The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is the world's largest organization serving the professional and business interests of attorneys who practice in the legal departments of corporations, associations, nonprofits and other private-sector organizations around the globe.
ACC St. Louis Pro Bono Committee Presents: Stand For Change
Join the ACC St. Louis Pro Bono Committee for the Stand For Change Program to discuss Pro Bono and Voter Rights’ protection volunteer opportunities.
Presentation Schedule:
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM) will discuss a variety of programs offered with an emphasis on Housing/Tenant Representation.
Advancement Project will discuss voter Protection and Missouri Volunteer Opportunities.
Judge Kerr will discuss the St. Louis County Circuit Court Appointment of Private Counsel Program-St. Louis County Local Rule 21 Implementation
ACC Foundation I.D.E.A.L.
I.D.E.A.L. is a collection of carefully curated programs and resources on race, equity, social justice, diversity, and inclusion. The goal is to Inform our networks about the inequities that plague our profession, provide opportunities to Discuss these inequities, and Equip these networks with solutions that will enable them to Act and Lead for change.
The ACC St. Louis Diversity & Inclusion Committee invite you to learn more about the ACC Foundation I.D.E.A.L.and become involved.
This will take the form of a panel discussion led by Mischa Boardman as moderator. The panel will discuss the role that in-house counsel should take in the design of and implementation DEI initiatives, including: (1) the importance of the DEI initiatives in the work place; (2) the current types of initiatives that companies are implementing; (3) the sensitivities surrounding the creation and implementation of initiatives; and (4) managing potential legal liability/avoiding pitfalls associated with this endeavor.
MODERATOR: Mischa M. Boardman
Shareholder, Zausmer, P.C.
The Diversity & Inclusion Committee together with the Membership Committee will host a Book Discussion on How to be Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. All Members are encouraged to read the book and/or read, watch or listen to materials in the attached resource list, and participate in the discussion.
In this in-depth exploration, Kendi examines the consequences of antiracist ideas, how to identify them, and how to oppose these ideas internally and within systems.
"BEING AN ANTIRACIST REQUIRES PERSISTENT SELF-AWARENESS, CONSTANT SELF-CRITICISM, AND REGULAR SELF-EXAMINATION."
- IBRAM X. KENDI
About the Author
Ibram X. Kendi is one of America’s foremost historians and leading antiracist voices. He is a National Book Award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities and the Founding Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. Kendi is a contributor writer at The Atlantic and a CBS News correspondent. He is also the 2020-2021 Frances B. Cashin Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for the Advanced Study at Harvard University.
Kendi is the author of THE BLACK CAMPUS MOVEMENT, which won the W.E.B. Du Bois Book Prize, and STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING: THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF RACIST IDEAS IN AMERICA, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2016. Kendi is also the author of three #1 New York Times bestsellers, HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST, an international bestseller that has been translated in several languages; STAMPED: RACISM, ANTIRACISM, AND YOU, co-authored with Jason Reynolds; and ANTIRACIST BABY, illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky. HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST made several Best Books of 2019 lists and was described the New York Times as “the most courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind.”
Anyone can join the video chat. We ask that you register for free to ensure that we have the bandwidth for the call. It's important now more than ever to stay connected, learn and continue the discussion!
Utilize your favorite resource to purchase the book or listen to the recordings and then join the discussion with ACC St. Louis and ACC Mid America Chapters on Wednesday, October 21st at 12:00 p.m.
Ann Jenrette-Thomas is the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Stinson LLP. She oversees the implementation of the firm's Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, taking an innovative approach when it comes to addressing challenges within the firm and the profession relating to diversity and inclusion. She also authored the Amazon best seller, The Happy Law Practice: Expert Strategies to Build Business and Maintain Peace of Mind.
Allison Murdock, Deputy Managing Partner of Stinson LLP – Moderator
Ann Jenrette-Thomas, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of Stinson LLP – Panelist
Lisa Stauffer, Managing Senior Counsel at PNC Bank & Chair, PNC Legal Department Diversity & Inclusion Council – Panelist
Mary Frontczak, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary at Compass Minerals – Panelist
Dr. Andrea Hendricks, Senior Executive Director of Global Diversity & Inclusion Strategy at Cerner Corporation – Panelist
WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 28,2020 from 12:00PM – 1:00PM
Virtual Zoom Presentation
Hear from the visionaries and the leaders that are making great strides to foster inclusion in the workplace. This candid discussion will take a close look at the various diversity plans and programs being implemented within each company. The panelists will share some of the challenges that they have faced, as well as positive outcomes that have resulted because of their efforts.
Why diversity and inclusion are important in the workplace (20 minutes)
Why companies should have a diversity plan and how to create one (20 minutes)
Discussion of the implementation process and how to identify and address possible challenges and outcomes (20 minutes)
Q & A (10 minutes)
We encourage members to bring an associate or colleague thatmay be interestedin joining the ACC Mid-AmericaChapter. The Association of Corporate Counsel offers numerous benefits and resources to in-house counselincluding CLEofferings and networking opportunities and welookforward to sharing that informationwith others in the field.
Join us for the second module in this social justice series where the presentation will focus on policing reform including excessive force, bail reform and government liability.
The law department at Discover Financial Services challenged itself to turn the ongoing dialogue about how to retain and advance diverse talent into action. One of the ideas that came out of that challenge was Discover's pilot Diversity Mentoring Program where it partnered with its core outside counsel firms, including Burr & Forman LLP. The mentoring program provides enhanced opportunities for diverse lawyers at their core firms while ensuring that diverse lawyers, and the different perspectives they offer, are representing Discover Financial Services in its legal matters.
We invite you to join us for a panel discussion led by Discover Financial Services with panelist from Burr & Forman LLP and ACC Central Florida to hear diversity mentoring best practices learned over the past two years, the importance of mentoring for diverse attorneys, and how diversity mentoring programs can scale to organizations of all sizes including ACC Central Florida. Panelist include:
Lisa George, Discover Financial Services
David Elliott, Partner with Burr & Forman LLP
Sheena Thakrar, Counsel with Burr & Forman LLP
Maria Garton, General Counsel with Signature Aviation
* The term ‘covering’ was coined by Erving Goffman as part of his work on stigma. Covering is a strategy through which individuals manage or downplay their differences and have a profound impact on an employee’s sense of self.
