Thursday, February 18, 2021 Friday, February 19, 2021

Home , Evelyn Gandy, Forest Hill High School

Thursday, February 18, 2021 1:00 – 1:15 pm Welcome Jennifer Hall, WIP Committee Chair Jennie Eichelberger, 2020 Gandy Chair

1:15 – 2:15 pm The Gandy Hour “Ahoy! Women at the Helm: Charting a Course of Public Service” Jennifer Ingram Johnson, Mississippi Bar President Ingram PLLC, Hattiesburg, MS

2:15 – 2:30 pm Break

2:30 – 3:30 pm “Same Pathway, Different Lane” Cindy Mitchell – Merkel & Cocke, Clarksdale, MS Rebecca Wiggs – Butler Snow, Ridgeland, MS Moderated by Graham Carner – Graham P. Carner PLLC, Jackson, MS

3:30 – 3:45 pm Break

3:45 – 4:45 pm “Pathways to the Bench: Connecting Your Career to Your Community” Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac, United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi Judge Kristi Johnson, United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi Judge Selene Maddox, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi

5:00 – 6:00 pm Social Event and Silent Auction Friday, February 19, 2021 8:30 – 9:30 am “Winning the Perception of Bias” Sonia Chaisson The Law Offices of Sonia Pérez Chaisson, Venice, CA

9:30 – 9:45 am Break

9:45 – 10:45 am “Stressed Should Not Be the New Normal: Finding Balance and Meaning with Mindfulness”(ethics) Dr. Megan Clapton, LPC, NCC Mindful Therapy, Ridgeland, MS

10:45 – 11:00 am Break

11:00 am – 12:00 pm The West Hour “I Hear You: The Role of Empathy in a Mentor Relationship” Meta Copeland - Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, Jackson, MS La’Verne Edney – Butler Snow, Ridgeland, MS

12:00 pm Closing Remarks Jennie Eichelberger, 2020 Gandy Chair Blythe Lollar, 2021 Gandy Chair

JENNIFER INGRAM JOHNSON

Jennifer Ingram Johnson is the owner of the law firm Ingram, PLLC, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998, and since that time has concentrated her litigation practice in the fields of Catastrophic Personal Injury, Medical Negligence, Commercial and Business Torts, Consumer Fraud, Product Liability, National Multi-District Litigation, and Eminent Domain. She has experience representing both Plaintiffs and Defendants in personal injury, medical malpractice, and contract/business disputes, giving her broad and varied perspective in advising and advocating for her clients, whether they are pursuing claims or defending them.

In 2013, Jennifer completed the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation, a 40-hour legal training course in problem solving and negotiation skills and has since that time continually met the standards for inclusion in the Mississippi Bar’s Mediator Directory. Civil Solutions, LLC is her mediation firm through which she provides mediation services to attorneys and their clients, and individuals seeking to avoid the litigation process. In addition to mediation services, through Civil Solutions, Jennifer offers consultations and educational opportunities for individuals, and continuing legal education in Ethics, Professionalism, and Alternative Dispute Resolution for attorneys who practice in Mississippi. She is one of three local attorneys who developed and teach a co-parenting class titled, “Communication Skills for Co-Parents” to local community members desiring to improve their relationships with their children. Jennifer is currently expanding this program to create a state-wide Parenting Workshop to meet the needs of parents involved in the Mississippi legal system. Jennifer’s leadership in this needed area of service has been recognized, and at the invitation of Supreme Court Justice Dawn Beam, Jennifer is currently serving on the Mississippi Supreme Court’s Mississippi Families First Initiative. She co- chairs the subcommittee on parental supports.

In addition to her law practice, mediation, and consulting, Jennifer teaches as an Adjunct Faculty member at the University of Southern Mississippi teaching law related classes to undergraduates. She has also been invited numerous times to teach at the Oscher Lifelong Learning Institute on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi and has taught seminars related to Women in Politics and the Law and Civics.

Jennifer is actively involved in the Mississippi Bar, the Mississippi Association for Justice, and the American Association for Justice, and has held leadership positions in each. She has served as Chair of the Committees for Professional Responsibility, Ethics, and Professionalism with the Mississippi Bar, and is currently serving the Mississippi Bar as President for the 2020-2021 Bar year, becoming the 5th female attorney to be elected to the Presidency. Jennifer has been inducted as a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar, which is one of the highest honors afforded members of the Bar.

Jennifer has been accepted into membership by ABOTA, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and has actively promoted ABOTA’s national program, Civility Matters. Jennifer is frequently invited as a guest lecturer and presenter at Continuing Legal Education programs and at State-wide Association meetings.

In addition to her Professional Association activities, Jennifer serves her local community as Co-Chair of the Advisory Board for the Children’s Center for Communication and Development, and has done so since approximately 2005.

Before attending law school, Jennifer received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Minor in Music from The University of Mississippi in 1993. She currently resides in Hattiesburg, Mississippi with her husband, Wes Johnson and her daughter, Alleigh Wilkinson (19). Her eldest, Aubrie Ann Wilkinson (22), resides in Chattanooga, TN where she is continuing her studies in Social Work and is employed as a Special Education Paraprofessional with Signal Centers.

Bio – Revised January 2021

Cynthia Mitchell serves as “of counsel” with the firm of Merkel & Cocke, in Clarksdale, having retired from full-time practice in 2016. Cindy attended public high schools in Coahoma County, Indiana University (Phi Beta Kappa), and Harvard Law School (cum laude). She clerked for U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson in the Middle District of Alabama before returning to Mississippi to practice law.

Cindy has been practicing law in Clarksdale, with an emphasis on medical malpractice, personal injury and commercial litigation, as well as appellate work, for over thirty years. She also devotes her time to community activities, including serving on the Board of Trustees of Coahoma Community College, Jonestown Family Center, and the Clarksdale animal shelter (CARES), a nationally recognized shelter.

Cindy has also been active with the Bar Association and Bar Foundation and has served as Bar Commissioner as well serving on several Bar committees. She has served as president of the Mississippi Association for Justice and received MAJ’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms. Mitchell has also been honored with a Community Leadership Award from the Mississippi Bar Association.

Outside the practice of law, Cindy is an avid runner, having run 10 marathons (including Boston twice) and two ultra-marathons. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, traveling, and birding.

Rebecca Lee Wiggs

Jackson Office (601) 985-4493 [email protected]

Rebecca practices within the firm’s Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare Group. Rebecca is an experienced trial attorney who now focuses her practice on pharmaceutical product liability litigation. She has tried over 40 cases to jury verdicts in state and federal courts in Mississippi. She has served on teams successfully defending the manufacturers of prescription and over-the-counter products from discovery through the appellate process. As a result of her work deposing sensitive witnesses, she is a frequent trainer for deposition practice and jury decision-making.

PRACTICE AREAS AND INDUSTRY TEAMS . Drug and Device Litigation . Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare Industry Team

EXPERIENCE . Rebecca’s practice is now focused on pharmaceutical mass tort defense. She has worked in every phase of litigation from document retention and review, preparation of company witnesses and sales representatives, expert witness development, motion practice, plaintiff and treating physician depositions, strategic planning, mock trials, and settlement negotiations, trial team and appellate advocacy. . Her courtroom experience also includes consumer finance litigation, trust management disputes, protection of permits for new manufacturing and wastewater treatment plants, and medical malpractice claims. . Rebecca draws upon her 40-plus jury verdicts to inform both clients and seminar audiences on trial strategy and jury decision-making. Her work in the courtroom and as an appellate advocate resulted in her appointment to two Merit Selection Panels for U.S. Magistrate positions. Her questioning style and listening skills have led to assignments as an internal investigator, executive search committee member, performance evaluator and now as a mediator trained by the American Arbitration Association.

. Rebecca previously served as Chair of the Litigation Section of the Mississippi Bar and served two terms as Commissioner of the Mississippi Bar. She is a Bencher in the Charles Clark Inn of Court and was recognized as the 2016 Woman Lawyer of the Year by the Mississippi Women Lawyers Association. She is the author of the professionalism orientation materials used by both Mississippi law schools. She was named one of Mississippi’s Leading Businesswomen by the Mississippi Business Journal and Portico Jackson Magazine recognized her as a Legacy Lawyer.

BAR ADMISSIONS . Mississippi, 1985 . North Carolina, 2013 . U.S. Court of Appeals . 5th Circuit . 11th Circuit

DISTINCTIONS . Mississippi Business Journal, 50 Leading Business Women, 2015 . Martindale-Hubbell® . AV®– Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated . Benchmark Litigation . Top 250 Women in Litigation, 2016-2020 . Local Litigation Star, 2017, 2021 . Jackson Legal Secretaries Association . Boss of the Year, 1989-1990 . Mississippi Bar . Lawyer Citizenship Award, 2012 . Super Lawyers® . Mid-South Super Lawyers, Personal Injury Products: Defense, 2014-2020 . PORTICO Legacy Lawyers, Class of 2016 . Best Lawyers in America® . Appellate Practice, 2019-2021 . Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, 2021 . Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, 2021 . Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, 2014-2021 . Who's Who Legal, Product Liability Defence, 2019-2020 . Mississippi Women Lawyers Association . Woman Lawyer of the Year Award, 2016 . Leadership Mississippi . Class of 1995

ASSOCIATIONS . American Bar Association . Litigation Section . Charles Clark American Inn of Court . Bencher . Mississippi Bar Foundation . Fellow . Mississippi Bar . Commissioner, 2014-2017 . Litigation Section Chair, 2014-2015 . American Bar Foundation . Life Fellow . Mississippi Women Lawyers Association . Capital Area Bar Association

EDUCATION & HONORS . University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1985 . Wake Forest University, Politics, 1979 . Clerkship, Honorable Paul H. Roney, United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit

PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS . Speaker, “Insights from Women Lawyer Trailblazers,” 2019 Evelyn Gandy Seminar, Mississippi State Bar. . Speaker, “Health Care Law Update, Mississippi State Bar, May 2017. . Speaker, “Anatomy of a Malpractice Trial,” American Bar Association Webinar, August 2016. . Speaker, “Habitat Women Build,” WLEZ Radio, April 1, 2015; WLBT TV, April 7, 2015. . Presenter, “Moving Forward: Using the Political Process," with J. Nash, A. Taggart, B. Jones and R. Staples, MS Nurses Association Statewide Nursing Summit, January 27, 2015. . Presenter, "Mediation: For the Defense," Mississippi State Bar, 2015 Evelyn Gandy Seminar. . Speaker, “Deposition Academy,” 2015, 2017 & 2018, Mississippi State Bar. . Presenter, “In Legal Terms: Jury Service," Mississippi Public Broadcasting, December 9, 2014.

. Presenter, “Constitution Day,” Forest Hill High School A.P. Government Class, 2014- 2016. . Presenter, "Lawyer as a Community Leader," Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Leadership Program, 2013-2015. . Presenter, “How MS Government Really Works," with Jere Nash and Andy Taggart, MEC Leadership MS, 2012-2016. . Speaker, "How Jurors Make Decisions," Focus on The Jury, MSB Litigation Section, June 2011. . Speaker, “Deposition Bootcamp,” Pfizer & Kaye Scholer, NYC, January 2011. . Speaker, "Extraordinary In-House/Outside Counsel Relationships," Bar of the City of New York, September 2010. . Author, “Professionalism Orientation Materials,” Mississippi State Bar, 2009-present. . Author, "What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About Employment Law," The Mississippi Lawyer, July/August 2000. . Author, "A Guide to Women's Legal Rights in Mississippi," Mississippi State Bar, 1993. . Presenter, "The Best of Legal Writing," video, first year students at Mississippi College School of Law.

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT . Wake Forest University Divinity School . Board of Visitors . Cooperative Baptist Fellowship . Governing Board . Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Mississippi . Founder . Executive Committee . Mississippi Economic Council . Board of Directors . Treasurer

Graham Carner is a solo practitioner in Jackson, MS. His practice focuses on state and federal criminal defense, professional discipline representation, appeals, and general litigation. He is a part-time Public Defender in Lincoln County and the City of Clinton and handles federal habeas corpus death penalty litigation as an appointee under the Criminal Justice Act. Prior to opening his solo practice, Graham was an associate at Watkins & Eager, PLLC, representing defendants in products liability and catastrophic injury cases.

Graham is a 2001 honors graduate of Mississippi College. Admitted to the Bar in 2004 after graduating from Wake Forest University School of Law, Graham is licensed to practice before all Mississippi state and federal courts, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. He was a participant in the Mississippi Bar’s 2013 Leadership Forum. Graham has previously served on the Board of the Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi Bar and Jackson Young Lawyers, which awarded him the Pro Bono Award in 2009. Graham is an active member in the Mississippi Association for Justice, which he currently serves as Second Past President and as a member of the Board of Governors.

Graham, his wife Mary Etta, and two children, Owen and Mary Patrick, live in Clinton. SOURCES FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SAME PATHWAYS, DIFFERENT LANES

Collaboration

1) The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies, Smart Ways to Work Together, ABA Law Practice Section, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell

An indepth, recently updated book presenting modern methods, including checklists, of how to be a better collaborator.

2) https://www.attorneyatwork.com/smart-lawyers-solve-problems/ This article presents an analysis of the methodology typically used by lawyers to solve problems and presents alternative methods to better communicate with and meet the needs of clients.

3) https://thepractice.law.harvard.edu/article/collaboration-in-law-firms/ This is a very indepth analysis of how collaboration improves the practice of law within law firms, primarily dealing with very large law firms, and includes studies on the increased revenue resulting from true collaboration across specialties. It also discusses how the compensation methods used by large firms affect collaboration and suggests alternative methods.

4) https://thepractice.law.harvard.edu/article/lessons-from-practicing-lawyers/ This article discusses in more general terms the benefits of collaborating with other attorneys, primarily within your own law firm.

5) Mississippi Bar Association Lawyer’s Creed: https://www.msbar.org/media/1349/38a2.pdf

6) Mississippi Bar Association Guidelines for Professional Conduct in Litigation https://www.msbar.org/ethics-discipline/professionalism/guidelines-for-professional-cond uct-in-litigation/

7) Mississippi Bar Association Standards of Litigation Conduct https://www.msbar.org/ethics-discipline/professionalism/standards-of-litigation-conduct/

Planning for Retirement

1) https://abaretirement.com/learning-center/articles/retirement-planning-for-lawyers/ Basic tips on financial planning

2) https://www.msbar.org/media/3532/2017-ms-planning-ahead-manual.pdf Lengthy manual addressing how to plan ahead to protect your clients interests in the event of your disability, death, or retirement. LaKeysha Greer Isaac is a United States Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of Mississippi, Northern Division at Jackson. Prior to her appointment to the bench in 2021, Isaac was a senior partner at Cosmich Simmons & Brown, PLLC and had defended complex toxic tort and product liability matters on a national scale for twenty years. She was a member of the firm’s Executive and Finance Committees and chaired its Professional Development and Diversity Committee.

Isaac was named to the Super Lawyers listings of Top 50 Mississippi Attorneys and Top 50 Mid- South Women Attorneys in both 2019 and 2020. She was named to the Mississippi Business Journal’s listings of Top 40 Under 40, Leaders in Law, and 50 Leading Businesswomen. She was named to America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators and America’s Top 7 Figure Litigators. She was one of 30 honorees at the 2017 Women to Watch Awards by Business Insurance Magazine, a program which honors the achievements of women working in the risk management and insurance sector around the world.

In addition to her legal activities, LaKeysha participates in a number of civic activities. She is Immediate Past President of The Junior League of Jackson and a past Chairman of the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries of Mississippi. She has also served on the boards of the Mississippi Children's Museum, Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi Bar, The Capital Club and Ebony Pearls Foundation, Inc. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and of The Links, Incorporated.

She is a proud graduate of Millsaps College and of Emory University School of Law. She resides in Madison, Mississippi with her husband Ronnie and daughter Ryleigh.

Kristi H. Johnson is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. Johnson earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mississippi and her Juris Doctorate, summa cum laude, from Mississippi College School of Law, where she served as an Executive Editor of the Mississippi College Law Review.

Upon graduation, Johnson served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Sharion Aycock of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi and to Judge Leslie H. Southwick of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She worked at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart and later served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi. Johnson has also served as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law.

On February 24, 2020, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch appointed Johnson the first Solicitor General of Mississippi. She left her position as Solicitor General after appointed a federal judge. Johnson is the first woman to serve as an Article III federal judge in the Southern District of Mississippi. Selene Dunn Maddox received her B.B.A. from the University of Mississippi December, 1983, and her J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law May, 1987. Selene was sworn in October 22, 2018, as U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, having been appointed by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals as U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the District of South Dakota, with intercircuit assignment presiding in the Fifth Circuit as U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi, with her chambers located in Aberdeen, MS. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Selene was a solo practitioner in Tupelo, Mississippi, in the general practice of law with an emphasis in consumer debtor and small business debtor bankruptcy law. Selene served as a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Panel Trustee (appointed in 2004) in the Northern District of Mississippi until her appointment to the bench. Selene served as Vice-President of the Lee County Bar Association for the 1998-1999 year and as President of the Lee County Bar Association for the 1999-2000 year. Selene is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association, American Bankruptcy Institute, National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees and the American Bar Association. Selene was appointed by the Mississippi Supreme Court to serve as a Commissioner to the Mississippi Commission On Continuing Legal Education on June 30, 1999, and completed her seventh consecutive term on July 31, 2018, having served as Vice-Chairman 2007-2008; 2010-2011; 2014-2015, and as Chairman 2008- 2009; 2015-2016. Selene was a member of the Mississippi Bar President-Elect Nominating Committee for 2011 and for 2014-2015. She served on the Ethics Committee of the Mississippi Bar from 2005-2008. Selene served two one year terms as President of the Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference for the years 2005 and 2006. Selene also served on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference from 2003 - 2007. Selene assisted in drafting new Local Rules for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi and has served on the Advisory Committee on Local Rules for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi from 2010 - 2015. Selene has been an active presenter of the Credit Abuse Resistance Education (CARE) Program in High Schools in Northeast Mississippi. Selene was inducted in 2007 as a Mississippi Bar Foundation Fellow and subsequently served as Trustee on the Mississippi Bar Foundation Board of Trustees 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. Selene was appointed to the Lawyer Advisory Committee by Honorable Jason D. Woodard, Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi for a term which began June, 2016, and continued until her appointment to the bankruptcy bench. Selene has participated as a speaker in numerous seminars on bankruptcy sponsored by University of Mississippi Continuing Legal Education, the Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference and the American Bankruptcy Institute as well as participation as a speaker for programs for Mississippi Home Extension Service, Lee County Extension Service and other public service organizations. Selene was an adjunct professor at the University of Mississippi, Tupelo, MS Campus teaching classes in the undergraduate program on Wills and Estates, Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Law during 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Sonia Perez Chaisson is a nationally recognized trial attorney who lives in Los Angeles after growing up in Boston, Massachusetts and prefers to see snow in pictures than over the course of a long winter. She is currently working on civil and criminal cases that impact change. She has served in leadership positions of various trial organizations including the American Association for Justice, and CAOC. For many years her office facilitated trainings for Plaintiff’s trial attorneys. Today, a large part of her practice is co-counseling complex cases in and outside of California She has been invited to work pro hac vice as trial counsel in Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas and Maine. Although home is Los Angeles, Ms. Chaisson has lived in Spain and Costa Rica where she was able to immerse in the local culture. Covid19 has turned her into a hermit who bakes and sometimes ventures out for long walks on city sidewalks. Dr. Megan Sones Clapton is a licensed professional counselor and founder of Mindful Therapy in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Megan is a Jackson native. She gradated from the College of Charleston with B.A.s in Philosophy and Art History. She then went on to earn her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the Citadel and later a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Mississippi College. Megan has worked in hospitals, nonprofits, schools, and has over 14 years in private practice. She opened Mindful Therapy in 2015 and was named “Mississippi’s Best Mental Health Clinic” by the Clarion Ledger. Megan uses mindfulness based cognitive behavioral therapy to help her clients achieve their personal therapeutic goals. Dr.Clapton enjoys working with attorneys, law firms, and legal associations on developing a mindful law practice.

Meta Copeland is a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals Division of the Mississippi Office of the Attorney General in Jackson, Mississippi. She defends the convictions and sentences secured by district attorneys across the State, handing direct appeals and petitions for post-conviction relief. Prior to joining the Attorney General’s office, Meta was the Director of Experiential Learning at Mississippi College School of Law, where she taught skills-training courses, coached moot court competition teams, and mentored law students for thirteen years. She also served as MC Law’s interim Assistant Dean of Admissions. Meta has civil litigation experience with the Jackson offices of Wise, Carter, Child & Caraway, P.A. and Brunini, Grantham, Grower and Hewes, PLLC. Meta graduated magna cum laude graduate from both Oglethorpe University (1995) and MC Law (1998). She is a member of the Women in the Profession Committee of the Mississippi Bar Association. Meta has previously served as the Chair of the Mississippi Bar’s Appellate Practice Section, President of the Mississippi Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and board member of the Capital Area Bar Association. Meta was named a top ten finalist for the 2012 Mississippi Business Journal’s Leadership in Law and was a 2013 inductee into the National Order of Barristers. ANDREA LA'VERNE EDNEY Jackson Office (601) 985-4417 La'[email protected]

La'Verne is a member of Butler Snow’s litigation department and practices within the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare Litigation Group. La'Verne has significant trial experience in state and federal courts in Mississippi and other states, and has tried to verdict numerous cases, including medical negligence, premises liability, products liability, bad faith insurance, employment disputes and legal malpractice.

ABOUT LA’VERNE La’Verne has significant trial experience in state and federal courts and has tried numerous cases to verdict. In addition to her trial practice, Ms. Edney serves on the board of the American Board of Trial Advocates and is on the faculty of that organization's Masters in Trial program, where she has taught in Iowa, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Reno, Nevada. She is often called upon to teach trial academies for the American Bar Association and American Board of Trial Advocates. She has been named one of the Best Lawyers in America® in the area of Mass Torts/Class Actions since 2016 and was chosen as Lawyer of the Year by Mississippi College School of Law in April 2018. La’Verne is licensed to practice law in Mississippi and Tennessee. La'Verne serves on numerous boards and committees including the Board of Trustees of Mississippi College Mississippi Bar Foundation board; the Magnolia Speech School board; and the Greater Jackson Chamber board. La'Verne was chosen as Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year by the Mississippi Women Lawyers’ Association in 2011 and Mississippi College School of Law’s Young Lawyer of the Year for 2005-2006. She was also chosen as one of the top African American “Movers and Shakers” in 2005 by the Mississippi Business Chronicle. In 2007, La'Verne received recognition as One of Mississippi’s 50 Leading Business Women by the Mississippi Business Journal. In 2010, she received Outstanding Service Awards from the Capital Area Bar Association, the Magnolia Bar Association, and the Black Law Student Association. She is a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation. In July 2012, she received the Mississippi Bar Association’s Distinguished Service Award. In November 2012, she was selected as one of Mississippi's Fifty Leaders in the Law by the Mississippi Business Journal.

PRACTICE AREAS AND INDUSTRY TEAMS ▪ Drug and Device Litigation ▪ Drug and Device Litigation – Trials ▪ Premises Liability ▪ Product Liability Litigation ▪ Insurance ▪ Labor and Employment ▪ Health Law ▪ Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare Litigation Team

EXPERIENCE Representative Matters ▪ Krolikowski v. Ethicon Inc.: Trial Counsel in a pelvic mesh case in Pennsylvania – defense verdict in April 2019. “J&J Dodges Pelvic Mesh Claims In Philadelphia Trial,” Law360, April 17, 2019 ▪ Obtained numerous defense jury verdicts in state and federal court where plaintiffs alleged injuries and/or death of nursing home residents due to nursing home abuse and neglect. ▪ Obtained a defense verdict in a legal services fraud case. ▪ Obtained the voluntary dismissal of a premises liability case involving a shooting on the premises of a restaurant chain. ▪ Obtained a favorable settlement in a suit alleging inadequate security which led to customer's stabbing and ultimate death at major restaurant chain. ▪ Obtained a defense verdict in a jury trial alleging inadequate security which led to customer's shooting at major restaurant chain. ▪ Obtained favorable resolutions of uninsured/underinsured bad faith claims on behalf of a national insurance company. ▪ Obtained favorable resolutions for multi-family housing complexes accused of providing inadequate security and maintenance which led to assault, rape and/or other injury to residents. ▪ Obtained a defense verdict in a federal court jury trial alleging bad faith insurance coverage. ▪ Secured the summary judgment dismissal of a bad faith insurance coverage dispute in state court. ▪ Obtained a favorable ruling from the Mississippi Court of Appeals affirming the dismissal of claims of compensatory punitive damages in a bad faith home insurance case. ▪ Obtained a favorable jury verdict in a state trial alleging medical negligence and false imprisonment, with the decision ultimately upheld by the Mississippi Supreme Court.

BAR ADMISSIONS ▪ Mississippi, 1996 ▪ Tennessee, 2018 DISTINCTIONS ▪ Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers ▪ Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers ▪ Barrister, International Society of Barristers ▪ Associate, American Board of Trial Advocates ▪ National Board Member ▪ Masters in Trial program ▪ Faculty ▪ Bencher, American Inns of Court, 2000 – present ▪ Leadership Jackson ▪ The Legal 500 US ▪ Recognized in the editorial for nationwide Dispute Resolution: Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices – Defense, 2019. ▪ Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business ▪ Litigation: General Commercial – Mississippi, 2020 ▪ Best Lawyers in America® ▪ Mass Torts/Class Actions, 2016-2021 ▪ Personal Injury Litigation, 2019-2021 ▪ Martindale-Hubbell® ▪ AV®-Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated, 2012-2018 ▪ Lifetime Achievement Award, Mississippi Women Lawyers Association, 2019 ▪ Woman of Distinction, Girl Scouts of Greater Mississippi, 2019 ▪ Distinguished Alumni Lawyer of the Year, Mississippi College School of Law, 2018 ▪ Recognized as one of The National Black Lawyers Top 100, 2015 ▪ Feature, “La'Verne Edney Profiled in Jackson Publication," December 8, 2014 ▪ Distinguished Service Award, Mississippi Bar Association, 2012 ▪ Mississippi’s Fifty Leaders in the Law, Mississippi Business Journal, 2012 ▪ Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year, Mississippi Women Lawyers’ Association, 2011 ▪ Selected as an Honoree by Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, 2011 ▪ Outstanding Service Award, Capital Area Bar Association, 2010 ▪ Outstanding Service Award, Magnolia Bar Association, 2010 ▪ Outstanding Service Award, Black Student Law Association, 2010 ▪ Mississippi’s 50 Leading Business Women, Mississippi Business Journal, 2007 ▪ Young Lawyer of the Year, Mississippi College School of Law, 2005-2006 ▪ “Movers and Shakers,” Mississippi Business Chronicle, 2005 ▪ Mississippi Supreme Court Appointments ▪ Access to Justice Commission, 2009 – present ▪ Task Force on Gender Fairness, 2009 – present ▪ Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee, appointed by Governor Haley Barbour, 2004 – 2011 ▪ Chairperson, Ethics Committee of the Mississippi Bar Association, 2005 – 2006 ▪ Certified Mediator

ASSOCIATIONS ▪ American Bar Association ▪ Capital Area Bar Association

▪ Fifth Circuit Bar Association ▪ Metro Jackson Black Women Lawyers’ Association ▪ Mississippi Bar Association ▪ Mississippi Bar Foundation ▪ Mississippi Women Lawyers’ Association ▪ Tennessee Bar Association

EDUCATION & HONORS

▪ Mississippi College School of Law, J.D., 1996 ▪ Alcorn State University, B.S., 1988

PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS

▪ Speaker, "Balancing the Scales: Leading Women Lawyers on Meeting the Challenges of the Legal Profession CLE," March 2018

▪ Faculty, "Masters in Trial: A Trial Demonstration from Opening Statement through Jury Deliberation," American Board of Trial Advocates, Masters in Trial program, Des Moines, Iowa, May 2017

▪ Faculty, TIPS/ABOTA National Trial Academy, American Bar Association, Reno, Nevada, March 25-29, 2017

▪ Speaker, "Getting it Right the First Time: Learning from Today's Top Verdicts and Settlements," ACI Long Term Care & Risk Management Seminar, Miami, Florida, January 2017

▪ Speaker, "The Fightin' Side of Me: Trial Tactics," November 2016

▪ Speaker, "Lessons Learned from the Front Line," Long Term Care Symposium, Nashville, Tennessee, November 2014

▪ Speaker, "Motivation, Willingness to Serve and Leadership," Mississippi Women Lawyers Association, September 2011

▪ Speaker, "Bridge the Gap Seminar," Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi Bar Association, July 2011

▪ Speaker, "Taking It to the People," Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, Desoto County Civic Center, Southaven, Mississippi, June 2011

▪ Panelist, "Diversity in the Workplace," Mississippi College School of Law's Black Law Student Association, February 2011

▪ Panelist, "How to Volunteer," Mississippi Bar Association On the Road CLE, 2011

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

▪ Greater Jackson Chamber Board ▪ Magnolia Speech School Board ▪ Mississippi College ▪ Board of Trustees, 1999 - present ▪ Search Committee, President of Mississippi College, 2017-2018

2/19/2021

“I hear you.” The Role of Empathy in a Mentor Relationship

Meta Copeland Mississippi Attorney General’s Office [email protected] (601) 214‐7638

La'Verne Edney Butler Snow LLP La'[email protected] (601) 985‐4417

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“She was there for me always, guiding me through some of the most important years of my life. Mentors are important, and I don’t think anybody makes it in the world without some form of mentorship.”

‐‐ Oprah Winfrey, speaking about her mentor, Maya Angelou

A mentor, a good mentor, or an empathetic mentor…

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Mentorship approaches

In today’s “new normal,” don’t we all need empathetic mentorship?

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Defining a Mentoring Relationship

• Formal or Informal • Goal or Topic/Task Driven • Frequent or Infrequent Meetings • Degree/Level of Guidance • What does the Mentee want out of it? • What does the Mentor want out of it?

Who are our mentors?

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There is No Formula for the Perfect Mentor

Mentors: The possibilities are limitless!

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Most important quality? A great match!

Mentoring works!

• Steve Jobs and Facebook co‐founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg

• Dr. Benjamin E. Mays and Dr. Martin Luther King

• Michelle Robinson Obama and Barack Obama

• Benjamin Graham (known as the father of value investing who wrote “The Intelligent Investor”) and Warren Buffett

• Warren Buffett and Bill Gates

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But where are the women in these famous mentorships?

“There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.” ‐‐ Madeleine Albright, former (and first female) U.S. Secretary of State

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How to pick a mentor

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Step 1: Set your mentorship goals

• WHAT do you want? • Coaching on your communication style? • Guidance on a potential promotion opportunity? • Advice about what next career steps might be best for you? • Help developing your leadership skills? • HOW do you want information? • General guidance on your key issues? • Recommendations for reading and/or resources • Professional connections? • Suggested actions to undertake/practice? • WHERE and WHEN will the mentorship happen? • Do you want an organic relationship? • Do you want a weekly, monthly, or other schedule at a specific location?

Step 2: Find a good candidate

• Has this person shown an interest in you and your career? • Have you had discussions about work‐ related questions that resulted in useful action items for you? • Has she shared professional knowledge in a caring and supportive way? • Has she been willing to patiently spend time with you to help you grow your skills in the past? • Does she have the right knowledge/experience to address your specific mentoring issues?

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Step 3: Decide if you will be direct or sneaky

• Direct approach: • Schedule an initial conversation • Clearly describe the guidance you’re seeking • Confirm your willingness to do the necessary work and follow‐through • Acknowledge and respect your prospective mentor’s time

• Organic approach: • Create a relationship through whatever means works—online means, a phone call, in‐person events (remember those?)

Step 4: Keep the relationship going!

• Consult her about important decisions • Check in with her to see how she’s doing • Offer to help her with a professional project or task • Be a good human

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Getting the most from your mentorship

Prepare for challenges!

Mentees can…. • Consume you • Be unfocused and not follow‐through • Be manipulative • Be unwilling to commit to the relationship

Mentors can…. • Burn out • Run into situations where issues really need professional help • Forget boundaries • Find themselves in odd situations (e.g. ethics, favors)

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Be an empathetic mentee

Engage and pay attention • Make eye contact and avoid mental distractions Show that you’re actively listening • Ask better questions • Nod, smile, “uh‐huh”, etc… Check‐in to be sure you are understanding • Paraphrase, summarize what she’s told you, ask clarifying questions Don’t judge • Don’t interrupt before she finishes her thought Be ready for hard conversations Remember your goals Respond appropriately • Be open and honest, demonstrate respect, and show appreciation

Be an empathetic mentor

Understand the relationship she wants • Clarify her mentorship goals Remember when you were in her heels • Avoid being judgmental or critical • Show her that you value her perspective Give her real and honest advice • Find the feedback technique that works for your mentee Check‐in with her between meetings • Support her even when she doesn’t ask Challenge her • Nurture our next generation of women lawyers. You’ll be part of her success story!

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Empathetic Mentorship in Practice: La’Verne Edney

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1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

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Empathetic Mentors

Do Don’t • Encourage each other • Dominate the conversation • Build each other up about you • Give unique opportunities • Make the world center around you • Invite mentee to events • Look for faults and failures • Offer non‐traditional support • Rejoice in mistakes and failures • Stop the haters • Wait on the sidelines when you • Reveal and move the booby see a trap in the road traps • Hold back constructive criticism

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