Shaping Tomorrow: Accelerating Change Today

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Speakers   |   Agenda   |   Accommodations   |   Questions

May 21-22, 2025

Background

As we are now in an era where the number of women law school graduates exceeds the number of men, there is a need for employers to hire the best available talent and create a workplace culture in which both women and men have excellent opportunities to advance and succeed. Yet longstanding disparities persist in leadership representation, compensation, and attrition. Added to these, are the new opportunities and challenges created by remote work and the rise of artificial intelligence. What can the profession do to address these and other issues to ensure women lawyers will remain and thrive in the legal profession?

Goal

The Summit will bring together thought leaders and decision makers from business and law in an intimate setting to examine and provide solutions that address this critical question.

Objectives

  • Create a knowledge-sharing platform for participants to examine cutting-edge research and engage in meaningful discussions about gender disparities in the legal profession.
  • Support participants in devising actionable strategies, measures, benchmarks, and solutions.
  • Facilitate synergies and development of networks among senior decision makers, who are responsible for the culture and values of their workplace, and the careers of more junior lawyers.

The Summit is by invitation-only.

Location

Both days of the Summit will take place at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in downtown Chicago at 375 E Chicago Ave.

Speakers

See Biographies

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Agenda

Wednesday, May 21

12:00 pm – Registration

12:45 pm – Welcome

Hari Osofsky, Dean and Myra and James Bradwell Professor of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Karol Corbin-Walker, Partner, Kaufman Dolowich & Chair, ABA’s Commission on Women in the Profession
Alpha Brady, Executive Director, COO of the American Bar Association
Faith Gay, Founding Partner, Selendy Gay PLLC 

1:00 pm – Keynote Fireside Chat

Keynote Speaker
Hon. Sharon Bowen, Chair of NYSE & Director of Intercontinental Exchange

Moderator
Alpha Brady, Executive Director and COO of the American Bar Association

Introduction
Nancy Gerrie, Retired Partner and Co-Chair, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice, Winston & Strawn

1:55 pm – Unearthing the Truth: Findings on Gender and the Legal Profession

Panelists will highlight the findings from the current research on gender representation in the law.

Paulette Brown, Former President of the American Bar Association
Tracey E George, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Education, Vanderbilt University
Kirsten Keegan Vasquez, Partner and Vice President, Law Firm Recruiting and Interim Legal Solutions, Major, Lindsey & Africa 
Stephanie Scharf, Partner, Scharf Banks Marmor LLC 

Moderator
Michelle Speller-Thurman, Divisional Vice President & Associate General Counsel, Licensing & Acquisitions, Abbott Laboratories

2:50 pm – Coffee Break

 

3:15 pm – Views from the Top: Grappling with the Challenges and Opportunities for Women in the Legal Profession 

This session features the leaders of two of the world's leading law firms discussing the challenges and opportunities for women in Big Law.

Richard Trobman, Chair and Managing Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP
Faith Gay, Founding Partner, Selendy Gay PLLC 

Moderator
Maria Doughty, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Chicago Network & Special Advisor, ABA Commission on Women in the Profession

4:15 pm – Breakout Sessions

 

Leadership Reimagined: Elevating Women into Leadership

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to support women moving into and excelling in leadership roles.

Andy Zopp, Managing Partner, CAST US, Cleveland Avenue, LLC
Emma Rodriguez-Ayala, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, Ariel Investments
Kelley Cornish, Managing Partner, Selendy Gay PLLC

Facilitator
Roberta Liebenberg, Senior Partner at Fine, Kaplan and Black

Equal Pay, Equal Power: Transforming Compensation

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to reduce and/or eliminate pay gaps at the highest level.

Kelly McNamara Corley, Principal, The Red Bee Group
Kalpana Srinivasan, Managing Partner, Susman Godfrey LLP
Michelle Kallen, Partner, Steptoe LLP

Facilitator
Paula Edgar, CEO of PGE Consulting Group LLC & Commissioner, ABA Commission on Women in the Profession

5:45 pm – Stretch Break

6:30 pm – Networking Dinner & Keynote 

Keynote Speaker
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO, Feeding America

Introduction
Anika Gray, Director, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law


Thursday, May 22

8:00 am – Breakfast & Registration

9:15 am – Breakout Sessions


Life in Harmony: Mastering Work and Life

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to support work life harmony and eliminate the motherhood/caregiver penalty.

Elisa Garcia, Principal, The Red Bee Group
Michelle Banks, Strategic Advisor and Coach, BarkerGilmore
Danielle Allison, President & Chief Executive Officer, Ms. JD

Facilitator
Stephanie Scharf, Partner, Scharf Banks Marmor LLC

He for She: Men as Champions

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to help men become champions of women.

Peter M Reyes, Jr, Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals
George Chen, Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP & Commissioner, ABA Commission on Women in the Profession
William R. Bay, Partner, Thompson Coburn LLP & President, American Bar Association

Facilitator
Christine Evans Founder, Shared Roots Mediation & President, Evans Family Foundation

11:00 am - Coffee Break

11:20 am - Breakout Sessions


Smart Solutions: The Potential Benefits and Pitfalls of AI

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to integrate AI without reinforcing negative gender and intersectional biases and also using AI to address gender differences in the legal profession.

Miriam Vogel, CEO and President, EqualAI
Donna Haddad, Vice President, Associate General Counsel, IBM Corporation

Facilitator
Gabrielle Kohlmeier, Global Head of Legal Innovation + Emerging Solutions, Verizon Consumer Group & Commissioner, ABA Commission on Women in the Profession

Advancing Inclusion and Belonging: Today's Reality, Tomorrow's Actions  

Participants will be introduced and asked to settle on better practices that have proven to improve inclusion and belonging of women and others in the legal profession.

Alexis Robertson, Director, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Foley & Lardner, LLP
Steven Hunter, Head of Diversity & Inclusion Solutions and Operations, Levi Strauss & Co.
Marie Oh Huber, Board member, Portland General Electric & Adevinta ASA
Michelle Silverthorn, Speaker, Author, Founder + CEO, Inclusion Nation

Facilitator
Grace Aduroja, Manager of Women’s Initiatives, Williams and Connolly LLP

12:50 pm - Lunch

1:55 pm - Leveraging the Power of the General Counsel   

This session will focus on ways to leverage the general counsel's position to support gender representation and other forms of inclusion.

Katherine Minarik, Chief Legal Officer, Uniswap Labs
Anne Robinson, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, IBM Corporation

Moderator
Reena Bajowala, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig

2:50 pm - Moving Forward: Key Takeaways and Actions

 

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Accomodations

To be announced.

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Questions?

For inquiries or information, contact anika.gray@law.northwestern.edu.

This Summit is by invitation-only.

 

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