The Legal's Diverse Attorneys of the Year

Every two years, The Legal Intelligencer recognizes outstanding minority attorneys from across Pennsylvania. We solicited nominations from our contacts around the legal profession and received dozens of responses, all highlighting the impressive work done over the past two years by attorneys from all corners of the legal profession. While all of them are certainly worthy of praise, the editorial staff has selected the following individuals in recognition of their outstanding professional achievements in the two years since we last gave out the honor.

The Legal's Diverse Attorneys of the Year

Every two years, The Legal Intelligencer recognizes outstanding minority attorneys from across Pennsylvania. We solicited nominations from our contacts around the legal profession and received dozens of responses, all highlighting the impressive work done over the past two years by attorneys from all corners of the legal profession. While all of them are certainly worthy of praise, the editorial staff has selected the following individuals in recognition of their outstanding professional achievements in the two years since we last gave out the honor.

World-Traveling Prosecutor Seeks Diverse Experiences

Elizabeth Hathaway began traveling when she was in high school, with a stay in Japan. Here she's at the Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Hathaway

Hathaway, here at Machu Picchu, says she and her husband look for a "native experience."
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Hathaway

When Elizabeth Hathaway moved from Los Angeles to Atlanta six years ago to become the Assistant U.S. Attorney and deputy chief of narcotics, she viewed the change as a great career opportunity and a chance to experience a different culture. Hathaway had never lived in the Southeast.

But she has traveled to 23 different countries on six continents. Along the way, she's seen wild animals in Africa, been to the Oscars and walked the streets of Jericho.

"I always loved traveling and I like to experience different cultures," she said.

She recently discussed her yen to wander with the Daily Report.

Are you a California native?

No, I was brought up in upstate New York. After law school, I had a job offer from a firm in L.A. and realized I could live somewhere without a winter. I was there for 10 years.

Lots of people live in L.A. and never get to the Oscars. How did you manage it?

Our firm represented the Academy [of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences], which gave me the opportunity to apply to become a seat filler. The Academy wants the audience always to look full, so people fill the seats for stars. Believe it or not, you have to go to the venue and practice how to fill a seat. All the seat changes take place during the commercials, so you have to move really fast.

Tell us all the details. Did you get to meet stars, have a makeover and rent jewelry?

We were told that if you had to ask whether your outfit was dressy enough, it wasn't, so I rented a silver gown. I got up really early in the morning and had my hair done, but I didn't rent jewelry. I'm not sure jewelers do that for just anybody.

You wait in line until you are needed. I started out in a front row, center seat, but then Uma Thurman showed up right before the show, so I had to leave. Later I think I filled Val Kilmer's seat. It's exciting because you get to see up close all the actors you've seen on the big screen. I was directly in front of Sophia Loren, who is stunning, and Robin Williams was on the end of my row. I told him I was a big fan and he was very friendly.

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General Mills GC on Laying the Foundation for a More Diverse Profession

General Mills' Roderick Palmore

The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity was launched three years ago on the premise that getting law firm managing partners and general counsel into the same room to tackle diversity in the legal profession -- or the lack thereof -- would energize the legal diversity movement.

Membership in the organization has grown from 19 founding law firms and legal departments to 209, and the council has launched a number of initiatives geared toward helping minority lawyers and law students gain leadership skills.

Its LCLD Fellows Program, which pairs promising young attorneys with mentors and offers conferences and other leadership training, has had 250 participants in two years. The council's law student mentoring program has attracted 1,420 participants in 25 cities. A more intensive program that pairs 1Ls with mentors and helps them form networks of their peers has tripled in size during the past year.

General Mills Inc. General Counsel Roderick Palmore has been a driving force behind the council, but will step down as its chairman this week during the council's annual meeting; succeeding him will be Hunton & Williams managing partner Wally Martinez. The National Law Journal spoke with Palmore about the council's work. His answers have been edited for length.

The National Law Journal: Why are you stepping down as chairman?

Rick Palmore: I just think it's time. I've been chair since the founding of the organization. I want this organization to have legs well beyond me, obviously. We've got the leadership, so I just think it's time.

NLJ: What do see as the council's biggest accomplishments thus far?

RP: First of all, I think one of our accomplishments has been getting the leaders of the profession -- the managing partners and the general counsel -- together in one room to collaborate and work together on this issue. I think, historically, that firms and companies have pointed the finger at each other, and I don't think that's been the most productive way to approach the issue.

Second, we're talking about diversity in a different way. We are focusing on the fact that this is a critical part of the talent imperative that each one of our organizations has. I don't mean to suggest that it's a new way of looking at diversity, but all too often diversity has been thought of a one-off -- something that's nice to have. In tough times, people think we can afford to overlook it, when in reality it's a central part of the talent challenges that we all face. We've got to have the best talent available of all stripes for our organizations to thrive in what is a hypercompetitive world.

Third, we are developing substantive programs together that we think will drive this imperative in a substantive way. The best example is our LCLD Fellows program, in which we take top talent, high-potential people from our organizations, and bring them together not to teach them to be good lawyers -- because they've already been identified as high-level practitioners -- but to give them experiences that will facilitate their careers. Help them navigate their organizations and the profession.

NLJ: The council has seen a lot of growth over the past three years.

RP: Yes, that's been gratifying. I take that to mean that people are recognizing that we're here trying to do things that are substantive and worthwhile. They see the value in that. It's a tough time economically, obviously, and it's a cynical time in just about every way. For people to see yet another diversity organization and decide that they should sign on in significant numbers is gratifying.

NLJ: What do you think your LCLD fellows and law students are getting out of their experience with the council?

RP: This is the kind of experience that I think they have thirsted for. It's different, and it gives them a level of exposure within their organizations and outside their organizations that they have not had before. It's been great to see.

NLJ: Do you think the council's work has had an impact on the profession as a whole yet?

RP: The short answer is no. It would have been presumptuous to think that in three years we would get there. This is going to be a slog. That's the reality. We didn't get here in a minute; we're not going to resolve this in a minute. If this issue was easy to solve in a short period of time, it would have been solved many years ago. We have to be committed and tenacious about this.

Do I think we're making progress and having an impact? Absolutely. Have we turned around the profession? Absolutely not. What we're trying to do is set it up so in the years to come, we can say we made a difference and there was a step change in how the profession was performing and how we're thinking about talent.

NLJ: What do you see as the biggest challenges for diversity efforts going forward?

RP: There are a couple of things. One is that the individuals and organizations that get it recognize the centrality of this to the business enterprise. In a lot of cases, that's a huge challenge -- getting folks to recognize that this is about getting our organization in the best competitive posture and utilizing our talent in a way that's smarter. If we can get more efficient about it -- by that I mean we optimally utilize the talent that comes into our organizations -- we'll be much better off. To be crass about it, we'll make more money.

The second challenge is what I call diversity fatigue. This is a decades-long struggle, and people are tired. I get that. That's why it's important for this effort to be different and try a different approach. The third is -- how do I put this? -- the "if it's good for you, it must be bad for me" syndrome, in which we're all pitted against each other. Honestly, that's just not the way it works.