Join the LEAD network

• LEAD Summit

  The LEAD Summit brings together UCLA Law's community of alumnae and students to share insights on advancing the profession, promoting equity and achieving excellence. The day-long event, held every other year, features dynamic speakers and smaller roundtables on topics ranging from leadership styles to rainmaking to career pathways, all with a focus on expanding impact. Sessions are geared towards students and alumni at every stage of their careers.

  View videos of the 2019 LEAD Summit. Read about the 2019 LEAD Summit.

• UCLA Law Women LEAD Board

  UCLA Law Women LEAD was founded to spread best practices and partner with women of UCLA Law, from first-year law students to professionals at the most senior levels.

  Board Co-Chairs

  Nancy L. Abell '79 J.D.*
  Partner, Paul Hastings

  Michelle Banks '85 B.A., '88 J.D.*
  Senior Advisor, BarkerGilmore LLC

  Current Board Members

  Adwoa Ankoma ’20 LL.M
  Founder, Creatives Represented

  Ashley Artmann '17 J.D.
  Associate, Hueston Hennigan

  Kris Cheh Beck '99 J.D.
  Former General Counsel

  Barbara Boyle '60 J.D.*
  Associate Dean of Entrepreneurial Activities and Special Initiatives, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

  Erinn Contreras '06 J.D.
  Partner, Sheppard Mullin

  Anya Goldstein '12 J.D.*
  Founding Partner, Summa LLP

  Tanya Greene '09 J.D.
  Partner, Mcguire Woods

  Margarita Paláu Hernández '85 J.D.*
  Principal, Hernández Ventures, and United States Representative to the United Nations General Assembly 73rd Session with the rank of Ambassador

  Cara Horowitz '01 J.D.
  Andrew Sabin Family Foundation Co-Executive Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment Co-Director, UCLA Environmental Law Clinic

  Sonia Jain '09 J.D.
  Corporate Counsel, Google

  Bety Javidzad '05 J.D.
  Partner, Dentons

  Amy Keroes '93 J.D.
  Partner, Outside GC

  Jessica Kornberg '07 J.D.*
  President and CEO, Skirball Cultural Center

  Margaret Levy '75 J.D.*
  Mediator, ADR Services, Inc.

  Cheryl Lott '04 J.D.*
  Shareholder, Buchalter Nemer

  Heather Morgan '94 J.D.*
  Partner, Grube Brown & Geidt LLP

  Marcy Morris '81 J.D.*
  Partner, Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein

  Tritia Murata '01 B.S., '04 J.D.
  Partner, Morrison & Foerster

  Kavita Jain Patel '96 J.D.*
  KJP Law Group

  Heather Richardson '06 J.D., '06 MPH*
  Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher

  Mary Rodriguez '88 J.D.
  General Counsel and Director of Legal Affairs, Interpol

  Evelyn Shimazaki '84 J.D.*
  Of Counsel, Parsus LLP

  Sandra Stern '79 J.D.*
  President, Lionsgate Television Group

  Emily Gould Sullivan '95 J.D.
  Vice President, Employment Law, Ross Stores Inc.

  Debra Alligood White '93 J.D.*
  Chief Administrative Officer, Democratic National Convention

  Boryana Zamanoff '04 J.D.
  Senior Wealth Strategist and Fiduciary Officer, BNY Mellon Wealth Management

  Founding Board Members

  Valerie B. Ackerman '85 J.D.
  Commissioner, Big East Conference

  Melanie Cook '74 B.A., '78 J.D.
  Partner, Ziffren Brittenham

  Janet Dhillon '91 J.D.
  Chair for Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

  Emily Given '15 J.D.
  Honors Attorney for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice

  Harriet Pearson '90 J.D.
  Partner, Hogan Lovells

  Hon. Kim McLane Wardlaw '76 B.A., '79 J.D.
  Federal Appeals Judge, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

  ---

  *Founding Board Member

• Resources

  ABA - A Current Glance at Women in the Law 2019

  ABA - Commission on Women in the Profession

  • As the national voice for women lawyers, the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession forges a new and better profession that ensures that women have equal opportunities for professional growth and advancement commensurate with their male counterparts.

  ABA - Gender Equity Taskforce

  • Closing the Gap
  • Power of the Purse

  California Women Lawyers (CLA)

  Ms. JD's Covid-19 Resources

  National Association of Women Lawyers

  • 2019 Survey By National Association of Women Lawyers
    This report reflects the 12th year of data collection by the annual NAWL Survey on the Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms. The NAWL Survey provides objective statistics regarding the position and advancement of women lawyers in law firms, and it remains the only national survey that collects this industry benchmarking data in such detail.

  Women in the Workplace

  Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA)

  Suggested Books

  One Size Never Fits All: Business Development Strategies Tailored for Women (And Most Men)
  Arin N. Reeves
  (Business)

  Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World
  Senator Kirsten Gillibrand '91
  (Politics)

  Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead
  Sheryl Sandberg
  (Business)

  What Works for Women at Work
  Joan C. Williams & Rachel Dempsey
  (Business)

  How Remarkable Women Lead: The Breakthrough Model for Work and Life
  Joanna Barsh, Susie Cranston, Geoffrey Lewis
  (Business)

  The Board Game: How Smart Women Become Corporate Directors
  Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire
  (Boards)

  Courageous Counsel: Conversations with Women General Counsel in the Fortune 500
  Michelle Coleman Mayes and Kara Sophia Baysinger
  (Law)

  Learning to Lead: What Really Works for Women in Law
  Gindi Eckel Vincent and Mary B. Cranston
  (Law)

  Law and Reorder: Legal Industry Solutions for Restructure, Retention, Promotion & Work/Life Balance
  Deborah Henry
  (Law)

  Finding Bliss: Innovative Legal Models for Happy Clients and Happy Lawyers
  Deborah Epstein Henry, Suzie Scanlon Rabinowitz & Garry A. Berger
  (Law)

  Women Don't Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation –and Positive Strategies for Change
  Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever
  (Business)

  Ladder Down: Success Strategies for Lawyers from Women Who will be Hiring, Reviewing and Promoting You
  Lauren Stiller Rikleen
  (Law)