For the first time in its history, Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC) – the leading organization committed to fostering and supporting all aspects of global diversity in the legal profession – will offer a virtual component to its annual conference this fall.
“The virtual add-on is huge because for the last 16 years, including this year, our event has been completely sold out with hundreds on the waiting list who could not attend,” said Laurie Robinson Haden, CCWC president and CEO. “Now with intense focus on the challenges underrepresented groups face, the live plus virtual conference can help to educate corporations and law firms on what needs to be done to level the playing field.”
The CCWC and Hogan Lovells 16th Annual Career Strategies Conference – with the theme of “Beyond All Limits” – is scheduled for Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2020 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas. Virtual participation will open the doors not only to more women of color in the legal profession, but also to corporate and organizational executives interested in gaining insights and strategies on how to improve diversity and workplace culture.
The robust live plus virtual conference now offers more than 100 presenters and five straight days of programming, including the Chief Legal Officer Summit; Virtual Fireside Chats with more than 50 participating Chief Legal Officers; Corporate Legal Department Career Power Networking Sessions with companies that include Google, Microsoft, Amazon and The Home Depot; as well as Legal Practice Group Networking Sessions.
CCWC’s renowned and signature Bootcamp Program will offer continuing legal education credits and more than 50 panel discussions and presentations on cutting-edge best practices. In light of the new COVID-19 era, there are sessions on privacy; corporate social responsibility; mergers and acquisitions; crisis management; and legal implications of remote workers. Other sessions include AI and employment discrimination; whistleblowers; and emerging trends in digital health. Bootcamp also offers an entire millennial track.
Equally important in these heightened and sensitive times of racial equality and justice, CCWC will host a Chief Diversity Officer Summit with diversity leaders who will provide a concrete plan of action for corporations and law firms on how to dismantle racism, discrimination and barriers in the workplace for women of color attorneys.
The conference’s Thursday and Friday presentations include these national headliners:
- Andrew Yang, lawyer, philanthropist and 2020 presidential candidate.
- John Quinones, host of What Would You Do? and ABC News correspondent.
- Cynthia Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks.
- Johnnetta B. Cole, president of the National Council of Negro Women.
- Simone Wu, Diamond Award honoree and senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Choice Hotels.
- Tracy Preston, general counsel for Neiman Marcus Group, Inc.
- Pastor Sheryl Brady, author and pastor of The Potter’s House of North Dallas.
- Minda Harts, Author of “The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table” and Host of the #SecureTheSeat Podcast.
“The CCWC conference is needed now more than ever,” said Robinson Haden. “The death of George Floyd struck a nerve with so many. The fight is not just for equality in law enforcement and the criminal justice system, but also in our workplaces — at our corporations and law firms. The CCWC conference is critical because it is where many of us go one time during the year to replenish, refuel and renew. Our attendees leave feeling empowered and inspired and knowing that they are not alone.”
Registration for the virtual portion of the conference is online at www.ccwomenofcolor.org.
About Corporate Counsel Women of Color®
Corporate Counsel Women of Color is an organization committed to fostering and supporting all aspects of global diversity in the legal profession. It has more than 4,500 members serving as general counsel, corporate counsel and in other capacities for Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies, nonprofit corporations and other entities in the United States and abroad. CCWC made national headlines in 2011 when it launched the groundbreaking research report “Perspectives of Women of Color Attorneys in Corporate Legal Departments,” which provided the legal profession with the tools and best practices to engage, leverage and maximize the talented pool of women of color attorneys within their ranks.
