The Legal Inclusion Team

In this episode, we speak with Christy Kiely, a partner at Seyfarth Shaw, specializing in data-driven employment law, focusing on pay equity, DEI analyses, and more.  During our conversation, Christy reflects on her own experiences with diversity, both growing up and in her professional life, and discusses the progress and challenges in achieving equity in the workplace. An optimist at heart, Christy uses her work in the DEI space to focus on the positive while pushing for constructive change.  She shares that her mother and her grandmother were both doctors at a time when having female physicians (in the 1940s and 50s) was almost unheard of, making Christy’s grandmother a trailblazer. This legacy of strong, pioneering women has been a source of confidence and inspiration for Christy throughout her life.  And when Christy’s mom went through seminary in her 50’s, Christy learned that it is never too late to pursue new goals and become more open minded and accepting of different viewpoints.  Tune in to the episode to hear more of Christy’s inspiring story!

In this episode, we sit down with Sirisha Gummaregula, the Chief Operating Officer of QuisLex, an alternative legal services provider. With over 20 years of experience advising boards of directors, corporate legal departments, and law firms, Sirisha brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Together we delve into the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and how it drives business success. Sirisha shares her journey from being a second-generation lawyer from India to becoming a Wall Street lawyer specializing in M&A, and eventually leading large legal teams at Quest Diagnostics. Now at QuisLex, she heads up teams of data analysts, Six Sigma black belts, process experts, statisticians, legal technologists, and attorneys. Discover how Sirisha’s career has influenced her approach to DEI and how she implements tech-enabled solutions to solve pressing legal issues.

In this episode, we speak with Hilary Malina, the Director and Senior Counsel of Corporate Governance and Legal Operations at CDW. In addition to her role in Legal, she served as the prior Chair of CDW’s Women’s Opportunity Network Business Resource Group, and a member of the Company’s Emerging Leadership Program Steering Committee. She’s been with CDW for 19 years with the first 16 as in-house employment counsel, supporting the companies on all matters relating to human resources. During our conversation Hilary shares DEI insights from her experience as an employment attorney along with examples of the benefits she’s gained by volunteering for assignments beyond her day-to-day role. Listen in to hear why Hilary believes that coworker involvement in Business Resource Groups when combined with the support of the organization’s people leaders, can lead to a healthier culture with coworkers who feel appreciated and valued.

Meet Marilia Dippe, Principal Corporate Counsel at Microsoft, who supports the engineering teams behind M365 Online Services like OneDrive and SharePoint. With over a decade of legal experience in various industries, Marilia excels in commercial negotiations, compliance, and data privacy. Originally from Brazil, Marilia’s career journey includes roles at Martinelli Advogados, Whirlpool, Sanofi, Bayer, and Novo Nordisk. Seeking a new beginning, Marilia moved to Seattle, where she earned a master’s degree in law from the University of Washington and passed the bar exam. As a dual-licensed attorney in the U.S. and Brazil, she brings a unique perspective on diversity and inclusion (D&I). In this episode, Marilia shares her journey as an immigrant Latina attorney and her leadership in HOLA CELA, Microsoft’s network dedicated to Hispanic and Latino/a employees. Discover how Marilia’s work at Microsoft integrates D&I into career development and community engagement. Learn about the impactful initiatives she leads to support and empower diverse talent, and how Microsoft leverages technology to advance its D&I goals. Tune in to explore the importance of representation, mentorship, and community impact in creating an inclusive workplace.

Join us for an insightful conversation with Anne-Marie Eileraas, who leads the Commercial Legal function at Rubrik, a cutting-edge data management and security company. Anne-Marie’s career is a testament to the power of taking risks and embracing new challenges. Born in Norway and raised in the Great Lakes region, she grew up amidst the steel mills and farms of northwest Indiana. Her professional journey has taken her from Women’s Professional Soccer to major technology companies like Honeywell and Intuit, and now to Rubrik. In this episode, Anne-Marie shares her experiences navigating the legal landscape, the importance of risk-taking in her career, and how her diverse background has shaped her approach to leadership. Discover how Anne-Marie’s unique blend of legal expertise and strategic vision drives innovation at Rubrik.

Atul Gupta shares his experience as a practising lawyer in India and offers his insights on what DEI means in a culturally diverse nation like India. Atul takes our listeners on a journey as he discusses how growing up in Bangalore and traveling throughout India exposed him to different languages, cultures, cuisines and perspectives during his early years. And how this exposure has influenced his thinking and his career as an employment lawyer. Atul gives us a close look at different forms of diversity within India and the inherent tolerant and accommodating nature of most Indians toward the culture and beliefs of others. Finally, he explains the prominent role that the Indian judicial system continues to play when it comes to creating more inclusive environments. Atul Gupta is a labour and employment law partner at Trilegal, an Indian law firm. Atul advises CDW and other multi-national clients operating in India and helps them navigate the unique employment laws and cultural nuances of doing business in India.

In this episode, Laurent Masson, an Intellectual Property and Technology lawyer with over 30 years of experience and now leading Global Commercial Legal for Boston Consulting Group, shares his approach to advancing diversity and inclusion for a team of 85 lawyers based in 26 countries with more than 30 nationalities. Laurent discusses why he believes that diversity and inclusion is not a program, and why DEI should be naturally embedded in our way of working and made an integral part of who we are as a team, how we operate, and how we respect and interact with one another. It all starts by creating a safe environment based on company values and hiring the right people with the right mindset. The outcome is a workplace where everyone feels they belong.

Tom Langefeld, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, discusses the importance of empathy as a commercial lawyer leading a diverse transactions team within a multinational organization. Tom also shares some pivotal moments early in his career when he recognized empathy as the primary catalyst for building relationships based on trust and for creating spaces where coworkers feel empowered and valued.

A conversation with Sepideh Smith, CDW’s VP Assistant General Counsel for Employment & Ethics.  Sepideh shares her story as we discuss the concept of Intersectionality, the idea that people are not linear, and how intersectionality shows up in her practice as an employment lawyer. 

In this episode, Dr. Nancy Lai, a business strategist and innovator and a recovering particle physicist by training with over 20 years of business experience, shares her reflections on DEI and the growth mindset as an Asian-American woman in business.  She offers her thoughts on the importance of getting diverse perspectives, how to measure success and achievement, and the need to address structural and systemic injustices.  She reminds us to be confident in ourselves and to learn from each other's experiences.

In this episode, we’re talking about leadership with Shannon Toolis, CDW’s VP and Deputy General Counsel.  During the conversation, Shannon shares her approach to building and leading diverse teams. We’ll discuss the power of proactively seeking out and developing talent with diversity being top of mind.  As well as the importance of empowering team members to safely show up as their authentic selves and to confidently offer their unique ideas and perspectives for better outcomes.

In this episode, we speak with Diversity Lab, a leading organization dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the legal profession. We discuss their work to increase the number of minority lawyers in the workforce, promote diversity in law firms, and create a more inclusive legal environment. CDW believes that Diversity Lab is doing important work, and we are excited to share their insights with our listeners.

Nature teaches us that there is more than one story to each of us!  We all matter and all of our differences matter!  We need each other in order for this thing called life to work!. In this episode, Suzette Carty, CDW Head of ESG is taking us to the great outdoors as she shares how nature has inspired her career journey along with some of the not so obvious lessons on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that we can learn from Nature.

In this episode, Lorraine van Barthold shares her thoughts on and whether women actually need to work harder to achieve equality and to gain advancement within the legal profession and we also discuss the responsibility that women have to lift-up other women along the way. She also shares her perspectives on imposter syndrome - is it real or merely an imaginary label designed to hold us back?

In this episode, Genner Herman discusses how volunteering together helps foster inclusivity within the Legal Team. Genner views volunteering as a great way to give back to the community as well as an opportunity for team members to learn about each others differences, cultures and perspectives, build relationships, and develop a sense of shared purpose. This can lead to a more inclusive and productive work environment.  We hope this discussion inspires our listeners to consider being of service to others as part of their team's approach to DEI.

Leslie Davis shares NAMWOLF's work to promote the growth and development of minority and women-owned law firms.  Leslie shares the benefits of hiring women and minority-owned law firms, the challenges they face, and how NAMWOLF is working to advance diversity in the legal profession.

This episode explores the justice gap and the work of Paladin, an organization dedicated to providing legal assistance to those who face the greatest barriers to justice. Gil Cubia talks with Paladin’s CEO and cofounder, Kristen Sonday.  Kristen is considered a thought leader on Legal tech and the complex realities of the justice gap.  She’s also an entrepreneur committed to improving access to justice. We learn more about Kristen during the discussion as she shares the impact of Paladin’s work, the challenges that still exist in the justice system, and how we can all get involved in the fight for justice.

In this episode, we travel across the pond to speak with Joshua Williams, Senior Corporate Counsel based in CDW’s UK office and a member of CDW's Legal Inclusion Team. Joshua shares his candid perspectives about DEI and as a practicing lawyer in the UK and talks about the opportunities and challenges facing the legal profession in its efforts to advance diversity. The conversation reinforces the idea that although we are in different parts of the world, we are similar in our desire for diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces.

In this episode, Gil Cubia talks with Sally Shi, the Chair of CDW's Legal Inclusion Team and Senior Manager Corporate Counsel. Sally shares her inspiring story of personal commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which evolved from her time growing up in a remote village in China, where bias towards women was the norm. She attributes her success to the advocates and sponsors who encouraged her to pursue her education and her career beyond the boundaries of Asia all the way to Switzerland and ultimately here in the United States. Tune in to hear more about her journey and the impactful relationships she has formed both within her family and within her profession.

In this episode, Clay Ullrick, CDW’s Director of Global Ethics and Compliance, speaks candidly about how his appreciation of the value of mentoring drives him to serve as a mentor to others.  Clay shares how he had formal and informal mentors that helped him navigate professional challenges, provided access to information and opportunities, and inspired him to believe in what’s possible.