Innovations in Equality: Advancing the Legal Workplace

This Ginsburg Initiative panel discussion explored innovations in fair work assignments, ensuring equity between remote and in-person lawyers, post-Covid hiring and promotion practices, and the use of the Mansfield Rule in legal hiring.  A powerhouse lineup of women, legal experts drove this discussion:
 

• Nadira Clarke, Moderator, Baker Botts
• Rekha Chiruvolu, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Nixon Peabody
• Sheryl Koval Garko, Partner and Global Chair of Women’s Initiative, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
• Caren Ulrich Stacy, Founder and Chief Experimentation Officer, Diversity Lab

A recording of the webinar can be found here.

Viewing the webinar can be claimed as 1.25 hour of self-study CLE credit with the State Bar of Texas. Self-study is optional and 3 of your total 15 hours can be completed in the form of self-study activities. Contact your State Bar with any questions. 

Panelists:

Nadira Clarke, Moderator, Partner at Baker Botts

Nadira Clarke is a formidable litigator with first-chair trial experience, she focuses her practice on technically complex, high-stakes matters. She is sought after for her aggressive defense of corporations and executives facing large-scale, multi-faceted governmental investigations. Calm and decisive by nature, she provides leadership and valuable counsel in a crisis. Nadira received her B.A., in History from Tufts University in 1988 and J.D. from University of California, Berkeley Law School in 1992.

Rekha Chiruvolu, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Nixon Peabody

As an experienced litigator now serving as Nixon Peabody’s firmwide Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Rekha brings her career-spanning passion for diversity and inclusion in the legal profession to oversee the firm’s diversity initiatives. She develops trainings and other programming featuring inspiring thought leaders, and works with the firm’s practice groups and recruiting, professional development and business development teams to ensure that diversity and inclusion are woven into all aspects of the firm. Additionally, Rekha frequently assists firm clients with the development of their own diversity and inclusion programming, trainings and related initiatives.

Rekha is an attorney who practiced litigation for almost 10 years. During this time, she was very active in various minority bar associations, advocating for greater diversity and inclusion in the profession. Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, Rekha was the assistant director of the Office of Career Services at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law. In that role she worked closely with employers and various bar associations to implement programming and initiatives for diverse law students and graduates. Rekha is also active in various diversity-related bar organizations. She is an active member of the South Asian Bar Association of North America, and has served on its Executive Committee for a number of years.

Sheryl Koval Garko, Partner and Global Chair of Women’s Initiative, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Sheryl Koval Garko, a partner in Orrick’s Boston office, is an experienced trial lawyer who focuses on high-stakes intellectual property litigation. Over the course of her career, she has represented clients ranging from Fortune 50 companies to start-ups in trademark, copyright, false advertising, and trade secret litigations and at trial. Sheryl has worked with leading technology companies and some of the most recognizable brands in the world, including New Balance, Samsung, and Microsoft. She has tried cases to both judges and juries in federal courts across the United States and is experienced practicing before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the International Trade Commission. Through her trial work, she has developed deep expertise in litigating novel and complex damages issues in IP cases and leveraging survey work. Sheryl leverages her wealth of experience to counsel clients on strategies to protect intellectual property when avoiding litigation is a strategic business priority.  Sheryl is the Global Chair of Orrick's Women's Initiative and serves on the firm's Management Committee.

Caren Ulrich Stacy, Founder and Chief Experimentation Officer, Diversity Lab

Caren Ulrich Stacy is a talent and behavioral science expert with more than 20 years of experience as the head of talent and diversity for several of the world’s top law firms. After co-founding Lawyer Metrics, a start-up company acquired by the Access Group that pioneered a “Moneyball” approach to talent selection, Caren created Diversity Lab to focus exclusively on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal field.

Diversity Lab is an incubator for new and creative ideas that boost the hiring, retention, and advancement of underrepresented groups in law firms and legal departments through the use of data, science, and technology.  Some of the Lab’s successful initiatives include the OnRamp Fellowship, Mansfield Rule, Inclusion Blueprint, Diversity in Law Hackathon, OnTrack Sponsorship, and the Move the Needle Fund.

In addition to her work with the Lab, Caren serves on the Legal Advisory Committee for the Silicon Valley Urban Debate League and as a Board Member for the US National Committee for UN Women. As a result of her leadership, she was honored with Legal Momentum’s Women of Achievement Award, the ABA Golden Hammer Award, Corporate Counsel Innovator Award, and also selected from more than 500 entrepreneurs as one of the inaugural 10 Tory Burch Foundation Fellows.