Shipman & Goodwin LLP
Counselors at Law

CULTIVATING DIVERSITY
July 2016

We are committed to achieving a workplace that is reflective of the clients we serve and the communities in which we live and work.

Implicit Bias and the Legal Profession

Professor Kimberly Jade Norwood of Washington University School of Law spoke to the Firm and invited clients on implicit bias in the legal profession.  The discussion, entitled The Mischief Biases Play in Law and the Legal Profession, was the seventh of the Firm’s popular In Community series. 

Professor Norwood discussed unconscious bias, the role it plays in the legal system, and the impact it has on hiring, performance evaluations, jury selection and other facets of the law.  In preparation for the presentation, members of the Diversity Committee took implicit association tests to identify their own biases, and the results were eye opening for everyone who participated. 

In an article written in 2014 for the St. Louis Lawyer, Professor Norwood noted that studies show everyone has implicit biases:  “Because there is a clear link between automatic stereotypes and behavior, it is important to untangle automatic associations that can do harm.  Part of what social psychologists are doing now is helping us expose our biases so that we can separate the good from the bad and make more informed and correct decisions.” 

Professor Norwood’s research at Washington University School of Law focuses on black identity issues, colorism within the black community, and the intersection of race, class, and public education in America.   She is both Editor of and Contributor to the book Color Matters: Skin Tone Bias & the Myth of a Post-Racial America [published in 2014 by Routledge]. Her most recent book, Ferguson’s Fault Lines: The Race Quake That Rocked a Nation, was recently published and is now available through the American Bar Association.  

We are very pleased that Professor Norwood and Richard Harvey, a Professor at Saint Louis University and a noted expert on implicit bias, will be the keynote speakers at our annual Partner Retreat in September 2016 and will speak to the Firm’s partners about the impact of implicit bias in our profession and on how it can impact decisions related to hiring, evaluations, compensation, performance and promotion.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND RECOGNITION

Bar Association Leadership

The Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association (CHBA) has elected Alfredo Fernández President-elect for 2016-17.  Alfredo has held a number of elected positions in the CHBA, including Director of Communications and Treasurer, and he most recently finished a term as Vice-President.  He has also served as the CHBA liaison for the Connecticut Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section.  Alfredo is an Associate in the Firm’s Government Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense Group, focusing his practice on International Trade Compliance and Enforcement. 

Anthony Shannon and Melika Forbes, both associates in our School Law Practice Group, were  elected officers of the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association. Anthony was elected President, and Melika was elected Secretary. Anthony previously served one term as Vice President and two terms as Treasurer.  

Anthony was also named by the Hartford Business Journal as one of its “40 Under Forty” outstanding young professionals in the Greater Hartford area; honorees are selected by excelling in their industries and communities through their leadership, commitment to business success and involvement in the community.  

Michael Lee, an Associate in the Firm’s Insurance & Products Liability Practice Group, is currently serving as the Regional Co-Chair of the Connecticut Asian Pacific American Bar Association (CAPABA) and is actively involved in CAPABA events.  He also serves as Secretary of the newly formed Korean American Lawyers Association of Connecticut (KALA-CT).  KALA-CT is dedicated to educating members of the Korean American community about their legal rights and obligations.  

Dolphin Appointed as Diversity Committee Co-Chair
Leander Dolphin, a Partner in the Firm’s School Law Practice Group, has been appointed Co-Chair of Shipman & Goodwin’s Diversity Committee and will lead the Committee along with the current Chair, Partner Kevin Roy.  Leander stated, “I am excited to steer the Committee with Kevin and to continue to build upon the Firm’s long-time commitment to diversity and inclusion.  I look forward to working with the Firm and the Committee to achieve the Firm’s strategic diversity initiatives.” Leander was recently honored to be selected as a Member of The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.  The Fellows is an honorary organization of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession.  Membership in The Fellows is limited to one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction, and members are nominated by their peers and elected by the Board of the American Bar Foundation.  In addition, Leander was selected as a 2016 James W. Cooper Fellow by the Connecticut Bar Foundation (CBF).  The mission of CBF is to promote equal access to justice in Connecticut.  To be selected, attorneys must demonstrate superior legal ability and devotion to the welfare of the community, state and nation, as well as to the advancement of the legal profession.

OF NOTE

UConn Law School Diversity Week

For the fourth consecutive year, the Firm was the exclusive law firm sponsor of Diversity Week at UConn School of Law.  First organized in 2011, the campus-wide event showcases the Law School’s commitment to celebrating the many differences that make each of us unique.  This year’s theme, “Behind the Mask,” focused on non-apparent forms of diversity.  For a detailed summary of the week’s events, please visit:  https://www.law.uconn.edu/calendar/symposium/diversity-week-2016.

LGBT Film Festival

Shipman & Goodwin was a bronze sponsor of the 29th Annual LGBT Film Festival, Out Film CT, Connecticut’s longest-running film festival, which took place in Hartford from June 3 – 11.  The Festival opened with a feature presentation at Trinity College and closed with a reception at the Wadsworth Atheneum.  

Terri Reid and William Mann, who originated the Festival 29 years ago, were also on hand.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A Conversation About Race and Criminal Justice Reform

On February 11, as part of its In Community Series, the Firm hosted A Conversation About Race and Criminal Justice Reform in Connecticut.  The panel featured Douglas Glanville, former Major League Baseball player with the Chicago Cubs, writer for the New York Times and ESPN analyst; James C. Rovella, Hartford Police Chief; and Matthew D. Ritter, State Representative of the 1st Assembly District of Hartford and Counsel at Shipman & Goodwin.  Jessica Ritter, a Partner in the Firm’s School Law Practice Group, moderated the discussion.

Mr. Glanville wrote in an article that he was a victim of racial profiling while shoveling his own driveway during the winter of 2014. Since that widely publicized incident, he has turned his encounter into an opportunity for positive dialogue and an impetus for change on both the local and national level.  

Mr. Glanville recounted two experiences where he was racially profiled, and both he and Chief Rovella reiterated their mutual desire that positive change should come about as a result of these negative experiences.  Chief Rovella spoke to issues of trust between the police and the community and the need for education at all levels of law enforcement, and he addressed specific changes that have come about locally as a result of Mr. Glanville’s experience.  Matt Ritter, State Representative and a next door neighbor to Mr. Glanville, discussed a statutory change that he helped put in place as a result of this incident.  The panel then turned their attention to other possible changes in the criminal justice system, such as sentencing guidelines, prison closure and other reform efforts that are ongoing at both the local and state level.

Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration

Jorge Perez, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Banking, spoke at the Firm on October 15.  As part of our firm-wide celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, he shared with us his personal story, both entertaining and heart-wrenching. Additionally, Mr. Perez shared his path to success, from his arrival in New York City as a child from Havana, Cuba to his schooling, first job, and work with the New Haven Board of Alders to his current position as the Commissioner of Banking.   
Taste of Harmony Multicultural Luncheon

The Firm’s Fairfield County offices planned and hosted their third annual “Taste of Harmony Multicultural Luncheon” on March 29. This event celebrates the office’s cultural diversity, offering everyone a chance to bring in foods representative of their cultures and to share them with their colleagues.  The lunch featured a variety of international flavors, and as a new addition this year, the committee assembled a museum exhibit, encouraging everyone to contribute artifacts and photos representing their culture and history. 

Edwin Archer Randolph Diversity Award Presented to MassMutual’s Mark Roellig

The Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity (“LCD”) awarded its 2016 Edwin Archer Randolph Diversity Award to Mark Roellig, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company on May 25.  The mission of LCD is to unite the resources, energy and commitment of its members in order to make Connecticut and Western Massachusetts a more attractive place for attorneys of color and women to practice law and find satisfying professional opportunities.   

At the event, Gabe Jiran, President of LCD and Partner at Shipman & Goodwin, gave a brief recap of the organization’s year and of his term as President and introduced the President-Elect, Desiree Ralls-Morrison, who took over as President on July 1.  The Honorable Omar Williams, Chair of the 2016 Diversity Award Committee and Shipman & Goodwin Partner, Robert Simpson, both gave speeches, eloquently presenting Mark Roellig’s impressive resume and accomplishments in promoting diversity and inclusion at both MassMutual and in the legal profession.  A brief video captured the sentiments of many of Mark’s co-workers and mentees, all of whom gave testimony to the many ways in which Mark has advanced diversity and inclusion within the workplace.    

WOMEN AND THE LAW

S&G Again Recognized as Top Law Firm for Women

Shipman & Goodwin is proud to have been nationally recognized by Law360 for the number of women at the Firm - currently 43% of our attorneys are women and over 30% of our partners are women.  The Firm was ranked #10 among the top law firms in the nation for women attorneys according to Law360’s 2015 Glass Ceiling Report.  

The Firm has also been named among the Top 25 Law Firms (ranked #22 for the highest percentage of female partners), earning the designation of Law360 Ceiling Smasher for the second straight year.  In January of this year, Jessica Ritter was named Partner of the Firm, one of two attorneys to be promoted at that time.  Jess is a Partner in the Firm’s School Law Practice Group and represents boards of education in both general and labor matters.   
Top Women Lawyers

Joan Feldman, a  long-time Partner in the Firm’s Health Law Practice Group, was selected among the “Top 50 Women Lawyers in New England” by Super Lawyers®.  In addition, she has been ranked as one of the Top 25 Women Attorneys in Connecticut.  Joan serves as Chair of the Health Law Practice Group and represents health care providers in connection with health care, business, regulatory and administrative law matters.

Robin G. Frederick, a longtime Partner in the Firm’s Stamford office, has accepted the position of Deputy General Counsel, Group Vice President of Global Employment Law at Gartner, Inc.  Robin was also just named as one of the Top 25 Women Lawyers in Connecticut.  In addition, she was named “Lawyer of the Year” in the area of Labor and Employment Litigation by The Best Lawyers in America©.  Beyond her contributions to our employment law practice group, Robin served as the Chair of Shipman & Goodwin’s Women at the Helm (WATH) networking alliance, and served a term on the Firm’s management committee. We will miss Robin’s dedication and contributions to the business and leadership of the Firm, and we congratulate her on her new position.

Women’s History Month Celebration

As part of our Women’s History Month celebration in March, WATH and the Firm’s Diversity Committee co-sponsored an event featuring Fran Pastore, CEO of the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC).  Fran summarized the history of women’s entrepreneurship, including the Women’s Business Ownership Act, explained WBDC’s work and impact, shared anecdotes of famous women entrepreneurs in Connecticut, and discussed ways the upcoming presidential election might shape the future of women’s entrepreneurship.

Women at the Helm (WATH)

Women at the Helm provides a forum for our women attorneys to discuss issues of interest and to develop mentoring relationships.
 
In April, WATH was a sponsor of the YWCA Hartford Region’s In the Company of Women luncheon at the Connecticut Convention Center.
 
In May, WATH hosted its 2nd Annual Golf Clinic at Lyman Orchards, providing  an opportunity for our women lawyers and guests at all levels of ability and interest to take some lessons from LPGA instructors and enjoy each other’s company.  

This Fall, the Firm will host its next In Community presentation on the topic of women in the legal profession.

Contact Us:

To learn more about our commitment to diversity and our diversity initiatives, please contact: Leander A. Dolphin at (860) 251-5086 or ldolphin@goodwin.com or Kevin M. Roy at (860) 251-5162 or kroy@goodwin.com. 

For a complete list of diversity events/sponsorships, visit www.shipmangoodwin.com/diversityevents.

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