“Creating a Diverse and Equitable Future in the Best Sense”
Friday, April 14, 2023
Debevoise and Plimpton
66 Hudson Boulevard
New York, NY 10001
Cornell Law School is committed to sustaining an academic community that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive: a school that welcomes persons of diverse personal identities as equal members who are valued and respected for their individual talents and abilities; a school that ensures a wide span of viewpoints to help inform all areas of the Law School’s teaching, student life, and clinical interactions, as well as to provide a diversity of thought that represents a wide range of perspectives for consideration at the highest levels of leadership in the school.
The “Creating a Diverse and Equitable Future in the Best Sense” Summit will showcase the school’s efforts, goals and successes, while also offering an opportunity to further explore how and why law firms and other organizations are leaning in to DEI initiatives, and how the next generation of lawyers is hopeful for a diverse and equitable future for all.
Friday, April 14
11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Registration & Lunch
12:15 pm – 12:45 pm
Lunch Program
Jens David Ohlin, Allan R. Tessler Dean and Professor of Law, Cornell Law School’s 17th Dean founded the institution’s first DEI Alumni Leadership Council and appointed the school’s first Associate Dean for DEI. Hear why this was a priority for him and why amidst an array of other pressing deanship duties, he is taking time to champion DEI issues within Myron Taylor Hall.
12:45 pm – 1:00 pm
Break
1:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Cornell Law School Alumni Leaders and DEI
BS ’07, JD ’13
Cornell Law School’s Alumni Association boasts several Alumni of Color and Affinity-based networks that promote and connect alumni from diverse backgrounds while celebrating the school’s pride in being ranked one of the most diverse law schools in the country. During this short video, you will hear from the various alumni diversity network leaders who will share why their network exists and what they hope to accomplish – sharing opportunities for continued engagement.
Featured Speakers:
Cornell Black Lawyers Alumni Network (CBLAN – 2014)
President – Victoria Clark, JD ’14
President/Co-founder – Ernest Eric Elmore, AB ’86, JD ’89
Latino Lawyers of Cornell (LLoC – 2015)
Co-leaders: Sasha Belinkie, JD ’15 and Maria Fernandez, JD ’92
Cornell Alumni Network of Asian Lawyers (CANAL – 2016)
President – Andrew Thomas Hahn, Sr., AB ’83, JD ’86
Native American Lawyers Alumni Network (NALAN – 2019)
President – Leslie Wheelock, JD ’84, MBA ’84
Mary Kennedy Brown Society (MKBS – 2017)
President – Jacquie Duval, JD ’92
DEI Alumni Leadership Council (DEI ALC – 2022)
Member – Maithili Pradhan, JD `10
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm
Investing in DEI: Shaping the Legal Landscape through Sustainable Strategies
While organizations are increasing DEI strategies to improve the culture and behaviors of their employees, there are several tangible and non-tangible costs and benefits involved that are often overlooked. Join our panel of experts as they explore and uncover the impact DEI strategies have on organizations and the sustainability of those efforts.
CLE Credit Pending: Attendees may receive 1.0 NY CLE credit in the area of Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias (D&I). Attorneys who practice outside New York may be eligible for reciprocal CLE credit. This program is appropriate for in-person newly admitted and experienced attorneys, and for remote experienced attorneys.
Meet the Panel:
Moderated by:
2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Break
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
A Fireside Chat with Michelle Whelan, Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering) and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Cornell Law School
Moderated by:
Join the DEI Alumni Leadership Council co-chairs as they explore the new role of the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Cornell Law School and how Michelle Whelan is approaching her appointment.
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
DEI and Future Leaders in Law
Cornell Law School student leaders will describe various student-led efforts and initiatives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Law School. They will share their aspirations and fears, and what they hope to accomplish as young professionals being trained by an educational institution steeped in DEI.
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Post Networking Reception
A special thanks to our Summit Host Debevoise and Plimpton, and to the Cornell Law School Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alumni Leadership Council, through which this Summit is made possible:
William Barrett, JD ’92, Associate General Counsel, Ernst & Young LLP
Jaime Bianchi, JD ’91, Partner, White & Case
Mark Carter, JD ’11, Attorney, Native American Rights Fund
Marihug Cedeno, BS ’07, JD ’13, Assistant United States Attorney, United States Attorneys’ Offices
Crystal Deazle, BS ’95, JD ’01, Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Ernest Eric Elmore, AB ’86, JD ’89, General Attorney-at-Law, Federal Trade Commission
David Furman, JD ’86, Partner, Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher LLP
Andrew Hahn, AB ’83, JD ’86, General Counsel, Hawkins, Delafield & Wood
Jared Ham, JD ’19, Associate, Sullivan Cromwell
Natalya Johnson, AB ’07, JD ’10, Senior Counsel at Johnson & Johnson
Andrianne Payson, JD ’00, Executive Vice President & General Counsel Veolia North America
Maithili Pradhan, JD ’10, Global Inclusion Programs & Employee Resource Groups Manager, Google
Michelle Whelan, Clinical Professor of Law (Lawyering) and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Kwamina Thomas Williford, JD ’00, Partner, Holland Knight
Leslie Richards Yellen, JD ’84, Director of Global Diversity & Inclusion, Debevoise & Plimpton
Geoff Young, JD ’06, Partner, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Please consider supporting the Law School Annual Fund for Scholarship, which greatly impacts the educational opportunities for women and students of color.
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