I have been incredibly proud and impressed by the accomplishments of the Section of Labor and Employment Law leaders over the past several months since my last column.
The 14th Annual Section Conference was, by all accounts, a tremendous success and the most inclusive Conference we have ever had. The panelists presented excellent substantive content and practical guidance, and the panels were permeated with women attorneys and attorneys of color who are thought leaders in our field. Our new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Track was a very timely and popular track. I’m very pleased that the Section Conference Planning Committee enthusiastically supported this idea and that the DEI Track will be a staple feature at our Section Conferences going forward. The new Foundations and Essentials Day, which was focused on new and young lawyers, was also very popular, and the Section plans to continue that track, as well. I’m grateful to the Section Conference Planning, New and Young Lawyers, Revenue and Partnership Development and Social Media Committees, the speakers, the sponsors and the more than 800 attendees who joined us for our first conference in a virtual format.
Also, at the Section Conference, we presented the Arvid Anderson Public Sector Labor and Employment Attorney of the Year Award to Robert M. Dohrmann, Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers LLP, the Federal Labor and Employment Attorney of the Year Award to Orlando J. Pannocchia, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor, the Frances Perkins Public Service Award to Buck Lewis, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, and the Honorable Bernice B. Donald Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession Award to the Honorable Bernice B. Donald, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and Jane Howard-Martin, Toyota Motor North America, Inc. I again congratulate these individuals on their well-deserved honors.
I was pleased to convene a group of chairs from numerous leading international employment law associations from around the world. With the great work of the Section’s Outreach to International Lawyers Committee, on February 23, 2021, this chairs’ group hosted a webinar featuring speakers from each of these associations discussing Employment Litigation in the Age of COVID-19. This webinar attracted 550 attorneys from more than 40 countries. I was honored to moderate the webinar and introduce all of the bar leaders to the attendees. Our outreach to these international bars continues to be well received, and we are in the process of further collaboration with them. The Section is enriched by the participation of international attorneys, and the Outreach to International Lawyers Committee continues to attract international lawyers to the Section, forge relationships and plan events with other bar associations, and promote the Section via social media.
The Section also held thirteen Midwinter Meetings between January and May. The meetings were well attended, with a third of the Committees recording a 10-year high number of registrations. The Midwinter Meetings continue to attract national and international thought leaders as well as high-level government officials. We appreciate the active participation of government attorneys in our Section and Midwinter Meetings, and were honored to have government officials from the EEOC, NLRB, DOL, DOJ, OSHRC, FMSHRC, NMB, FLRA, MSPB, PBGC, and others, speak at our Midwinter Meetings. I enjoyed attending all of the Midwinter Meetings, enhancing my substantive knowledge in the vast subject areas covered by our Standing Committees and experiencing the unique culture of our different committees. Thanks again to all of the Standing Committee Co-Chairs and Program Co-Chairs for their hard work, dedication and creativity in presenting this year’s Midwinter Meetings in a virtual format, and to the sponsors and attendees for their support.
It is well documented that women have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic. I was proud that our union, employee, in-house corporate counsel, employer and government representatives on the Section Council all came together to support the ABA House of Delegates resolution that encourages bar associations, specialty bar associations, legal employers and law schools to develop policies and best practices regarding fair and affordable access to and support for high-quality family care for all individuals working in the legal profession. The House of Delegates passed the Resolution on February 22, 2021. The Section is uniquely positioned to continue supporting the efforts of encouraging legal employers and organizations to adopt practices to create equity for women. In that regard, Past Section Chair Gail Golman Holtzman graciously volunteered to draft template family care policies that the ABA Practice Forward Coordinating Group can share with organizations needing assistance with creating appropriate policies modelled on best practices.
As a former Commissioner of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, I was pleased to pledge the Section’s support for the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession Day of Conversation. The Commission invited interested organizations and individuals to commit to hosting conversations to address equity within the profession by using the Commission’s This Talk Isn’t Cheap: Women of Color and White Women Attorneys Find Common Ground report and Guided Conversations toolkit. The purpose of the Day of Conversation, which took place on April 27, 2021, was to build allyship and to help reduce bias in the legal profession with a particular emphasis on the intersectionality of race and gender in the legal profession and how women of color and white women can bridge gaps in understanding and build allyship to promote racial equity. Given our Section’s focus on DEI, in addition to encouraging our Section members to host their own Day of Conversation, I brought the Section’s leaders together to participate in the Day of Conversation as a group. Gail Golman Holtzman and Dean Emeritus Cynthia Nance adeptly facilitated the discussion in which our Section leaders’ actively participated.
On July 21–23, 2021, the Section will hold its eighth Leadership Development Program (LDP). Continuing our focus on DEI, this year’s LDP is designed to enhance inclusive leadership skills and Section governance knowledge in members from all constituencies of the Section. I’m thrilled that Dr. Arin N. Reeves, President of Nextions LLC, will be the facilitator for this year’s LDP. Dr. Reeves is a leading researcher, speaker and author in the fields of leadership and
inclusion. She has advised countless organizations, firms and bar associations on inclusive leadership and allyship and will bring her insight, research and practical advice to our 2021 LDP class. I had the privilege of participating in the inaugural LDP class in 2009, and many of the Section’s most active leaders have graduated from the program. I encourage active Section members to apply for the class, which will undoubtedly help you in your volunteer work within the Section—and your day jobs, too!
On a sad note, Section Vice Chair Steve Moldof passed away on November 9, 2020. Even before Steve and I served
together on the Section’s Executive Committee, I got to know Steve and his wife Mike at Section events, and in particular, at the Section’s International Labor and Employment Law Committee Midyear Meetings. I enjoyed spending time with them and was very pleased to get to spend more time with them and work more closely with Steve when he was first elected as Vice Chair in August 2018. Steve was a phenomenal lawyer and gracious human being. I sorely miss his presence on the Executive Committee. Had he not fallen ill, Steve would have been serving side-by-side with me as Chair-Elect this year, so I was very pleased when the Council enthusiastically embraced my idea to appoint him as Honorary Chair-Elect for the remainder of this term and Honorary Chair for the next bar year.
I would like to end by expressing my eternal gratitude to Doug Dexter, Section Vice Chair, who consistently demonstrates his commitment to DEI and models allyship through his words and actions. I would also like to thank the entire Executive Committee, Council and Committee leadership for their commitment and service to the Section and our members. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Section’s phenomenal Section Director Brad Hoffman, Associate Director Rose Ashford, Section Assistant Judy Stofko, and Program Specialist Fifi Adekola. I’m beyond grateful for their efforts. We will all continue to work together to provide Section members with a meaningful and impactful year.
The Section of Labor and Employment Law is your section, and I want to make sure that we focus on initiatives that are important to you. I thank the Newsletter Committee leadership for their dedication and efforts in publishing this newsletter and I appreciate this opportunity to share information on Section developments and initiatives.