Dimensions a Diversity Newsletter
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Dimensions A Diversity Newsletter SPRING 09 Letter from the Diversity Committee In this issue: Welcome to the second issue of Dimensions. On behalf of the Diversity Steering Committee, I hope this newsletter will keep you connected to the many diversity initiatives, Letter from the Diversity events and programs at Proskauer. Committee . 1 In this issue, we bring you career insights shared by Boston partner Jamiel Poindexter Proskauer Revitalizes its and New York associate Cynara Hermes; detail our Hispanic Heritage Month events; Commitment to Work/Life explore a new learning series initiated by the Black Lawyers Affinity Group; introduce our Balance . 2 new Flex-Time Liaison, New York partner Brendan O’Rourke; and provide updates on diversity happenings and events that took place at Proskauer in the fall and winter. Proskauer’s Commitment to the LGBT Community Recognized. 2 We also are proud to introduce a new regular feature of Dimensions called Staff Spotlight. In this issue we feature Linda Cash, a legal secretary in our Washington, D.C. office, who is a Hispanic Heritage Month great example of the many talented staff and other professionals who not only add value Celebrated at Proskauer . 3 at work, but also in their communities. Partner Perspective: Join us as we look ahead to new initiatives and programs and a continued focus on Q&A with Jamiel Poindexter. 4 diversity at Proskauer. Associate Life: Q&A with Cynara Hermes . 5 Staff Spotlight: Linda Cash . 6 Diversity Happenings and Allen I. Fagin Community Outreach . 6 Chairman of the Firm Proskauer Revitalizes its Commitment to Work/Life Balance Flex-Time Liaison Role Created New York partner Brendan O’Rourke was recently named the Firm’s first Flex-Time Liaison. In this new role, Brendan, in partnership with the Flex-Time Affinity Group and Brendan J. O’Rourke Professional Resources Department, will help coordinate and oversee the Flex-Time Partner Program to ensure that we are able to provide lawyers participating in the Flex-Time New York [email protected] Program the opportunity to strike the right balance by working reduced hours while still undertaking high-level assignments and staying on a rewarding career path. Brendan will serve as a valuable resource for lawyers currently on Flex-Time schedules and those who are interested in participating in the program. “As the partner in charge of Proskauer’s Flex-Time program, my job is not simply to oversee the lawyers in the group. Rather, my role is to ensure that all lawyers in the program are treated fairly and as equals with our full-time lawyers.” The creation of this role is another example of Proskauer’s commitment to making work/life balance a reality, along with its sponsorship of an affinity group dedicated solely to lawyers on a Flex-Time schedule. The Firm is also a corporate member of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, a national consulting firm advising law firms, corporations and lawyers on work/life balance and the retention and promotion of women lawyers. Proskauer’s Commitment to the LGBT Community Recognized Firm scores 100% on Corporate Equality Index Proskauer was recently named one of the country’s “Best Places to Work” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization. The “Best Places to Work” designation is given to companies that receive a perfect score of 100 in the Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, which measures policies and practices implemented to promote fairness and equality for LGBT employees in the workplace. This achievement is the direct result of our ongoing commitment to diversity throughout the Firm. Proskauer is proud of this recognition and is committed to continuing its support of the LGBT community through pro bono projects including the same-sex marriage advocacy in New York and Los Angeles, transgender rights representation, a 13-year pro bono program at the Gay Men’s Health Crisis Center and an 18-year long representation of the Keith Haring estate and the Haring Foundation. Click here for an overview of the Firm’s work with the LGBT community. 2 PROSKAUER ROSE LLP Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrated at Proskauer Series of Events Marks the National Observance Proskauer celebrated the achievements, traditions and culture of the Hispanic community Proskauer Rose Celebrates through its Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. Led by the Proskauer Hispanic/Latino Hispanic Lawyers Affinity Group, the month-long observance included a variety of events and Heritage programs. Month Join us for a month of events, food, community service and more Proskauer hosted “Cafecito,” a regular meeting of Latina lawyers in New York. This as we celebrate the achievements, culture and diversity of the particular meeting featured a presentation by inMotion, an organization that provides free Hispanic/Latino community. legal and social services to low-income women in New York with a focus on women who are survivors of domestic violence. September 15 through October 15 Sponsored by the Hispanic/Latino Lawyers Affinity Group Members of the Hispanic/Latino Lawyers Affinity Group also participated in a day-long training session for the Family Court Project. This initiative was founded in 2006 in order to help self-represented litigants navigate the New York City family court system. BOCA RATON | BOSTON | CHICAGO | LONDON | LOS ANGELES | NEW ORLEANS | NEW YORK | NEWARK | PARIS | SÃO PAULO | WASHINGTON, D.C. www.proskauer.com The Firm hosted a speaker event featuring Paul Quintero, CFO of ACCIÓN NY, a not-for- Proskauer Rose Hispanic Heritage profit organization that contributes to the economic development of the New York Month Poster metropolitan region by providing loans and advisory services to individuals and small businesses that do not have access to traditional sources of credit. Paul spoke to lawyer and staff attendees about the role of micro-financing in the success of businesses owned by women and people of color and one of ACCIÓN’s clients shared how micro-lending allowed her independent record label to pursue new methods of artist development and promotion. Several Proskauer offices joined this presentation via videoconference. A team of Proskauer lawyers and staff also participated in New York Cares Day, a city-wide community service project aimed at improving neighborhood schools. The Proskauer team, working with members of the faculty at P.S. 20 in Manhattan and volunteers from other groups, organized hundreds of books into a new library center for P.S. 20, saving the school tens of thousands of dollars and providing the teachers and students at the school with an important educational resource. New York Cares Day is an annual event organized and administered by New York Cares and brings together thousands of volunteers to help revitalize schools throughout New York City and raise funds to help support New York Cares’ year-round volunteering activities. Sheldon Hirshon, a partner in Library of P.S. 20 in Manhattan the Corporate department at Proskauer, was a founding member and served as President of the Board of New York Cares. He is now an Honorary Board Member of the organization. DIMENSIONS: A Diversity Newsletter 3 Partner Perspective Q&A with Jamiel Poindexter Jamiel Poindexter is a partner in the Tax Department and is resident in the Boston office of Proskauer Rose. Q: What factors led you to want to become a partner at a major law firm? Jamiel E. Poindexter Partner A: It actually wasn’t part of a well thought out plan. I found work that I like with people Boston that I like and respect. After you work with a group for a while, you develop a sense [email protected] of responsibility for the success of the group. I guess that sense of responsibility was the most influential factor. Q: What is the biggest hurdle you’ve had to face in your career? A: The Firm where I began practicing hit hard times, and eventually dissolved after a series of departures and layoffs. I guess the biggest hurdle was starting over at Proskauer. I was lucky that Proskauer is very well run and was able to facilitate a successful transition, and that Proskauer’s talented lawyers and its reputation has made it a fantastic platform to develop a practice. “Take every Q: Is there something you would like to accomplish in your legal career that you opportunity to haven’t yet? A: When I went to law school my goals were very community focused. Since law school, learn from I have spent most of my time focusing on the private equity world. Maybe it is not a career goal at this point, but in some way—in some aspect of my life—I would like the people to turn back to my original goals. around you.” Q: What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known early in your career? A: Take every opportunity to learn from the people around you. When I first started, I felt like I was expected to know a lot, and I think I did a lot of pretending. I eventually realized that every time I pretended that I knew what I was doing I missed an opportunity to learn from someone who actually knew what they were doing. Q: What professional strategies did you find successful in getting through prior economic downturns? A: Even when work is slow, there are ways to contribute to the success of the Firm and make yourself valuable. For example, model documents and memos might need updating, you may be able to organize and present training seminars that you think will be helpful, or you might have ideas for rejuvenating business within your practice area or others.