Mar. 30, 2013

MCCA hosts San Diego Conference

Earlier this month, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association hosted their 12th Annual CLE Expo in Southern California. The conference, which ran from March 5-7, moved from its longtime Chicago location to the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego. "We made what I think at the time was a calculated risk in deciding to move to California," said MCCA President and CEO Joseph West. "I think it was a risk that paid off." Boasting record attendance numbers, the three-day lineup included panels on governance and compliance, dispute resolution and litigation, intellectual property, labor and employment, transactions and contracts and practice management. The opening panel, "Criminal Law Issues for In-House Counsel," was moderated by Leah Ward Sears, former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court and included panelists Christopher K. Lui, partner at Crowell & Morning LLP; William Martin, partner at Martin & Gitner PLLC; and B. Michael Bennett, senior vice president and litigation general counsel of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. During the conference's kick-off event, the Taste of MCCA Networking Series, Reed Smith LLP was awarded the Thomas L. Sager Award for the West region for their exemplary diversity recruitment and mentoring programs. Tyree P. Jones Jr., partner and director of global diversity and inclusion, accepted the award on behalf of the firm before the 150-person crowd. "Although some law firms have scaled back their diversity effort in recent years," said West, "Reed Smith has continued to provide opportunities for all of their talent to grow and thrive, thereby making their firm stronger and more competitive. We hope the entire legal industry will follow their example." West said the conference is looking forward to returning to California next year. - Caitlin Johnson