CELEBRATING
In 2024, Jenner & Block had much to celebrate as we advanced our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. We continued to champion diverse voices through our Diversity Speaker Series and affinity groups while honoring women in big law and naming this year’s DEI Champion. As we look forward, we are excited to celebrate all that is to come.
Women in BigLaw
The rate of women entering the legal field is rising and there are more opportunities for women in law than ever before. Jenner & Block is proud to celebrate the progress that has been made—but there is more to do. Partners Precious Jacobs-Perry, Michelle McAtee, and Miwa Shoda, and Associate Lindsey Lusk discuss the impact mentorship has had on their careers and their hopes for the next generation of women lawyers.
Diversity Dinner 2024
In May 2024, Jenner & Block hosted our 23rd Diversity Dinner, a tradition that celebrates the firm’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The dinner allows lawyers from across our offices to hear the unique story and experience of our guest speaker. Over the years, we have heard from a wide range of speakers, including mayors, judges, CEOs, civil rights activists, and even a once little-known state senator who went on to become the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.
This year, we welcomed Wendell Dallas, president and CEO of Nicor Gas, one of America's leading natural gas distributors and the largest distribution company of Southern Company Gas with 2.2 million customers in over 650 Illinois communities. In a fireside chat with Chicago Office Managing Partner Melissa Root, Wendell discussed his upbringing in Alabama and his approach to leadership.
Kate Spelman: Picking up the Mantle and Paying it Forward
A leader at Jenner & Block, Partner Kate Spelman not only serves as a co-chair of the Class Action, Consumer Brands, and Food and Beverage Practices, but also as a co-chair of the Women’s Forum and of the Mothers’ Circle Affinity Group.
Kate first joined the Women’s Forum when she was an associate at Jenner & Block in 2010.
“I always found it to be a supportive and welcoming space where we could discuss the broader issues of representation in law and strategies for dealing with certain issues facing women, particularly in big law firms,” she says.
Now, as a leader at the firm who is committed to mentorship, Kate feels that it is her responsibility to be available and to create a space where junior lawyers—in particular women lawyers—can voice concerns, give feedback, and ask questions.
“My experience as an associate in the Women’s Forum inspired me to step into the co-chair role when the opportunity became available. I knew I wanted to pay it forward.” Kate explains.
She describes her approach to mentorship this way: “I want associates to feel comfortable coming to me when they have issues, need feedback, or even if they just need someone to be a sounding board.”
It was Kate’s mentors who brought her back to Jenner in 2019, two years after she left to serve as in-house litigation counsel to a large, vertically integrated food and beverage manufacturer.
Five years later, Kate aims to make her mentees “feel like they belong. In addition to becoming invested in their careers, I become invested in who they are as people.”
André Nwadikwa: An Emerging Leader Dedicated to Serving His Community
André Nwadikwa is a London native and an associate in Jenner & Block’s Investigations, Compliance, and Defense Practice. His practice focuses on complex investigations and government enforcement action—he thrives when confronting complex legal challenges, especially those involving an international dimension or seemingly intractable problems.
André succeeds because he is unafraid of the unfamiliar—"every case is a problem to be solved by understanding principles and applying them to facts.” André leverages this view to find solutions and continue progressing.
DEI is central to André—he carefully incorporates it into his professional life. He says, “The legal profession should be representative of the community that it serves.” For him, a diverse workforce enhances work quality and ensures a deeper understanding of varied challenges.
André advocates for giving everyone, regardless of their background, the tools and opportunity to excel in law.
Partner Lucy Blake says, “André is a fantastic lawyer, with a particular talent for analyzing black letter law. He is someone to whom you can present a problem and he will quickly understand the issue and methodically untangle the mess. He is also a very thoughtful citizen, who devotes considerable time to thinking about how to help other people—from people he works with to those trying to break into the profession. He is an excellent lawyer and a pleasure to work with—he will go far.”
His involvement with organizations such as the Employed Barristers’ Committee of the Bar Council, Kalisher Trust, and Black Men in Law Network reflects his commitment to social mobility and representation. Through mentoring, workshops, and partnerships, André supports lawyers from underrepresented groups.
André’s experience handling high volumes of hugely varied cases as a prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service honed his adaptability and problem-solving skills. Further, working with diverse groups of prosecutors reinforced for him the practical importance of DEI in the legal profession. “There is a tangible benefit to diversity of thought and experience—if you are not plugged into real life and the various forms it takes, you risk succumbing to your blind spots,” emphasizes André.
2024 Jenner & Block Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champions
Gail Morse and Jacqueline Moore: Champions of DEI, Service, and Their Communities
In 2023, Jenner & Block created the DEI Champion Award to celebrate the firm’s deep commitment to advancing DEI within the legal profession. The award recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions toward creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community at Jenner. Partner Gail Morse and Executive Coordinator Jacqueline Moore were recognized as DEI Champions at the second annual DEI Champion Award ceremony on August 13, 2024.
Gail Morse
A member of the firm since 1997, Gail was a pioneer in building Jenner’s LGBTQ+ community and remains one of its most vocal champions. She founded Jenner’s LGBTQ Forum and initiated the development of the Equal Time newsletter. Gail has continued to welcome and support LGBTQ+ lawyers and lawyers of diverse backgrounds as a mentor, friend, and colleague. A member of the firm’s Alumni and Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committees, she has been described as “a key reason why so many law students, clients, and community members view Jenner as such a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Gail has long been regarded as a highly respected advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. She was elected as an out lesbian delegate to the 2004 and 2012 Democratic National Conventions and worked with former Senator and President Barack Obama to facilitate his evolution on the issue of marriage equality. In 2015, Gail was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame and, in 2008, received NOW’s “Bella Abzug Woman of Honor Award” for her work raising the visibility of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community and diversity issues in the workplace. She also frequently speaks on tax issues affecting the LGBTQ+ population.
“Gail is a fierce advocate for DEI, and in particular LGBTQ rights,” said Partner Howard Suskin during the awards ceremony.
He continued, “It is not an exaggeration to say that every LGBTQ organization in Chicago has benefited from Gail’s work; and not just LGBTQ nonprofits, but nonprofits focused on women’s rights, voting rights, and theater. Gail has touched all of those.”
“I am proud, because I am very proud of what Jenner does with DEI,” said Gail. “Most of what we do is a joint effort. We need ideas, we need people to carry them out. I looked up what a ‘champion’ was. I’m not a champion in the sense of the Olympics where I just won an individual victory, this is not an individual victory.” Gail continued, “I’m most proud because I fight for a cause that I believe in. That cause is personal to me, but also personal to each of us.”
Gail noted that it was her and Howard’s joint efforts that led to Jenner being one of the first Chicago law firms to recognize civil unions and advocate for marriage equality. They also successfully advocated for Jenner to cover gender-affirming healthcare coverage for employees.
Jacqueline Moore
Jacqueline demonstrates dedication to Jenner’s DEI programs and initiatives, while positively impacting future generations. As Co-Chair of the firm’s African American/Black Professional Staff Affinity Group, Jacqueline leads discussions around topics that assist in building community and promoting professional development among the group’s members. It’s been said that she “has done a great job collaborating with her co-chairs in providing inspiration and solidarity,” in the group. Jacqueline spearheaded a Juneteenth happy hour in the Washington, DC office, and often goes out of her way to orient new employees to the firm.
Jacqueline plays an instrumental role in coordinating Jenner’s tutoring program for 11th graders from Thurgood Marshall Academy, a DC public charter high school whose mission is to prepare students to succeed in college and to actively engage in our democratic society. She also supports the firm’s participation in the Sydney Paige Foundation’s backpack assembly project to ensure that as many children as possible begin the school year with the necessary school supplies.
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition as a DEI Champion,” Jacqueline said during the awards ceremony. “Growing up, my mother raised me to love people. We didn’t see color or status—we only saw people. She always said, ‘show kindness, give a helping hand when we can.’ These weren’t just words, but examples of how she lived. So, I seek to live the way that I was raised. Not for notoriety or personal gain, but to invest in an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best.”
“When we embrace our differences and ensure that everyone has a seat at the table, we unlock the true potential of our organization,” concluded Jacqueline.
“One of Jacqueline’s most remarkable qualities is her dedication to helping new staff members find their footing without any formal recognition, prompting or reward,” shared Lori Stewart, Manager of Administration in Jenner’s DC office. “Jacqueline takes it upon herself to orient and mentor new employees, making sure they feel welcomed and supported from day one.”
Lori continued, “These selfless acts of kindness not only foster a sense of belonging, but also strengthen our team’s cohesion and inclusivity.”
About the DEI Champion Award
Jenner & Block’s DEI Champion Award recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions toward creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community at Jenner, whether by spearheading policies, procedures, initiatives, and programs that reflect our core values; promoting a working environment that is free from bias and discrimination; supporting the recruitment, retention, and development of diverse candidates and employees; or supporting diversity programs and initiatives at the firm.
Affinity Groups
Our 13 Affinity Groups play a key role in our Diversity Speaker Series, host trainings for lawyers and professional staff, lead Heritage Month Celebrations, and host quarterly meetings with firm co-chairs and managing partners.
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The Black Lawyers Forum provides an opportunity for black lawyers to connect across practices and offices. The group focuses on networking, recruiting, retention, and professional development. It meets on a regular basis and provides members with informal mentoring and opportunities to connect with professional organizations externally.
Key contacts: Marcus Childress, Illyana Green, Christian Plummer, Loreal Rock, and Alex Romain
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The Professional Staff African American/Black Affinity Group offers a safe space for members to share challenges and successes and brings together African American/Black professional staff to share knowledge and experiences, build community, and develop professionally.
Key contacts: Sean Gill, Shyra Hernandez, Jacqueline Moore, Nathalie Noel
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The Asian Lawyers Forum provides mentoring and networking for members through informal and formal meetings, lunches, and outings. Its members are involved with community and student organizations and bar associations.
Key contacts: Huiyi Chen and Raymond Sinnappan
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Open to lawyers and professional staff, the gender inclusive Caregivers Affinity Group shares knowledge and resources, brainstorms and promotes best practices, and designs and supports policies to empower all caregivers at Jenner & Block. The group includes parents who are single, expecting, adopting, those who are caring for sick or elderly family members, pets, and all other forms and experiences of caregiving.
Key contact: Michelle McAtee
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The Mothers’ Circle focuses on issues relevant to expecting, new, and seasoned mothers. The group meets regularly to share tips, information, stories, and advice, with a particular emphasis on supporting each other as we navigate our careers at Jenner & Block.
Key contacts: Tali Leinwand, Lindsay Lusk, Lina Powell, Jenna Ross, and Kate Spelman
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The Dads’ Octagon provides an opportunity for Jenner employees with an interest in issues relating to fatherhood to connect, share insights, and discuss utilizing firm resources to best help alleviate the challenges of working and caring for a family.
Key contacts: Andrew Whinery and Ed Perugia
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The Hispanic Lawyers Forum provides networking, mentoring, and social opportunities to its members through formal and informal lunches, dinners, and outings. It also works collectively to find opportunities for involvement with bar associations, and civic, community and student organizations. For example, the Hispanic Lawyers Forum has worked with law school and high school student groups in the past.
Key contact: Joe Torres
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The Jewish Affinity Group offers a space for lawyers and professional staff who identify as Jewish to connect through informal meetings, lunches, and outings. This group works across offices to find opportunities for community involvement and share knowledge and experiences.
Key contacts: Stephen Ascher, Gabi Gillett, Ben Halbig, Matt Hellman, Matt Price, Dina Epstein, Alison Stein, David Singer, and Sarah Weiss
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The LGBTQ Forum is open to lawyers and professional staff. Through regular meetings and the sponsorship of firm programs and community events, it provides an opportunity for members to network and collectively contribute to the firm and the communities in which we live and work.
Key contacts: Matthew Cipolla, Ben Halbig, Gail Morse, Andrew Sullivan, and Howard Suskin
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The Multicultural Lawyers Affinity Group allows members of the different ethnic affinity groups to connect within one group. Currently, there are Multicultural Lawyers Affinity Groups in the Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC offices. Each office group has informal meetings to provide an opportunity for networking, mentoring, and open discussion.
Key contacts: Edward Prokop and Miwa Shoda
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The Muslim Affinity Group offers a safe space for Muslim lawyers and professional staff to share knowledge and experiences, engage in community involvement, and to promote professional development and networking opportunities.
Key contacts: Ali Alsarraf, Amr Aly, and Nura Maznavi
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The Veteran and Military Families Affinity Group provides support to veterans and military families, through informal meetings, lunches, and outings. Open to both lawyers and professional staff, this group works collectively to find opportunities for community involvement.
Key contact: Brenda Thomas
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The Women's Forum fosters opportunities for the professional, social, and personal growth of the firm’s women lawyers. The Women's Forum Summit gathers more than 70 lawyers from every Jenner office for informal networking, guest speakers, small group discussions, and social events.
Key contacts: Jessica Ring Amunson, Laura Edelstein, Sarah Futernick, Rebekah Goodheart, AnnaMarie Van Hoesen, Michelle Kallen, Anna Meresidis, Ann O'Leary, Anne Cortina Perry, Elizabeth Shimmin, Kate Spelman, An Tran, and Joanna Wright
Robust Portfolio of DEI Training and Events Drives Commitment
October 4, 2023Diversity Speaker Series:
Hispanic Heritage Month with Melania Luisa Marte
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Hispanic Lawyers Forum hosted critically acclaimed poet Melania Luisa Marte. Marte is an American writer, poet, and musician from New York, living between Dallas and the Dominican Republic. Her poetry explores her Caribbean roots, intersectionality, and self-love.
december 12, 2023Firmwide National LGBTQ+ Bar Training with Dru Levasseur
Jenner hosted Dru Levasseur of the National LBGTQ+ Bar Association for a conversation about how to support our trans and nonbinary colleagues. Associate Director of Information Governance Farran Healy and Associates Lily McGuire and Cayman Mitchell joined Dru and provided attendees with thoughtful tips and ways to support the trans and nonbinary community as allies.
february 15, 2024Diversity Speaker Series:
Black History Month with Angela Ford
In honor of Black History Month, the Black Lawyers Forum hosted Angela Ford as a part of Jenner’s Diversity Speaker Series. Angela is the founder and Executive Director of The Obsidian Collection Archives—a virtual portal for African American culture providing access to material of historical, artistic, and cultural significance gathered from around the country. In her presentation, Angela discussed her mission to collect and share the stories of African Americans the Black Diaspora.
march 27, 2024Diversity Speaker Series:
Women's History Month with Laurie Robinson Haden
In celebration of Women’s History Month, the firm hosted Laurie Robinson Haden, President and CEO of Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC). In 2004, Laurie founded CCWC to advance women of color lawyers and foster diversity in the legal profession. Before that, she spent 18 years in leadership roles at the CBS Corporation (now media and entertainment juggernaut Paramount+), including Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of Litigation. She has been recognized by Savoy magazine as one of the country’s “Most Influential Black Lawyers.”
april 10, 2024The Wellness Committee and Caregivers, Mothers Circle and Dads Octagon Affinity Groups Present: Dr. Lisa Damour
The Wellness Committee and the Caregivers, Mothers Circle, and Dads Octagon Affinity Groups hosted Dr. Lisa Damour for an important conversation about navigating anxiety and parenting children experiencing mental health challenges. Dr. Damour is the author of three New York Times best sellers: Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, which have been translated into 23 languages. She serves as a Senior Advisor to the Schubert Center for Child Studies at Case Western Reserve University and has written extensively about education and child development. She maintains a clinical practice and speaks to schools, professional organizations, and corporate groups around the world about child and adolescent development, family mental health, and adult well-being.
april 19, 2024Diversity Speaker Series:
Arab American Heritage Month with Samar Ali
The Muslim Affinity Group hosted Samar S. Ali in Celebration of Arab American Heritage Month. Samar is a Research Professor of Political Science and Law at Vanderbilt University, the founding President and CEO of Millions of Conversations, and co-chair of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity & American Democracy with Jon Meacham and former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Mentored by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Judge Edwin Cameron, Ali has nearly two decades of experience in international relations and national security.
may 29, 2024Diversity Speaker Series:
Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Helen Wan
In honor of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, Jenner welcomed Helen Wan. Helen is an author and media lawyer who writes frequently on DEI and our complicated relationship with ambition. Her novel, The Partner Track, about an Asian American woman navigating the complex politics and culture at an elite New York law firm, was a Book Club selection of The National Association of Women Lawyers and REAL SIMPLE Magazine and became a Washington Post Magazine cover story on shattering glass ceilings in the legal profession.
june 5, 2024Diversity Speaker Series:
Jewish American Heritage Month with Dara Horn
In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, Jenner hosted Dara Horn. Dara is the award-winning author of six books, including two National Jewish Book Award winners and, most recently, her collection of essays Why People Love Dead Jews, a meditation about the place of Jews in our society’s collective imagination. In her presentation and conversation with us, Dara spoke about how we can turn the conversation about antisemitism on its head by teaching people who Jews are— and how understanding Jewish culture’s template of creative resilience could benefit everyone in a pluralistic society.
june 20, 2024Diversity Speaker Series:
Juneteenth with Adrian Miller
Adrian Miller joined Jenner for a Juneteenth celebration of African American food and culture. Adrian is a food writer, James Beard Award winner, lawyer, and certified barbecue judge who lives in Denver, Colorado. He is featured in the Netflix hit High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America. From 1999 to 2001, Adrian served as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton with his Initiative for One America—the first free-standing office in the White House to address issues of racial, religious, and ethnic reconciliation.
june 25, 2024Diversity Speaker Series:
Pride with Tracy Baim
Jenner’s Pride celebration included a Diversity Speaker Series event featuring Tracy Baim, co-founder and owner of Windy City Times. She is former publisher of the Chicago Reader newspaper. Baim has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Chicago Headline Club (2013) and the Chicago Journalists Association (2022). In 2014, she was inducted into the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists Hall of Fame. She was inducted into the Association for Women Journalists-Chicago Chapter Hall of Fame in 2018. She is also in the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame of Illinois, and Unity Parenting.
june 26, 2024Challenging the Status Quo with Daniel Winterfeldt
Jenner’s London office welcomed Daniel Winterfeldt for a conversation about challenging the status quo. In 2008, Daniel founded the InterLaw Diversity Forum to promote meritocracy and inclusion for all diverse, under-represented, and socially disadvantaged groups in the legal sector. Under Daniel’s stewardship, the InterLaw Diversity Forum has evolved to meet the changing needs of diverse and underrepresented talent in the profession. This has included the launch of pioneering Career Progression research; the introduction of networks focused on women; social mobility; disability, race, and ethnicity; and the launch of the UK Model Diversity Survey, which is transforming the level of DEI engagement between private practice law firms and their clients. Daniel is a much sought after speaker who regularly delivers training to in-house and private practice teams on DEI issues.
C3 Summit Brings Diverse Lawyers Together to Connect, Collaborate, and Create
In 2017, the firm’s DEI Department hosted the first C3 Summit—a multi-day, in-person conference designed to provide lawyers of color from all offices with the opportunity to cultivate relationships and enhance business opportunities.
The 2024 Summit kicked off with a career session with Paula Edgar, a highly sought-after keynote speaker and facilitator who specializes in diversity and professional development. Attendees also participated in a brand building session led by Werten Bellamy.
The summit also provided attendees an opportunity to connect. Several Affinity Groups hosted small group dinners around the city of Chicago, and for the first time, the firm’s annual Diversity Dinner was held during the Summit.