Samantha C. Grant

Grant is a nationally recognized legal advocate for employers and in August, she became the first woman of color to chair the American Bar Association's 21,000-member Labor and Employment Law Section.

Because she is a citizen of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, Grant said she wanted to focus her efforts on outreach to persuade non-U.S. lawyers to join the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section.

"I'm trying to bring together labor and employment lawyers to come up with workplace solutions that will benefit our members and those who we represent," she said. "We live in a global economy and I really want to bring together lawyers from countries around the world so we can all work together with respect to our common goal of promoting a positive workplace culture."

As chair, Grant said she appreciates the opportunity to work collaboratively with attorneys representing employers, employees, unions, and the government.

In her daily legal practice, she advises some of the world's largest companies including Target Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. in high stakes labor and employment matters.

"I love practicing law. I appreciate that, in my practice, in addition to litigating, I have the opportunity to influence organizational behavior because I'm also a trusted adviser," Grant said. "While I can't go into specificity regarding my matters, after serving as a zealous advocate for my clients, I do after-action reviews with them to advise on litigation avoidance and work with them to enhance their positive workplace cultures."

Grant is vice-chair of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association Advisory Board. She is a frequent speaker on diversity, equity and inclusion in legal and other workplaces.

Her interest in labor and employment started while she was an undergraduate at the University of Toronto with an internship at the Canadian Human Rights Commission and a course in organizational behavior. "Before I even attended law school, I knew I wanted to practice labor and employment law," she said.

-- Nick Kipley