March 2008
Please join us at a reception introducing 2008 Chairman of the Board, San Francisco City Attorney, Dennis Herrera, and CMCP's new Executive Director, Tara Bedeau.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
6pm – 9pm
Hanson Bridgett, Marcus, Vlahos & Rudy LLP
425 Market Street, 26th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
For almost 20 years, The California Minority Counsel Program (CMCP) has worked earnestly to increase diversity in California's legal profession and to develop professional opportunities for attorneys of color. On March 25, 2008, the CMCP Board of Directors will host a special networking reception introducing CMCP's new 2008 Chairman of the Board, San Francisco City Attorney, Dennis Herrera, and CMCP's new Executive Director, Tara Bedeau. We would like to invite you to share in this special event with us, networkingwith CMCP's members and learning about CMCP’s upcoming programs and events.
This promises to be a great evening. We hope to see you there.
There is no cost to attend this event, but you must RSVP.
IN-HOUSE SEEKING WATER LAW EXPERTISE FROM MINORITY OWNED LAW FIRM |
If you are a minority owned law firm and have expertise in various aspects of California water law, please respond with your contact information and a link to your online biography (no attachments please).
Specifically, familiarity with the following is desirable: Bureau of Reclamation water contracting; water marketing and wheeling; irrigation/water districts; State Water Resources Control Board proceedings; water rights adjudications; water supply agreements/assessments; and negotiation and documentation of water rights.
Send your contact information & bio web link (no attachments) with the subject heading "WATER LAW" as soon as possible to search@cmcp.org.
LAW OFFICE DIVERSITY,
INCLUSION & RETENTION |
Collaboration! General counsel and law firms jointly address Law Office Diversity, Inclusion & Retention. CMCP is a co-sponsor of this Bar Association of San Francisco panel discussion on April 4, 2008 at the Gap, Inc. Conference Center in San Francisco.
Complete information & register for this event >
 Plan now to join other in-house counsel and law firm attorneys at MCCA's 7th Annual CLE Expo to be held March 26-28th at the Chicago Marriott Downtown. This is a premier educational event for in-house counsel. MCCA's goal for this conference is to build "bridges of opportunity" by bringing together the best and brightest, with a special emphasis on talented minority and women attorneys who will share their expertise on substantive legal practice areas. The CLE Expo has developed a great attendance track record and sells out quickly.
Read more >
There are concurrent tracks in five substantive legal areas: corporate governance, intellectual property, labor & employment, litigation & investigation and law & global commerce. There will also be the additional track that offers "value-added strategies" for sharpening any lawyer’s career focus, as well as marketability and negotiation skills.
During the Expo, you may wish to attend all five sessions in a particular track, or you might choose to mix and match among the six tracks. To learn more about the six tracks and the offerings in each, download the conference brochure (PDF).
The Keynote Speakers will also be a draw this year. At the Thursday Luncheon on March 27th, Gwen Ifill's presentation will be, "Beyond the Spin: Reflections from Inside the Beltway." Ms. Ifill is the moderator and managing editor of the popular PBS television show, Washington Week, and she is also a senior correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
The Opening Plenary Session on March 27th will feature Linda Thomsen, the Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement. Her presentation will be "Perspectives from the Director of Enforcement." She will have much to share with her more than 10 years as a staff member and now Director of the Division. Before joining the SEC, Ms. Thomsen was in private practice.
The conference brochure outlines the general registration fees and also in-house group specials and directions on how to register.
And there's one more special that MCCA offers to CLE Expo attendees. You can purchase tickets for the MCCA Midwest Region Diversity Dinner for only $250. Plan to arrive early on Wednesday, March 26th and come celebrate the Midwest Region's Employers of Choice and Thomas L. Sager Award winners – which are selected companies and law firms that are dedicated to inclusiveness in the legal profession. To qualify for this special dinner rate, you must submit your registration and payment for both events by March 21, 2008. Instructions for ordering tickets are included in the conference registration form in the brochure.
For any questions regarding MCCA's 7th Annual CLE Expo Conference, please contact Peter Chin, Education Manager, at peterchin@mcca.com or call 202-739-5901.
CMCP 2008 SUB-COMMITTEE DESCRIPTIONS |
We appreciate your interest in getting more involved with CMCP. One of the best ways to do so, is to work on one of our program sub-committees to help us advance our mission. Working on a sub-committee also gives you the opportunity to get to know your fellow members. Please feel free to contact the Chairs of the respective Committees to participate via the links below.
Annual Conference Committee
Community Outreach
E-Newsletter Committee
Events/Program Committee
Headhunter Committee
Recruitment and Membership
Thought Leadership
2008 CMCP Sub Committtee Descriptions
Do you have member news? We'd like to hear from you! Please send us your news to john@cmcp.org with the subject heading "MEMBER NEWS".
Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner kicked off the new year by welcoming several new attorneys specializing in Corporate Diversity Counseling & Risk Management Practices to it's Washington DC office. The group of attorneys provides diversity audits and designs effective best practice solutions. Deborah J. Broyles, a CMCP Board member and partner in Thelen's San Francisco office is one of the national chairs for the diversity team. Click here for more information about Thelen's Diversity Counsel Team
MARCH
CMCP Welcome Reception - Introducing 2008 Chair Dennis Herrera & Executive Directo Tara Bedeau - San Francisco 3/25
American Bar Association - Minority Counsel Program Spring Meeting - Newark, NJ - 3/27 - 3/28
APRIL
Chicago Bar Association - CLE in South Africa - Cape Town & Johannesburg - 4/3 - 4/10
Read more >
CMCP and the Bar Association of San Francisco - Law Office Diversity, Inclusion and Retention - San Francisco, 4/4.
National Native American Bar Association/Federal Bar Association Indian Law Conference - Albuquerque, NM - for info contact Kristus M. Ratliff at (703) 682-7009 - 4/9-4-10.
ABA Young Lawyers Division Summit - Diversity: The Next Generation, Washington, DC -4/17.
Orange County Asian American Bar Association - 15th Annual Installation Dinner, Garden Grove, 4/17.
MAY
Hispanic National Bar Association - Legislative Day and Capital Awards Dinner, Washington DC, 5/6-5/7.
Orange County Asian American Bar Association - 15th Annual Installation Dinner, Garden Grove, 4/17.
AUGUST
American Bar Association - New York Annual Meeting, New York, NY, 8/7 - 8/12.
SEPTEMBER
2008 HNBA Annual Convention - HNBA Goes Hollywood, Los Angeles 9/3-9/6.
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CMCP SUCCESS STORIES SPOTLIGHT ON:
LARA VILLARREAL HUTNER
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Lara Villarreal Hunter
Villarreal Hutner PC
After more than 10 years practicing employment law at large firms, Lara Villarreal Hutner was motivated to find a better way of doing things – and set out to create Villarreal Hutner PC – the minority-and woman-owned boutique employment law firm in May of 2006.
After graduating from U.C. Berkley in 1991 and earning her J.D. from University of Michigan in 1995, Lara served as a law clerk to the Honorable Stewart A. Newblatt of the United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. She then served Fortune 100 clients at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges LLP.
When Lara started Villarreal Hutner PC, she aimed to provide top quality service to corporate clients. And in less than two years, the firm has tripled in size. Lara credits her involvement in the California Minority Counsel Program, and the mentors she has met through the program, with her success in winning business from such corporate gems as Wal-Mart, Del Monte Foods, PG&E, Wells Fargo Bank and Gap Inc.
Read more >
Lara's success in building her client base has enabled her to recruit a solid team, including her partner, Tracy Todd, who joined Villarreal Hutner after representing employers for more than a decade at Heller Ehrman and Jackson Lewis. Lara feels she has been able to attract talented associates because of the quality of their clients, their mentorship ability and the environment they have created. One associate says about her decision to join the firm, "I wanted to work exclusively in employment law. Villarreal Hutner offers the ability to do sophisticated work with people I respect and admire."
Clients are very complimentary of the service they have received from the firm. Michele Thatcher, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Frito-Lay, Inc. says, "Put simply … Lara … is one of the best litigation attorneys I have had the pleasure of working with…We are so confident in her abilities that we have referred Villarreal Hutner to other businesses in the Dallas area."
Lara points out that the size of the firm's current team is commensurate with – and, at times, larger than – the employment law practice groups at some large law firms. The attorneys have all been trained at large firms, and each of them has worked as in-house counsel. Lara notes that while offering a high level of service, she is able to offer clients rates that are nearly half of large firms. She has created a lean operating structure in order to do so. The firm has removed training costs from the equation by hiring only experienced attorneys. The firm is also focused more on long-term client loyalty than on short-term profit goals. Both of these factors enable rates that are nearly half of the large firms while providing top quality service.
The firm has clearly been able to attract both top tier talent and clients. We wish Lara continued success!
NATIONAL WOMEN'S
HISTORY MONTH
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Notable Women
Romana Bañuelos (b. 1925) The first Latina to serve as U.S. Treasurer. Appointed by President Nixon in 1971 she was also an owner of a multi-million dollar business.
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875–1955) - Founded Bethune-Cookman College, established the National Council of Negro Women, and served as an advisor on minority affairs to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Shirley Chisholm (b. 1924) – The first African-American woman elected to Congress. She was also the first African-American to campaign for the U.S. presidency in 1968.
March Fong Eu (b. 1929) - The first Chinese-American woman ever elected to hold a statewide office in the United States and was the only female Secretary of State in California history until 2006.
Dolores Huerta (b. 1930) The vice president of the United Farm Workers who has had a vital role in speaking for civil and economic rights for farm workers throughout the U.S.
Sarah Winnemucca (1844-1891) The Native-American woman who spoke out for the advancement of American Indians’ rights from speaker’s platforms nationwide and before Congressional committees in the 1880s.
Read more >
Rosa Parks (b. 1920) - Often considered the "mother" of the civil rights movement, the Africa-American woman who refused to give up her seat to a White man, in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, thus sparking the civil rights movement.
Patricia Roberts Harris (1924-1985) was the first African American woman to serve as a United States Ambassador, representing the U.S. in Luxembourg under President Lyndon B. Johnson, and the first to enter the line of succession to the Presidency. She also served as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the last United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare and the first United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in the administration of President Jimmy Carter.
Linda T. Sánchez (b. 1968) first Latina in history to serve on the US Judiciary Committee. Congresswoman Linda Sánchez was sworn into Congress on January 7th, 2003, and is currently serving her third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She represents the 39th Congressional District of California, which includes the communities of Artesia, Cerritos, Florence, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, La Mirada, Long Beach, Lynwood, Paramount, South Gate, Watts, Whittier, and Willowbrook.
Harriet Tubman (c. 1820-1913) The African-American woman who was born into slavery and served as a “conductor" on the Underground Railroad, freeing hundreds of southern slaves and leading them to safety in the North. (A $40,000 reward was offered for her capture.)
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