additional speakers will be announced.

Sponsorship Opportunity Available for this Session

Concurrent Session 2C
Closed session for In-House counsel only. Attendance may be limited.

Take Charge of Your In-House Career!

Join a panel of experts for a candid and pragmatic discussion of forging a successful career path as an in-house attorney of color:

Building relationships with internal clients and colleagues in-house

Best strategies for professional and career development

How to stay relevant and visible as in-house counse

Moderator:
Carla De Silva, Regulatory Counsel, Square, Inc.

Speakers:
Rahwa Ghebre-Ab, Senior Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs, Lionsgate

David Pilson, Senior Director, Compensation, Benefits, and Equity Compliance, eBay Inc.

Coré S. Cotton, Associate General Counsel, Wells Fargo

Sandra Ambrocio, Defense Counsel, Liberty Mutual

Additional speakers will be announced.

Sponsorship Opportunity Available for this Session

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Afternoon Break

Sponsored by

3:45pm – 5:00pm

3rd Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Concurrent Session 3A

Who Are You Calling a Minority? Traditional Versus Expanding Definitions of Diversity

This interactive session will explore:

Traditional categories of diversity: how “diversity” is defined in different legal settings (e.g., how in-house counsel look at diversity figures when they look for outside counsel, how firms define diversity for recruitment and public relations)

How we may want to expand on traditional categories of diversity (e.g., women, varying socio-economic statuses, religion

How we may want to expand on traditional categories of diversity (e.g., women, varying socio-economic statuses, religion)

Moderator:
Vaneeta Chintamaneni, Associate, Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP

Speakers:
Genhi Givings Bailey, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Perkins Coie LLP

Robert Barton, Partner, Private Wealth Services, Holland & Knight LLP

Emily Bruce, Director of Equity and Inclusion, Student Services, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law

Additional speakers will be announced.

CA MCLE: 1.25 hours

Sponsorship Opportunity Available for this Session

Concurrent Session 3B

You Just Made Partner. Now What?

Many associates, after spending years of hard work and sacrifice in toiling for their firms, dream of making partner. But not many associates adequately plan for what life as a partner will be like, much less how to thrive as a partner. Those approaching the partnership may have questions such as:

How will being a partner affect my finances?

How will I deal with new administrative responsibilities as a partner, such as collecting payment from clients?

How will I contend with business development expectations?

How do I develop and further my partner relationships?

Please join our distinguished panel as they share advice and tips on navigating the switch from associate to partner.

Moderator:
Robert C. Rodriguez, Senior Counsel, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP

Speakers:
Kevin Masuda, Partner, Gibson Dunn

Aaron Lewis, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP

Carolina Bravo-Karimi, Partner, Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP

Gloria J. Lee, Client Relations Partner, Rutan & Tucker, LLP

Sponsored by

BlackStone Discovery

Concurrent Session 3C

Going for it: Betting on Yourself

As attorneys, our ability to identify and analyze risks is one of our greatest strengths but sometimes that strength creates an inherent aversion to risk. Learning how to effectively manage risks to make smart bets on yourself can make all the difference in your career and propel you to the next level professionally.

Moderator:
Thomas N. Bell, Regulatory Counsel, Square, Inc.

Speakers:
Aurelio J. Pérez, Head Of Legal, Wonolo

Shedrick Davis, Western Regional Director, Lambda Legal

Esther K. Ro, Writ Attorney, California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District

Candice Zee, Shareholder, Vedder Price

Additional speakers will be announced.

Sponsorship Opportunity Available for this Session

Concurrent Session 3D
Closed session for In-House counsel only. Attendance may be limited.

The 2019 Legal Department Diversity Summit: Building Collaboration Among In-House Counsel

Roundtable meeting of in-house counsel to drive ongoing collaboration toward diversifying the legal profession. Member organizations and non-members welcome.