Join the LEAD network

• Our Mission

  LEAD’s mission is to create a diverse, inclusive, intergenerational community of UCLA Law women that supports our collective personal and professional growth.

  • By "inclusive," we mean a space where all members of LEAD feel like they belong, and are seen and heard as their authentic selves.
  • By “support our collective personal and professional growth,” we mean to help one another advance professional goals and foster personally fulfilling careers, both linear and non-linear, and at all stages of life and career. We seek to address the specific challenges facing all women students and graduates, including helping overcome career impediments that may be imposed on them due to their identity and lived experience.
  • We intend for the term “women” to be fully inclusive, encompassing all who identify as such in ways that are significant to them, regardless of sex assigned at birth.
• Intersectional on Purpose

  Traditional diversity action and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion statements are not enough.To ensure we are an effective network for all women students and graduates of UCLA Law, LEAD maintains a diverse board and is embedding an intentionally intersectional framework into our operations. We will be evaluating our results on an ongoing basis.

  Our founders brought a strong commitment to diversity, which is reflected in the diversity of our Board and events, among other things. Nonetheless, UCLA Law Women LEAD seeks to be even more intentional in this space. We know that BIPOC women experience overlapping forms of oppression simultaneously and therefore face greater barriers to career development, a larger pay gap, and greater underrepresentation in legal leadership positions. In addition, we recognize the need to explicitly embrace a definition of who is a “woman” that is inclusive and less tied to sexist and transphobic norms. We are taking steps now to incorporate an anti-racist, intentionally intersectional framework, including mechanisms for ongoing evaluation and accountability. To accomplish our mission, we must confront racism, sexism and oppression head-on, and take actions to combat their further entrenchment, particularly as they impact women in the legal profession.

• How We Do It

  We accomplish our work almost exclusively through volunteers, including a volunteer Board of Directors and volunteer committee members. We also coordinate extensively with the law school -- administration, staff, and student groups -- to accomplish our mission.

  Board. We are a working Board. Each Board member chairs and/or participates on at least one committee and has responsibility for applying our intersectional approach in planning, leading and executing the work. Board members commit to contribute time and other resources at a level that is significant to them.

  LEAD’s founders have worked since inception to maintain a Board that reflects our multifaceted alumnae community. In addition to engagement from alumnae who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQ+ and/or were first generation college graduates (first gen), LEAD includes alumnae across multiple legal sectors in different stages of careers - from graduates just starting their careers as well as those at the most senior levels.

  If you believe you have skills, time, or other resources to offer in support of our Mission and are interested in a position on the Board, please contact Chris Brancaccio at brancaccio@law.ucla.edu.

  Committees. Committee membership is open to all LEAD members, and is a great way to get involved - several committees are seeking members.

  If you are interested in a LEAD committee, please contact Chris Brancaccio at brancaccio@law.ucla.edu.

  Student LEADers are current law students who serve at least one-year, and up to three-year, advisory terms. Our student LEADers  help guide our student engagement and programming, and reflect the diversity of our student population.

  If you are interested in a position as a student LEADer, contact Chris Brancaccio at brancaccio@law.ucla.edu.

• LEAD Summit

  The LEAD Summit brings together UCLA Law's community of alumnae, faculty, 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.

  Save the date for the 2022 LEAD Summit on March 11, 2022. More details to be announced.

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

• Get Involved

  Join. To join LEAD, and learn about other opportunities to connect, request to join our LinkedIn group here.

  Engage. Follow us and engage with LEAD on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @LEAD_UCLA

  Volunteer. LEAD is a volunteer-run organization and benefits from member time and energy. If you are interested in working with one of our committees, please join the (LEAD) LinkedIn Group, then message co-chair Nancy Abell on LinkedIn, or email Chris Brancaccio at brancaccio@law.ucla.edu.

• Make a Donation

  LEAD largely is self-funded, primarily through individual donations of members and their employers. These funds go toward our bi-annual summit and other events, member programming and resources.

  If you wish to make a donation in support of LEAD, please click here.

• 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
  Legal and Policy Consultant

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

  Kris Cheh Beck '99 J.D.
  Chief Legal Officer, CREXi

  Beth Berke ’79 J.D.
  Management Consulting and Adjunct Professor of Law and Business

  Elaine Chang ’13 J.D.
  Employment and Litigation Counsel, National Veterinary Associates

  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

  Roberta Kass ’79 J.D.
  Senior Legal Recruiter, Seltzer Fontaine

  Amy Keroes '93 J.D.
  General Counsel, Serena & Lily

  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

  Morvareed Salehpour ’10. J.D.
  Managing Partner, Salehpour Legal Consulting

  Evelyn Shimazaki '84 J.D.*
  Associate General Counsel, Velodyne Lidar, Inc.

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

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

  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

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

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

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

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

  Rachel Moran 
  Dean, UCLA School of Law, 2010-15

  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

  Debra Alligood White '93 J.D.
  Deputy Secretary, Civil Rights and Workforce, New York State Executive Chamber

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  *Founding Board Member

• Student LEADers

  Allyne Andrade E Silva ‘19

  Benita Yu ‘19

  Adwoa Ankoma ‘20

  Abigail Gardner ‘20

  Hannah Pollack ‘20

  Blanca Trenado ‘20

  Alexandria Moriarty ‘21

  Emme Tyler ‘21

  Kaitlyn Hittelman ‘22

  Robyn Jimenez ‘22

  Hannah Schnell ‘22

  Jessmine Lee ‘23

  Emma Roche ‘23

• Resources

  Q&A with UCLA Law Women LEAD Board Members Tanya Greene '09 and Adwoa Ankoma '20

  Q&A with UCLA Law Women LEAD Members Hailyn Chen ‘03 and Calimay Pham ‘14

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  Suggested Podcasts

  Advice to My Younger Me

  Fit to Practice

  Heels of Justice

  Inspiration Loves Company

  Mom Life and Law

  Notes to My Legal Self

  Sisters in Law

  Intersectionality Matters! with Kimberle Crenshaw

  The Happy Lawyer Project

  Women in Law: On the Record

  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)