The Center for Women in Law hosted a conversation between Cisselon Nichols Hurd, Senior Legal Counsel for Shell USA, Inc (ret.), and Jennifer Banda, Center Director. During the conversation, Cisselon discussed insights and leadership lessons from her career, which includes two Fortune 500…
Susan Blount Power Lunch Series
The Center for Women in Law, through the Susan Blount Power Lunch Series, seeks to provide students with role models and mentors by exposing them to prominent lawyers and other public figures from a wide range of career paths. These events provide students with opportunities to ask questions and discuss their own career goals in an informal and interactive environment. The series is named after Susan Blount, a Founding Member of the Center, in honor of her generous gifts of time and talent as she stepped into the role of interim executive director in 2019.
Upcoming Events
-- Stay tuned for upcoming events --
2026 Power Lunch Series
Power Lunch with Krisi Kastl
CWIL hosted a Power Lunch Series conversation with Krisi Kastl, Founder and CEO of Kastl Law. During the conversation, Kastl discussed her career path from young lawyer to founder of a successful firm and respected leader of the legal profession, the professional and ethical responsibilities of her work, and the critical and unique role lawyers play as leaders in their communities.
Power Lunch with Cisselon Nichols Hurd
The Center hosted a conversation between Cisselon Nichols Hurd, Senior Legal Counsel for Shell USA, Inc (ret.), and Jennifer Banda, Center Director. During the conversation, Cisselon discussed insights and leadership lessons from her career, which includes two Fortune 500 companies, being a former federal prosecutor, and a legal leader in mentorship and community service.
2025 Power Lunch Series
Power Lunch with Sandra Phillips
CWIL hosted a Power Lunch Series conversation with Sandra Phillips, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Integrity, Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Legal Officer at Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). Phillips spoke with Center Director, Jennifer Banda, about her legal career, the path to her current role, and the ethical standards and challenges of a corporate general counsel.
Power Lunch with Becky Melton
The Center for Women in Law was excited to host a Power Lunch Series conversation with Becky Melton, Vice President of Legal for SolarWinds. Melton discussed her legal career and her duties and responsibilities running an in-house legal department, and the heightened challenges and response presented by an unprecedented and very public cyberattack.
Power Lunch with Amy M. Stewart
CWIL hosted a Power Lunch Series conversation with Amy M. Stewart, Founding Partner of the Stewart Law Group. Stewart discussed her legal career, the decisions and challenges related to starting and maintaining her own law firm, and how her athletics and coaching background gives her an edge in zealously and respectfully representing her clients and working with opposing counsel.
Power Lunch with Ambassador Carrin F. Patman
The Center for Women in Law was excited to host a Power Lunch Series conversation with Ambassador Carrin F. Patman. She spoke with Center Director, Jennifer Banda, about her 30-year litigation career and her just completed ambassadorship, with a discussion about the diplomatic role of an ambassador and the path to public service.
Power Lunch with Arleas Upton Kea
The Center for Women in Law hosted Arleas Upton Kea, former Deputy to the Chairman for External Affairs at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and current President of the Texas Exes, the Alumni Association of the University of Texas at Austin, for a Power Lunch series event. Kea discussed her legal career, and the duties of a public sector lawyer in terms of strategic leadership, governance, compliance, and finance and securities law.
2024 Power Lunch Series
Power Lunch with Regina Jones
During this conversation, Regina Jones discussed her legal career and the ethical standards and challenges of a corporate general counsel. Jones discussed how to help companies navigate regulatory frameworks and how regulatory and compliance expertise can transfer across industries.
Power Lunch with Sara Moss
Judge Nancy Atlas, retired U.S. District Judge, hosted a conversation with Sara Moss, Senior Advisor and former Vice Chairman, The Estée Lauder Companies. During this conversation, they discussed their legal careers, including Judge Atlas’s path to the bench and Ms. Moss’s path to becoming General Counsel and Vice Chair of the Board for Estée Lauder.
2023 Power Lunch Series
Power Lunch with Ambassador Kristen Silverberg
On 1/19/23 Ambassador Kristen Silverberg, COO of the Business Roundtable, discussed her legal and professional career and the ethical standards and challenges of a lawyer in public service.
2022 Power Lunch Series
Power Lunch with Liz Avore and Mimi Marziani
This program was a timely discussion before Election Day on November 8. During this conversation, Liz Avore of the Voting Rights Lab discussed her pathway to advocating for better voting laws.
Power Lunch with Chief Justice Martinez and Dolores Atencio
During this event, we heard Chief Justice Rebeca Martinez, Chief Justice of the Fourth Court of Appeals for the State of Texas, and Dolores Atencio, former co-chair of the HNBA Latina Commission and creator of the Luminarias de la Ley Project, speak about their career journeys as Latinas in the legal profession.
Past Events
Sep 09, 2026
The Center for Women in Law hosted a Power Lunch event, featuring Krisi Kastl, Founder and CEO of Kastl Law, in conversation with Center Director, Jennifer Banda.
Krisi Kastl is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and the Founder of Kastl Law, P.C., a plaintiffs’ personal…
Oct 23, 2025
Jennifer Banda, Director of the Center for Women in Law, hosted a conversation with Arleas Upton Kea, former Deputy to the Chairman for External Affairs at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and current President of the Texas Exes, the Alumni Association of the University…
Oct 15, 2025
Jennifer Banda, Director of the Center for Women in Law, hosted a conversation with Ambassador Carrin F. Patman, former ambassador to Iceland, respected litigator, public service leader and CWIL Founder.
For three decades, Ambassador Patman was a litigator at Bracewell,…
Oct 01, 2025
Jennifer Banda, Director of the Center for Women in Law, hosted a conversation with Amy M. Stewart, Founding Partner of the Stewart Law Group.
Mar 11, 2025
The Center for Women in Law was excited to host a Power Lunch Series conversation with Becky Melton, Vice President of Legal for SolarWinds, an Austin-headquartered global IT software company. SolarWinds is publicly traded on the NYSE but recently signed an agreement to be taken private by…
Feb 12, 2025
The Center for Women in Law was excited to host a Power Lunch Series conversation with Sandra Phillips, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Integrity, Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Legal Officer at Toyota Motor North America (TMNA).
In these roles, Phillips helps Toyota…
Apr 10, 2024
Judge Nancy Atlas, retired U.S. District Judge, hosted a conversation with Sara Moss, Senior Advisor and former Vice Chairman, The Estée Lauder Companies.
During this conversation, they discussed their legal careers, including Judge Atlas’s path to the bench and Ms. Moss’…
Mar 19, 2024
Regina Bynote Jones, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of ADM (one of the world’s largest nutrition companies), was interviewed by our Executive Director, Veronica Stidvent.
During this conversation, they discussed Jones’s legal career and the ethical…
Jan 19, 2023
COO of the Business Roundtable, Ambassador Kristen Silverberg, joined UT Law School for a lunch and a conversation. Ambassador Kristen Silverberg discussed her legal and professional career and the ethical standards and challenges of a lawyer in public service.
Nov 03, 2022
During this Power Lunch Series Mimi Marziani moderated a timely discussion with Liz Avore of the Voting Rights Lab who discussed her pathway to advocating for better voting laws.
Oct 06, 2022
The Center for Women in Law hosted Chief Justice Rebeca Martinez, Chief Justice of the Fourth Court of Appeals for the State of Texas, and Dolores Atencio, former co-chair of the HNBA Latina Commission and creator of the Luminarias de la Ley Project, to speak about their career journeys as…