Shipman & Goodwin LLP
Counselors at Law

CULTIVATING DIVERSITY
October 2019

We are committed to achieving a workplace that is reflective of the clients we serve and the communities in which we live and work.

Shipman & Goodwin Commits to Mansfield 3.0 Certification

In July, Shipman & Goodwin signed on to Mansfield Rule 3.0 to further diversity and inclusion efforts within the firm. Mansfield Rule 3.0 is a year-long certification process requiring law firms to affirmatively consider at least 30 percent women, minority, LGBTQ+ and disabled attorneys (“historically underrepresented lawyers”) for significant governance roles, senior lateral openings, equity partner promotions, and formal client pitches and RFP responses. The firm is one of 98 law firms nationwide and one of 23 law firms with fewer than 200 attorneys in the country to commit to Mansfield 3.0 certification. 

“Participation in Mansfield Rule 3.0 aligns with our core values, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, and ensures that the firm is being consistently and consciously inclusive when making hiring, promotion and other critical organizational and business decisions,” said Alan E. Lieberman, managing partner.  “We are pleased to be taking part in this initiative.”

The Mansfield Rule was one of the winning ideas from the 2016 Women in Law Hackathon hosted by Diversity Lab.  It was inspired by the NFL’s Rooney Rule, a policy that requires NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coach vacancies, and is named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman to be admitted to practice law in the United States.  One of the favorable outcomes of the Mansfield Rule since its inception in 2017 has been the significant surge in firms that now track and measure their candidate pipelines. Another immediate, positive result is the incremental increase in diverse candidates who are considered for leadership roles, equity partner promotions, and lateral hiring by firms that tracked their pipelines prior to adopting the Mansfield Rule.

The Mansfield Rule also measures whether participating firms make the responsibilities and requirements for leadership roles accessible to their lawyers, according to the Diversity Lab. Prior to the inaugural Mansfield Rule, only 28 percent of firms had leadership job descriptions. Now, 55 percent of participating firms have created and published them.

Shipman & Goodwin will complete regular check-in surveys and data collection requests and engage in community building and knowledge sharing with other participating law firms, with the goal to become Mansfield certified in 
July 2020.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND RECOGNITION

Law360 Ranks Firm #3 On List of Best Law Firms for Female Attorneys

Shipman & Goodwin has been recognized for the second consecutive year as a Top 10 firm nationwide in two key categories of Law360’s Annual Glass Ceiling Report.  The firm ranked #3 as one of the Best Law Firms for Female Attorneys (among law firms with 150-299 lawyers), up from the #6 ranking in 2018. Law360 also named Shipman & Goodwin a Best Law Firm for Female Partners, ranking it #5 on its list of “Ceiling Smashers” (among firms with 150-299 attorneys); in 2018, it was ranked in a tie for #10. The rankings were based on above-average representation of women at the partner and nonpartner levels.  The firm’s commitment to providing opportunities for women lawyers extends back to 1933, when Lillian Malley began practicing law at the firm. In December of 1942, she became the first woman partner at S&G, and also one of the first women partners in a law firm in Connecticut. 

HARC Employer of the Year

Shipman & Goodwin was named HARC’s Employer of the Year for 2019. HARC was founded in 1951 to provide support and services for children with intellectual disabilities and their families. The firm has greatly enjoyed the valuable services and wonderful spirit of our HARC employees, including: Beth Ann DeBellis, Cathy Fleming and Clayon Francis as well as Tiffany Willis (Job Coach) and Rochelle McCall (Assistant Job Coach).  Isaiah Brown accepted the award in June on behalf of the firm.

New Leader in the Law

Latonia C. Williams was named as one of Connecticut Law Tribune’s New Leaders in the Law, a designation honoring attorneys under the age of 40 who have made significant contributions to the legal profession. Latonia is a partner and commercial litigator with a focus on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, and has achieved success in numerous high-profile matters. 

Super Lawyer Rising Stars

Michele L. Backus Konigsberg was recognized as a Washington DC Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2019 in the area of Insurance Coverage, one of four firm lawyers recognized by Super Lawyers from the firm’s DC office, and one of 76 firm attorneys overall.  Michele is a partner in the firm’s Insurance & Reinsurance and Litigation practice groups. Through a multi-phased selection process that includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations, Super Lawyers identifies outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Rising Stars are the top up-and-coming attorneys who are 40 years of age or under, or who have been practicing for 
10 years or less.

Chambers Leaders in Their Field

Joan Feldman, Kate Mylod and Danielle Ferrucci have each been named by Chambers USA as “Leaders in Their Field,” three of the 18 total firm attorneys so-named by Chambers. Joan Feldman, recognized in Healthcare, chairs the firm’s Health Law practice group. Kate Mylod was named in the area of Real Estate, and Danielle Ferrucci was named in the area of Private Wealth Law.  Chambers USA is published annually by London-based Chambers and Partners. The exhaustive selection process is based on interviews with in-house counsel and other attorneys and professionals around the country. The rankings are based on criteria such as technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness/astuteness, diligence, commitment and other qualities valued by most clients.

The John M. Bailey Memorial Award for Public Service

Joette Katz received The John M. Bailey Memorial Award for Public Service at this year’s Hartford County Bar Association’s Annual Meeting. The Award is presented periodically by the HCBA to a worthy lawyer “who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to the highest ideals of the legal profession while in public service. Named in honor of former Chief State’s Attorney and past HCBA President John M. (“Jack”) Bailey, the award is intended to recognize public servants who, like Jack, make extraordinary contributions to our community by dedicating their professional lives to public service.”  Joette has dedicated nearly her entire professional life to public service, including as an Associate Justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court and as Chief of Legal Services for Connecticut’s Division of Public Defender Services. Immediately prior to joining the firm, Joette served as Commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families for eight years, where she was responsible for children in the Department’s custody and under its guardianship as well as overseeing the Department’s services for children and families throughout the state in need of assistance.

MENTORING

UConn Law Diversity Week 2019

For the seventh consecutive year, Shipman & Goodwin was the exclusive law firm sponsor of Diversity Week at UConn School of Law.  Diversity Week 2019 was a campus-wide event showcasing UConn Law School’s commitment to offering a safe and diverse environment.  

This year’s keynote address, which focused on “Celebrating Our Identities in the Legal Profession” was delivered by Joette Katz, who spoke about implicit bias in the child welfare system and its impact on her career.

Panel discussions were held throughout the week on topics such as trends in litigation, advocacy, and policy regarding family separation; unaccompanied minors, child detention, and undocumented youth (co-hosted by the International Refugee Assistance Project); diversity in the judiciary; and homelessness in Connecticut. 

Take A Child To Work Day

Shipman & Goodwin celebrated this year’s national Take A Child To Work Day by participating in the Connecticut Historical Society’s program, “On the Move: Immigration and Migration in Connecticut.” The children who attended also prepared for and took part in a lively mock debate to simulate the practice of law, and rounded out their day by working on a community service project.

Lawyers’ Collaborative for Diversity’s Internship

Shipman & Goodwin was pleased to participate for a second year in the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity’s (LCD) College Summer Internship Pipeline Program.  In addition to gaining valuable work experience, LCD summer interns participate in professional workshops, go on tours, participate in a mock trial and are assigned an attorney mentor.  This year’s intern, Alexandra Prendergast, a Senior at Wesleyan University, spent 10 weeks in our Hartford office.  In addition, Shipman & Goodwin hosted the program’s Mock Trial, Lunch Reception and End-of-Summer Celebration in August and received a visit from Connecticut’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Robinson. Jim Bergenn acted as Bailiff for the Mock Trial.

Law Day 2019

On May 1st, Connecticut area high school students learned firsthand about the legal profession at Shipman & Goodwin’s Law Day 2019, an annual event designed to give students from diverse backgrounds an inside view of life at a law firm.  Approximately twenty students from Bloomfield High School, CREC’s Metropolitan Learning Center for Global and International Studies, and Hartford’s McDonough Middle School joined us for a range of activities, including a career panel with attorneys and staff at Shipman & Goodwin, a mock debate, and a trip to the Connecticut Supreme Court where the students had an opportunity to mingle with the justices and other legal professionals.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Staff Retreat at South Park Inn

As part of our 100 Acts of Kindness initiative to commemorate our centennial anniversary celebrations, the firm sponsored and organized a staff retreat. On August 7th, nearly 100 staff members visited South Park Inn in Hartford in two shifts, morning and afternoon. 

Teams of volunteers cleaned, organized, painted several dorm rooms and cooked dinner and dessert for South Park Inn’s 180 residents. The firm also organized a donation drive to collect items that the residents need.

South Park Inn’s mission is to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and to improve their life situations by providing temporary and long-term housing and support services. Virtually everyone who attended was moved and motivated by the experience.

CULTIVATING DIVERSITY

Heritage Month Celebration

We celebrated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month on May 6th with Connecticut’s Attorney General William Tong. Attorney General Tong is Connecticut’s first-ever Asian-American constitutional officer, the country’s second elected Asian-American state attorney general and the first elected Chinese-American state attorney general. He spoke eloquently of his heritage and his path to his current position as Attorney General.

Women At The Helm Golf Outing

In May, WATH hosted its 5th Annual Golf Clinic at Lyman Orchards, providing an opportunity for our women lawyers and guests at all levels of ability and interest to take some lessons from LPGA instructors and to enjoy each other’s company.  

Women at the Helm, our networking alliance, strives to provide a platform for our women attorneys and clients to share their insights, ideas, experiences and inspirations.  Through various events and meetings, diverse and talented women are brought together to establish longstanding, valuable relationships and to enhance their network. WATH is committed to cultivating an environment that advocates professional development and promotes the advancement of women.  Internally, WATH provides a forum to discuss issues facing women attorneys and serves as an avenue for developing mentoring relationships.

Lawyers’ Retreat

On June 14th, more than 70 attorneys spent the day painting and working on various maintenance projects at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford’s Trinity and Southwest campuses as part of our annual community day known as the Lawyers’ Retreat. 

To kick off the firm’s celebration of its centennial year serving clients and supporting the communities in which it works, the firm pledged $250,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford to support its capital campaign to open a facility in the South End of Hartford that will serve more than 1,500 children with vital afterschool services and programs.  This donation and the volunteer service for the 2019 Lawyers’ Retreat was in keeping with Shipman & Goodwin’s long relationship with Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Connecticut.

Integrating Diversity & Inclusion Into the Business

On July 29th, Chief Talent Officer Christina Herrmann presented at the Center for Legal Inclusiveness & Diversity Summit’s Legal Career Fair, a full-day annual conference featuring national experts discussing cutting-edge diversity and inclusiveness topics. This year’s Summit, held at Embassy Suites Denver Tech Center North in Colorado, featured two plenary speakers, four tracks comprised of 16 concurrent sessions and a practice pitch program. Christina was joined by Chandra Kilgriff of Robins Kaplan and Kristine McKinney of Fish and Richardson for a panel discussion on “Integrating Diversity & Inclusion Into the Business.”

Contact Us:

To learn more about our commitment to diversity and our diversity initiatives, please contact our Diversity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chairs: Jessica L. Ritter at (860) 251-5034 or jritter@goodwin.com or Andrew N. Davis at (860) 251-5839 or adavis@goodwin.com. 

For a complete list of diversity events/sponsorships, visit www.shipmangoodwin.com/diversityevents.

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