Internal Newsletter | June 2023
Meet Our
Team
Our New
DEI SAP
Triple P
Our ARGs
Check us out!
Out and about
Awards and
accolades
Calling all DEI Ambassadors
Symone Martin
(SA-moan | She/Her)
Senior Diversity, Equity
& Inclusion Specialist
Angie Cavallo
(She/Her)
Director of Diversity, Equity
& Inclusion
Kimya S.P. Johnson
(Keem-yah | She/Her)
Chief Diversity Equity & Inclusion
Officer and Principal
Meet our Team!
The DEI Team at Jackson Lewis recently celebrated their one-year anniversary! Read on to learn more about who we are and what we do. And do not hesitate to contact us directly or at JLDEI@jacksonlewis.com.
We’d love to hear from you!
Jackson Lewis Attorneys Honored on the 2023 Best Lawyers® List
August 18, 2022 • Jackson Lewis
Kimya leads the firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in alignment with the firm’s strategic plan and in realization of DEI as a core firm value. A recognized DEI thought leader, Kimya is often called upon to conduct trainings and speak about workplace DEI issues. An employment lawyer of over 20 years, Kimya also provides DEI advice and counsel where she assists employers seeking to implement a DEI strategy with felt and measured impacts. She is a former elementary teacher and proud HBCU graduate. Outside of Jackson Lewis, Kimya most enjoys serving as “First Lady” of her church, her many community-oriented involvements, and spending time with her husband, their three children, and their fluffy dog, Miss Cleo.
Bio
Contact
Chief Diversity Equity & Inclusion Officer and Principal
Kimya S.P. Johnson (Keem-yah | She/Her)
Email: Kimya.Johnson@jacksonlewis.com
Phone: 267-319-7832
Jackson Lewis Attorneys Honored on the 2023 Best Lawyers® List
August 18, 2022 • Jackson Lewis
Email: Angie.Cavallo@jacksonlewis.com
Phone: 445-223-5347
Angie oversees the firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs and initiatives and assists with the development and implementation of firm policies and processes in furtherance of ensuring belonging and wellness for every individual who calls Jackson Lewis home. Angie is an attorney with more than a decade of litigation experience including a robust prior practice dedicated to complex family formation law and the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. Angie was also an adjunct law professor at Rutgers Law and has held various leadership and mentoring positions in the DEI legal sector. When not crafting safe spaces in the workplace and fighting unapologetically against oppression and injustice, Angie can be found running marathons or spending sleepless nights with her wife and infant son in New Jersey.
Bio
Contact
Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Angie Cavallo (She/Her)
Jackson Lewis Attorneys Honored on the 2023 Best Lawyers® List
August 18, 2022 • Jackson Lewis
Email: Symone.Martin@jacksonlewis.com
Phone: 913-251-3720
With 10 years of experience in DEI within law firms, Symone is focused on DEI information gathering, data analysis and reporting to support the firm’s DEI department initiatives. Symone regularly provides DEI information and data in response to client requests, RFPs and DEI surveys. Known for her infectious, positive outlook, Symone also serves as a firm DEI culture ambassador. Symone enjoys singing and cooking, and she is the loving mother and chosen grandmother to her son and grandson.
Bio
Contact
Senior Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Specialist
Symone Martin (SA-moan | She/Her)
Introducing our New DEI Strategic Action Plan!
Our DEI Department is excited to unveil the firm’s new DEI Strategic Action Plan for 2023! Diversity, equity and inclusion remain long-held, core firm values and DEI has been identified as a strategic firm pillar. Upon arrival, the DEI Team conducted a listening tour and initial assessment to hear from you and to learn how DEI may be further realized.
In collaboration with key stakeholders, including all business services departments and firm leadership, the DEI Department formalized a new Strategic Action Plan (SAP). Watch the video above to learn more about the DEI SAP!
The DEI SAP, and the DEI Team’s continuing work, focuses on 4 defined DEI pillars referred to as our “4 Cs”- Colleagues, Culture, Clients, and Communities. There are 7 areas of focus – across business services departments, work streams, and roles – that have been identified within our 4 Cs where we may take more immediate actions, such as inclusion and retention efforts, learning and leadership development, and communication. Our goal is to identify the ways that we may continually cultivate and maintain a welcoming and inclusive firmwide community where all are embraced, supported, respected, valued, and elevated in our work.
Click here to see the DEI SAP or go to our DEI JLink page to learn more.
Onward!
“Triple P”: Learn About Voluntary Self-ID Elections & Complete the Survey to Make Your Wishes Known!
In 2022, the firm launched an initiative allowing all employees to add their pronouns, first and/or last name phonetic pronunciations, and a parenthetical name (nickname) to their Outlook email signatures.
Colloquially referred to as “Triple P,” this effort encouraged employees to display their authentic selves in their email signatures; their colleagues can use this information to refer to team members in a respectful manner. Coming soon, this information might also be displayed on our new firm website.
To learn more about why name pronunciations or pronouns matter, click here: pronunciations; pronouns. Since Triple P’s launch, the firm has seen positive engagement, especially from leadership. Watch the video above to hear directly from our JL community and to learn how Triple P is making an impact.
In addition to pronouns, pronunciations, and parenthetical names, updates to the firm’s existing voluntary self-ID structures were rolled out, allowing folks expanded options for race and ethnicity, including a category for MENA (Middle Eastern & North African), among other enhancements. Our new voluntary self-ID system also allowed expanded gender identities and provided LGBTQ+, disability, and veteran status options for the first time.
Providing our race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and other identities allows greater accuracy in reporting to clients and industry surveyors that regularly seek this information, and also ensures that everyone is reflected as their authentic selves. Having identities accurately reflected also allows for further resourcing and support for the firm’s DEI initiatives.
Join our Attorney Resource Groups
Jackson Lewis is proud to offer seven Attorney Resource Groups (ARGs). These ARGs provide safe spaces for members to share lived experiences, create mentoring relationships, serve as firm resources, and develop internal or external programming. ARG memberships are open to all attorneys, regardless of background, who are aligned with the ARG’s mission.
African American ARG
Marlo Johnson Roebuck
Otieno Ombok
Asian American ARG
Monica Khetarpal
Gillian Yee
Hispanic ARG
Angela Quiles Nevarez
Jason Gavejian
Out Professionals and
Allies in Law (OPAL)
Michelle
Phillips
Christopher Repole
Practicing and Parenting
Alison Lynch
Nicole Shaffer
Veterans ARG
Donald English, Jr.
Matthew Nieman
Women’s Interest Network (WIN)
Marla Presley
Adriana Midence
Click here to join an ARG or confirm your existing ARG memberships
Sarah Ryan
We were pleased to host several virtual events to promote greater awareness and inclusion in collaboration with our Attorney Resource Groups, other firm departments, and esteemed external speakers. Learn more below!
Check Us Out! Watch Replays of Prior DEI Programs
“It’s MY Hair”: A Talk about the CROWN Act and Much More!
More Work to Be Done: A Discussion on Asian Hate 40 Years After the Murder of Vincent Chin
Coming Out and Allyship in Our Workplace
Reflections on Being a Hispanic Attorney
Identity-Based Trauma: Coping, Leading & Supporting Each Other Following Acts of Violence or Other Impactful News
Get to Know
Samantha Hoffman
“It’s MY Hair”: A Talk about the CROWN Act and Much More!
This discussion featured a diverse panel of experts who shared their experiences as Black women leading DEI initiatives at global luxury brands. Topics included the CROWN Act, momentous legislation that recognizes race/ethnicity-based hair discrimination, how related microaggressions present in workplaces and the mental health implications of homogenous beauty standards.
Learn more
In addition to these DEI Department events, our national DEI partner Seramount also offers various inclusion webinars throughout the year. In 2023, Seramount hosted webinars during Black History Month, Pride Month and International Women’s Day and hosted a Neurodiversity Seminar as part of Celebrate Diversity Month. Replays of these webinars can be accessed here.
In the coming months, Seramount is hosting webinars for the following occasions:
— Hispanic Heritage Month (9/28/23)
— National Disability Employment Awareness Month (10/26/23)
— Native American Heritage Month (11/1/23)
— Veterans Day (11/10/23)
These events are open to everyone at the firm. Look for emails with registration information shortly before each event, or go to the DEI JLink page to watch replays of these webinars as well.
Calling All DEI Ambassadors!
We have a phenomenal group of DEI Ambassadors who are leading DEI efforts in offices all across the firm. (Thanks for all you do to move DEI forward!) But we also need you! Through the firm’s DEI Ambassador program, our goal is to appoint one person in each office who will serve as a collaborator between their office and the DEI Team. DEI Ambassadors help spread the word regarding firmwide events, coordinate office–level DEI events with the assistance of the DEI Team, and collaborate with the DEI Team on various initiatives throughout the year.
“Our DEI efforts have not only provided opportunities of outreach and networking for our attorneys, but has also raised the profile of Jackson Lewis within the San Diego region, and beyond. Our clients have embraced our commitment to DEI, and have joined us in our dedication to reflect, represent and improve our legal community’s cultural landscape.” — Arcelia Magaña (San Diego)
“Our office’s DEI efforts have ensured that our internal decision-making, our professional growth and our principles in advocacy, are informed and guided by broad cultural perspectives.” — Guillermo Escobedo (San Diego)
“What I find most rewarding about my role as DEI Ambassador is that I get to a deeper level of learning and understanding about each member of our team. I like to know what matters to people, what drives their engagement, the values they hold and why. Doing this builds trust and enables us to understand one another.” — Katrina Morgan (St. Louis)
“I have enjoyed being a DEI Ambassador for the Los Angeles office over the past several years because it has given me the opportunity to help implement the firm’s DEI goals and initiatives on a local level and increase the office’s DEI awareness and involvement.” — Connie Chen (Los Angeles)
To learn more about the DEI Ambassador program or to explore becoming a DEI Ambassador for your office, email Angie Cavallo.
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Conference November 2023 –
Poonam Sethi, Hannah Chin, Connie Chen, Peter Woo, Tanya Bovée, and Victor Corpuz
Hispanic National Bar Association Corporate Counsel Conference March 2023 - Pedro Jaime Torres-Díaz, Arcelia Magaña, Angela Quiles Nevarez, and Guillermo Escobedo
Corporate Counsel Women of Color Conference October 2022 - Marlo Johnson Roebuck and Katessa Charles
Folks at Jackson Lewis have been on the move, in large part thanks to our industry recognitions and our many continuing sponsorships and collaborations with national and local diversity organizations! Below are highlights from some of the events and conferences we participated in throughout the last year.
Out and About
National LGBTQ+ Bar/Lavender Law Conference July 2022 – JL Alum Wayne Yoshigai, Jessica Shafer, Parth Jani, and Joshua Sliker
South Asian Bar Association Conference July 2022 – Keerthi Sugumaran and Samia Kirmani
South Asian Bar Association of San Diego November 2022 (from left to right) - Marco Garcia, Stephanie Kierig, Jaclyn Reinhart, Lana Nassar, Raina Sharma, Arcelia Magaña and Guillermo Escobedo
Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals’ National Conference - November 2022 Chief DEI Officer, Kimya Johnson; Director of DEI, Angie Cavallo; and Senior DEI Specialist, Symone Martin
National Bar Association L&E Section Conference October 2022 (back to front) - Michael Thomas, Chris Patrick, Charles Wilson, Ryan Chapoteau, Michael Brian Taylor, Harold Jones, Sean Herring, Otieno Ombok, Nathaniel Higgins, Renee Smith, Adrienne Conrad, Janea Hawkins, Kevin Reese, Trisana Spence, JL Alum Courtney Woods, Shevonne Greene, Carol Ashley, and JL Alum Trey Sims.
National Bar Association CLS February 2023 - Katessa Charles, Harold Jones, Charles Wilson, Kevin Reese, Sean Herring, and Michael Thomas
Michelle Phillips receiving the 2022 Diversity & Inclusion Champion award by the New York Bar Association, shown with chair of the firm, Kevin Lauri, and Chief DEI Officer, Kimya Johnson
To learn more about any of the organizations above and how you can get involved or to be considered for participation in an upcoming conference, email JLDEI@jacksonlewis.com.
While we don’t like to brag, we are proud of the many awards and accolades earned in the past year that recognize the firm’s efforts to create an inclusive environment for all.
Winner Winner! DEI Awards and Accolades
#2
Law360 “Most Women in Equity Partnerships” report
96
th
percentile
Minority Corporate Counsel
Association Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion Scorecard
Third consecutive year exceeding
baseline DEI requirements
#11
National Law Journal’s “The NLJ
500: The Women in Law Scorecard
11th consecutive year as a
“Gold Standard Firm”
Ranked #16 out of top 200 Am Law/
top 250 National Law Journal firms
President’s Award Honoree
American Association for Access,
Equity and Diversity
#27
Law360 Diversity Snapshot of
percentage of minority attorneys
Perfect 100 percent score for
LGBTQ+ workplace equality
IDEAward
Recognizes firms that excel in promoting diversity and inclusion efforts and programs
Ranked #33 in the 2022
Leopard Law Firm Index.
MCCA
Were named a finalist for the 2022 Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s Thomas L. Sager Award
For a fuller description and listing of our DEI-related awards as well as to obtain our descriptive DEI marketing collateral, visit our DEI JLink page or email Symone Martin. Further information about our firm’s DEI efforts, including Jackson Lewis’ diverse representation data, may also be found on our website at https://www.jacksonlewis.com/about-us/diversity-equity-inclusion.
DEI on JLINK
More Work to Be Done: A Discussion on Asian Hate 40 Years After the Murder of Vincent Chin
This roundtable discussion, which took place during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, brought together panelists from TransUnion, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Jackson Lewis to discuss the legacy of the Vincent Chin case and to explore the impact of hate-fueled attacks against the AAPI community.
Learn more
Coming Out and Allyship in Our Workplace
During Pride Month, several Jackson Lewis attorneys, along with our Director of DEI, participated in internal and external podcasts addressing allyship and what it means to be LGBTQ+ in the workplace. Our attorneys shared their personal coming out journeys and discussed ways to work together to build a roadmap for allyship.
Learn more
Reflections on Being a Hispanic Attorney
This event kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month and featured five Jackson Lewis attorneys who discussed the intersection of their Hispanic ethnicity with the practice of law. Panelists shared personal stories about overcoming adversity, the benefits of mentorship and sponsorship and ways in which their cultural script shaped their practices.
Learn more
Identity-Based Trauma: Coping, Leading & Supporting Each Other Following Acts of Violence or Other Impactful News
This virtual discussion, moderated by our Chief DEI Officer and featuring diverse external speakers with mental health and wellness expertise, provided resources, tools, and coping mechanisms for folks directly affected by impactful news such as hate crimes, mass violence or targeted legislation. In addition, the speakers provided tangible skills for leaders and colleagues to use to maintain a caring work culture in the face of such impactful news.
Learn more
Get to Know Samantha Hoffman
This “get to know you” conversation took place during Women’s History Month and showcased our firm managing principal, Samantha Hoffman, who was interviewed by Women’s Interest Network co-chair Adriana Midence. In this discussion, Samantha talked about her career path and evolving responsibilities at Jackson Lewis and provided her perspective on mentorship and the qualities critical to great leadership.
Learn more
Please contact Angie Cavallo if you are interested in learning more about a MENA ARG or Disability/Neurodiversity ARG and/or if you are a principal or of counsel who wants to be considered for a leadership role in either group.
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