2008 Black Esquire Magazine

www.blackesquire.com

O f f i c i a l C o n f e r e n c e S o u v e n i r B o o k

S P E C I A L E D I T I O N

Four th Annual National

Black Pre-Law Conference

and Law Fair

2008

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Partnering for Diversity

mutual respect. As we become more diverse, we’re better positioned to serve our clients

It’s a win-win proposition.”

Faegre & Benson is proud to be a sponsor of the

Fourth Annual National Black Pre-Law Admissions & Preparation Conference and Law Fair

W E L C O M E

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ear Aspiring Black Lawyers and Guests:Welcome! I am truly heartened and overjoyed that you

chose to attend the Fourth Annual National Black Pre-Law Admissions & Preparation Conference and Law Fair 2008 – the nation’s premier information-sharing and networking empower-ment event for aspiring Black lawyers! I am so excited about this year’s event!As many of you know, this event was a vision of mine for a while and was finally realized in 2005. My story is like so many other African Americans. I was a hard-working and ambitious person – most of my life as far back as I remember. Although striving for excellence and proving the naysayers, haters, and dream killers wrong was always my goal, I had to do so much alone. In recent years, I’ve realized how disadvantaged I was because I had a vision but was unsure how to realize it. I greatly lacked mentors, a solid support system, and was unexposed to so many things. After navigating the law school admissions process alone (pre-

Internet age), my life experiences taught me the hard way that being hardworking and ambitious was simply not enough. You also need knowledge, networks, resourcefulness, and persistence. What I would have done to have someone sit down with me and explain what I could have done even more so to be an ultra-competitive candidate, how to choose a law school beyond looking at a U.S. News & World Report ranking, what law school would be like, what legal employers look for, how to strike out on my own, etc. I also experi-enced and had to overcome what I am sure many African Americans experience – people’s clear lack of confidence in you, your abilities, your dreams, and believing the worst before the best. I had to fall, pick myself up, and figure things out – the hard way. My law school experience was difficult, filled with struggle and triumph - personally, socially, and intellectually. Despite the dark days, there were magnificent bright lights. All of them made me stronger, more resilient, and a much better person. Instead of being bitter about the people who could have helped me during my undergraduate years or early on in law school, or the lawyer who could have taken time to mentor and talk to me, I vowed to make sure that other African Americans from similar backgrounds wanting to pursue a professional law degree would not have to go through what I went through. This event, as well as several other efforts during the past several years, is a manifestation of that promise to myself. My experience is not uncommon. Numerous other African Americans had similar experiences and also made similar promises. Several of those people have committed to be involved with this event because of a belief in a social respon-sibility to share lessons learned and help pave the way for the next generation. Those of us who are here all fervently believe that it’s not just about “me” but about “us.” We’re all in this together as success is not just an individual goal, but also a collective, community one.Congratulations on your decision to attend this amazing pre-law event! Do not take it for granted. Don’t just sit passively back and receive knowledge. Look at these two days as work-ing a full-time job. Remain engaged, take notes, and make the effort to meet as many people as you can. So many Black lawyers before you would have loved to have had such a wonderful opportunity – to be inspired and empowered, and to actually interact with Black law students, lawyers, and judges. For yourself and for them, strive to take full and complete advantage of every single moment. Remain humble and stay hungry. Know that the panelists, speakers, advisors, discussion group leaders, staff, and volunteers are all here for you because they re-ally do care about you and want to see you succeed in this tumultuous journey to gain entry into and through law school and beyond. You have not chosen an easy path, but one that is doable – if you really want it badly enough. It is your personal responsibility to be extremely proac-tive, and to initiate and maintain relationships with those in attendance who bring with them an incredible amount of invaluable insight, knowledge, and experience.

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Make every minute and contact count. Then, go back to your schools, jobs, and communities and share what you’ve learned with other aspiring lawyers. Encourage them to come. Choose to return and support the event throughout the years so we can keep it going and make it better and stronger. Yes, this conference is a free event, but it’s really not. Your registration fee is the expectation that you pay it forward, and make the commitment that you will be here in the next few years serving as future keynote speakers, invited guests, and panelists so you can play your special role in giving back by encouraging other aspiring Black lawyers! Enjoy the conference and I look forward to meeting, hearing from, and keeping in touch with many of you throughout the years.

Best and sincere regards,

Evangeline M. Mitchell, Esq.Founder & ChairpersonNational Black Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair

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C O N T E N T S

Letters of Greeting/Expressions of Support from Bar Association Leaders and Elected

Officials ................................................................................................................................7

Keynote Speakers .............................................................................................................37

Special Guests ..................................................................................................................41

Schedule of Events ...........................................................................................................45

Panel Descriptions ............................................................................................................51

Featured Panelists & Moderators ......................................................................................60

Law School Recruitment Fair Participants ........................................................................75

Sponsors & Acknowledgements ........................................................................................76

Pre-Law Resources Fair ....................................................................................................78

2008 Legacy Builder Award Honorees ..............................................................................79

Black EsquireTM Magazine

Publisher & Editor: Evangeline M. MitchellDesign & Layout: Dan BonetatiPrinting: The Imaging BureauAdvertising: [email protected] Submissions: [email protected]

All material in this magazine is copyright (C) 2008 by Black Esquire, The National Black Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair, and Persistence of Vision LLC. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

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Latham & Watkins proudly supports the

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K E Y N O T E S P E A K E R S

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2 0 0 8 K E Y N O T E S P E A K E R S

Rodney G. Moore, Esq.President National Bar Association Atlanta, Georgia

Rodney G. Moore, Esq. received his bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Washington and his doctor of jurisprudence from Santa Clara University School of Law (1985). In 1989, Attorney Moore opened the Moore Law Firm, APC, in Downtown San Jose. Rodney operated a very successful practice, handling major cases (one of which was featured on Dateline NBC and CBS Eye on America). His skilled civil advocacy led to him being named Lawyer of The Year in 1998 by the California Association of Black Lawyers. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Moore served as general counsel of the East Side Union High School District in San Jose, California. In January 2000, after a nationwide search, he accepted the po-sition as general counsel and chief legal officer of the Atlanta Public Schools. In July 2005, Rod-ney joined Greenberg Traurig, LLP. At the firm, Attorney Moore represents Fortune 500 compa-nies and public agencies in labor and employment, and general litigation. He is a member of the litigation and media and entertainment groups. Mr. Moore is a past president of the Santa Clara County Black Lawyers Association (1989-91), and a past president of the California Associa-tion of Black Lawyers (1993-94), a statewide association representing 6,000 Black lawyers and judges. He served as general counsel to the National Bar Association from 1997 to 1999, and vice president from 2002-2004. Attorney Moore is an “AV” [Martindale-Hubbell] rated lawyer, and was selected for inclusion in the 2007 and 2008 editions of The Best Lawyers in America. The National Law Journal in which he was named among the 2008 “50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America.” Currently, he is on the Board of Visitors at Santa Clara University Law School and is a member of the 100 Black Men of America (Atlanta Chapter).Attorney Moore, a San Jose, California native, has become the first Georgia lawyer to serve as NBA President in the 82-year history of the association.

Shawn D. Stuckey, J.D. Attorney Zelle Hoffman Minneapolis, Minnesota

Shawn D. Stuckey, J.D. is a recent graduate of The University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prior to law school, he was an NFL football player who served brief stints as a linebacker for the New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, and Tampa Bay Buc-caneers. Mr. Stuckey is the current co-chair of the Legal Department for the St. Paul Chapter of the NAACP. He has held this position since being a law student, which made him the only law student in the United States to serve in that role.Mr. Stuckey was raised in rural Alabama and overcame tremendous obstacles on his journey to becoming an attorney. Mr. Stuckey grew up in poverty in a drug-infested environment. Six out of seven of his aunts and uncles were all addicted to crack cocaine, in addition to his mother, who is still currently addicted. Mr. Stuckey was raised on welfare and food stamps while living in public government housing his entire adolescent life. He lived with his single mother and never met his father.Mr. Stuckey became the first person in his family to make it past the eighth grade by graduating with honors ranking 11th in his high school class and going on to attend Vanderbilt University, a top 20 academic higher education institution. He went on to work towards his master of business administration at the prestigious Citadel, and eventually attained over 21 high school, collegiate, and professional championships, including one world championship, and set an NFL record in the process.In law school, Mr. Stuckey held the position of circulation editor for The Midwest BLSA Law Journal and the position of associate editor for The University of St. Thomas School of Law Review. While in law school, Mr. Stuckey achieved such distinctions as placement on the


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prestigious dean’s honors list, three dean’s Academic Achievement Awards (given to the law student with the highest grade in the course), was a recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship, and was awarded the 2007 Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers’ Academic Achievement Schol-arship. Mr. Stuckey was recently selected as the 2008 winner of The University of St. Thomas (UST) Scholarly Engagement and Societal Reform Award, and is the UST Law Chapter of Amnesty International’s 2008 Human Rights Award recipient.Mr. Stuckey also accomplished the task of becoming one of the few law students ever to publish two law review articles while still in law school, one of which was at a top 15 law school. In addition, Mr. Stuckey also published an American Bar Association article, and three other ar-ticles with various publications. One of Mr. Stuckey’s articles now makes him an award-winning author as it has been honored by the Minnesota Women Lawyers as the recipient of their 2007 Equal Justice Award, which recognizes the best written law student article on a topic of equal justice. Also, called by at least one Minnesota lawyer as “one of the most educated persons in the intricacies of Minnesota Expungement Law,” Mr. Stuckey has served as a frequent con-sultant to Minnesota practitioners. These accomplishments have all been attained while he concurrently amassed over 400 hours of public service between his second and third years of law school.Mr. Stuckey contributed a valuable piece to the 62-page Minnesota-focused Shadow Report on the international review of non-U.S. compliance with one of the ratified human rights treaties in Geneva, Switzerland. As a result of this article and other various social justice contributions, Mr. Stuckey had been asked to give testimony to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland in February 2008 at the 72nd Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Mr. Stuckey is now a first-year associate at Zelle Hofmann in Minneapolis, Minnesota where his practice area is complex litigation. Mr. Stuckey will also continue the fight for equal justice by working pro bono and continuing to co-chair the Legal Department of the St. Paul branch of the NAACP.

Jolanda “Jo” Jones, Esq. Houston City Council MemberAttorney, BusinesswomanHouston, Texas

Jolanda “Jo” Jones, Esq. attended Alief Elsik High School in Houston, Texas, where she gradu-ated magna cum laude and was an All-American in both track and field and basketball. She is the only person to win the Texas State 5A Team Championship as an individual. After high school, Jones went on to graduate magna cum laude with a degree in political science from the University of Houston. She served on numerous university and community boards and organi-zations and was a member of the student government. Jones was nominated by the university as a Rhodes Scholar and received the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Post-graduate Scholarship. In 1995, Jones earned her juris doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center. She is currently self-employed as a lawyer, consultant, and community activist. Ms. Jones was the 1989 US Track and Field Heptathlon Champion and earned an unprec-edented three NCAA heptathlon championships. She was the runner-up for the Southwest Conference (SWC) Female Athlete of the Decade for the 80s, two-time Academic All-American while at the University of Houston, and a 1989 NCAA Top Six Award winner. An abusive relationship forced Ms. Jones to retire from track and field for seven years. Despite the odds, she resumed training while working part-time as a corporate lawyer. Within three months, she had qualified for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials. Unfortunately, her 19-year-old brother was murdered two weeks before she was to compete. His death and her meager five months of training proved too much to overcome, although she did win the high jump portion of the heptathlon and was in sixth place after three events. After competing in three events, she became severely dehydrated and was forced to withdraw. Such accomplishments have earned Ms. Jones a spot in the Cougar Hall of Fame at the Uni-versity of Houston Athletic/Alumni Center. She was inducted into the GTE (Verizon) Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1999. She was inducted into the Texas Black Hall of Fame in 2003. Ms. Jones largely credits her success to her tumultuous childhood. When she was 13-months-old, her father committed suicide while she was in the room. Her mother had four more children,


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and Ms. Jones became their primary caretaker while their mother worked. There were times when the family went without water, electricity, or heat. When Jones was a teenager, their rented house burned down due to the use of candles in place of electricity. Two of her uncles committed suicide, her aunt was murdered, and various members of her family are in prison and on welfare. Despite the many obstacles she had to overcome, Ms. Jones credits her criti-cizing mother and supportive grandmother for teaching her to be the best and stand up for the poor and disenfranchised. Jolanda Jones’ niece died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in 2000. Consequently, she sits on the board of the 501(c)(3) named after her niece, the U’jana Conley Foundation for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. She also sits on the board of the Land Assemblage Rede-velopment Authority for the City of Houston. Additionally, she is a member of the Houston City Council.

The Honorable Arthur L. Burnett, Sr. National Executive DirectorNational African American Drug Policy CoalitionWashington, DC

Senior Judge Arthur L. Burnett, Sr. is a graduate of Howard University summa cum laude with a major in political science and a minor in economics. In his junior year, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He then attended New York University School of Law where he received his law degree in 1958, graduating in the top 10% of his class, and as a Founders’ Day Award recipient. He was also associate research editor for the law review. He commenced his law career in the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the United States Department of Justice in the Criminal Division in June 1958. In April 1965, he became an assistant United States attorney in Washington, D.C. In December 1968, he became the first general counsel of the Metropolitan Police Department in the District of Columbia. On June 26, 1969, he was appointed the first African American United States magistrate (now call United States magistrate judges) in the United States, in which capacity he served until December 1975. He then became the legal advisor for the United States Civil Service System, and between 1977-1980 he served also as a legal advisor to the President of the United States on all civil service and personnel laws in the United States and as one of the President’s chief rep-resentatives in dealing with all bills pending before the U.S. Congress dealing with the federal personnel system. In January 1980, he was appointed United States magistrate judge in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for the second time, where he served until appointed by the President to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in November 1987. He retired in October 1998 and then became senior judge status in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. While retaining the status of a senior judge, on August 1, 2004, he took a sabbatical and assumed the position of national executive director of the National African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc., in which position he now serves in addition to being an adjunct law professor at two law schools.

David A. Green, Esq.Professor and Associate Dean for Academic AffairsNorth Carolina Central University School of LawDurham, North Carolina

David Alan Green, Esq. is a professor of law and the associate dean for academic affairs at North Carolina Central University School of Law in Durham, North Carolina. He earned his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, where he received his B.A. with a major in government with a public administration concentration, and a minor in sociology. He then at-tended Georgetown University Law Center, where he received his J.D. Professor Green clerked with the Honorable John Garrett Penn of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, from 1988 to 1990. He then worked as an associate with the firm of Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler, in Washington, D.C.


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In 1992, he left private practice to pursue an LL.M. at Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which he received in 1994. Thereafter, he worked as a special as-sistant United States district attorney for the District of Columbia and an assistant United States attorney for the District of Delaware in Wilmington, Delaware until 1999.Professor Green was a teaching fellow at Temple University School of Law, from August 1992 to May 1994, and served as an adjunct professor at Widener Law School from 1996 to 1999, at which time he started teaching at the North Carolina Central University School of Law.He has taught Disability Rights, Insurance, and Legal Writing and Research. At NCCU, he teaches Employment Discrimination, Professional Responsibility, and Torts. He has published an article, “Balancing Ethical Concerns Against Liberal Discovery: The Case of Rule 4.2 and the Problem of Loophole Lawyering,” 8 Geo. J. Legal Ethics 283 (1995).At NCCU School of Law, he participates in the “Invest in Success” pre-bar course offered by the Law School for NCCU students taking the bar exam. He also serves as advisor to the Moot Court Board.

Vernellia R. Randall, Esq.Professor of LawUniversity of Dayton School of Law Dayton, Ohio

Vernellia R. Randall, Esq. is a professor at the University of Dayton School of Law where she has taught since 1990. Professor Randall writes extensively on and speaks internationally about race, women, and health care. She is the recipient of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health Chairman’s Award, and she was named one of the “Top 10 Most Influential African-Americans” on the 2001 Black Equal Opportunity Employment Journal list.Professor Randall hasn’t always been associated with the study or practice of law. “I grew up during Jim Crow in the South,” she says. “If you were a black woman going to college, you either became a nurse or a teacher.” She chose nursing. She liked the profession, and had worked in nursing homes while in high school. As a nurse, Professor Randall provided pub-lic health nursing services and served as an administrator for a statewide health program in Alaska.Involved in public health work for more than 15 years, Professor Randall focused on eliminat-ing disparities in health care for minorities and the poor. She believed a thorough knowledge of the law would help her become more effective in her mission, so she enrolled in law school. After graduating in 1987 from Lewis and Clark Law School, she became an associate with a Portland, Oregon law firm where she specialized in health care law and issues relating to health and disability insurance coverage. She also served as an adjunct faculty member at Lewis and Clark College. She soon turned to teaching full-time, wanting to make a “greater intellectual impact.” Professor Randall has also served as a consultant to the Clinton Administration Advisory Com-mittee on Health Care Reform and as a grant reviewer for the National Institute of Health. She was also an expert witness in the State of Missouri v. Philip Morris trial. She has been recog-nized in Who’s Who in the World since 1995 and Who’s Who in the United States since 1998.

S P E C I A L G U E S T S

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(In alphabetical order according to last name)

Sonya Bishop, Esq.Vice ChairRacial Diversity in the Profession CommitteeState Bar of Texas

Sonya Bishop, Esq. is senior counsel for ConocoPhillips. Ms. Bishop began her career with ConocoPhillips in 2003, as counsel. Prior to joining ConocoPhillips in 2003, Ms. Bishop prac-ticed commercial and tort litigation at Vinson & Elkins in Houston, Texas. Ms. Bishop earned a bachelor of arts degree from Rice University and a doctor of jurisprudence with honors from the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Bishop is licensed to practice in Texas and admitted to practice in the Southern District of Texas. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Houston Young Lawyers Association, and Houston Bar Association. She serves on several State Bar Committees, and most recently served as the vice chair of the Racial Diversity in the Profession Committee. She has served as director of programs and CLEs for the State Bar of Texas. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Houston Bar Foundation.

E. Steve Bolden, II, Esq.ChairAfrican American Lawyers SectionState Bar of TexasDallas, Texas

E. Steve Bolden II, Esq. is an attorney at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in Dallas, Texas. His law practice focuses on a variety of corporate and securities matters. Prior to his current employer, Mr. Bolden worked for a regional Dallas-based law firm. Mr. Bolden received his A.B. in government from Dartmouth College in 1997 and his J.D. magna cum laude in 2000 from Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University, where he was a member of the Board of Advocates. He serves as president of the J.L. Turner Legal Association, the Afri-can American Bar Association of Dallas, and chair of the African American Lawyers Section for the State Bar of Texas. He also serves as a director of the Dallas Bar Association and serves on the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas as a section representative. Mr. Bolden has received presidential citations from the J.L. Turner Legal Association and the Dallas Bar Asso-ciation. He is a fellow of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, Dallas Bar Foundation, and the State Bar of Texas Foundation. He was selected for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in 2005 through 2008.

Sharonda Boyce Director National Black Law Students Association, College Student Division Atlanta, Georgia

Sharonda Boyce is a second-year law student at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. She received a bachelor of science in finance from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. While attending Emory Law, she has been a member of the Emory Public Interest Committee, Student Legal Services, and has served as an admissions ambassador. Ms. Boyce currently serves on the Executive Board of the National Black Law Students Asso-ciation as the national director of the College Student Division.


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Crystal FordPresidentBlack Law Students AssociationUniversity of Houston Law CenterHouston, Texas

Crystal Ford is currently the President of the Black Law Student Association at the University of Houston Law Center where is a 2010 J.D. candidate. Prior to law school, Ms. Ford earned a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Bethew “Bert” B. Jennings III, Esq.PresidentHouston Lawyers AssociationHouston, Texas

Bethew “Bert” B. Jennings III, Esq. is a principal in Jennings Law Group, specializing in provid-ing intellectual property expertise to small businesses and corporations that lack in-house intellectual property counsel. Prior to returning to Houston to concentrate on the Jennings Law Group, Attorney Jennings was executive director of intellectual property for AT&T, specializing in patent licensing and sales. Mr. Jennings was also employed with Halliburton Company for 8 years, where he served as sole intellectual property counsel of Landmark Graphics Corporation within Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. Mr. Jennings received a bachelor in computer science from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, a master in computer science from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, a doctor of jurisprudence from Georgia State University Col-lege of Law in Atlanta, Georgia, and a master of intellectual property from Franklin Pierce Law Center, in Concord, New Hampshire. He is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is a member of the State Bar of Texas, where he has served as chairman of the African American Lawyers Section and vice chairman of the Council of Chairs.

Eric M. Mathis, Esq.ChairNational Bar Association, Young Lawyers Divison Detroit, Michigan

Eric M. Mathis, Esq. is an associate based in the Detroit office of Butzel Long, practicing primar-ily in the area of commercial litigation. Mr. Mathis concentrates his practice in litigation matters, in both state and federal courts. Mr. Mathis graduated from the University of Michigan (B.A., 1996) and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (J.D., 2002), where he wrote for The Pittsburgh Journal of Technology Law and Policy and served as vice president of the Black Law Students Association, coordinating the High School Moot Court Competition and the Street Law Clinic. Mr. Mathis serves on the Board of Directors of the Wolverine Bar Association and on the Barristers Board of Directors for the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, where he was named 2007 Barrister of the Year. He is chair of the National Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. He is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Litigation, is a committee vice chair of the Real Property Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the ABA Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, and a member of the Diversity Committee of the ABA Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law.

Ami M. Sanchez , Esq.Associate Counsel National Campaign for Fair Elections, Voting Rights ProjectLawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Washington, DC

Ami M. Sanchez, Esq. currently serves as associate counsel for the National Campaign for Fair Elections, an initiative of the Voting Rights Project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which serves as the legal lead for Election Protection - the nation’s largest non-par-tisan voter protection coalition. Prior to joining the Lawyers’ Committee, Ms. Sanchez served


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as the assistant director for lawyer chapters at the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS). Before working at ACS, Ms. Sanchez worked for the New York State Demo-cratic Senate Campaign Committee. Currently, Ms. Sanchez serves as a member of the Voting Rights Committee of the Hispanic National Bar Association; co-chair of the Communications Committee of the Hispanic Bar Association of Washington, D.C.; chair of the Board Support Committee of the Hispanic Lobbyists Association; co-chair of the Special Projects Committee of the Washington, D.C. Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society; and is an active member of the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association. Ms. Sanchez is a 2006 graduate of Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, and received her B.A. in 2002 from Hollins Univer-sity, where she studied political science and economics.

Daryl K. Washington , Esq.Deputy Chief of Staff National Bar Association Dallas, Texas

Daryl K. Washington, Esq. is a partner at Shackelford, Melton & McKinley in Dallas, Texas. His experience includes representing clients in a variety of commercial and general litigation mat-ters, settlement negotiations, depositions, mediations, contract and business practice disputes, and other matters involving complex and unique issues. Mr. Washington is a member of the Dallas Bar Association (DBA), serving as chair of the Judicial Investiture Committee. He served on the DBA Board of Directors for 2003-04. He was the 2004 president of the J.L. Turner Legal Association and a member of the Board of Directors in 2003-04 and 2006. He also served as the Sports, Entertainment and Art Section’s chair of sports programs. He is a 2005 Dallas Bar Foundation Fellow and was named Attorney of the Year in 2007 by the National Bar Associa-tion’s (NBA) Sports, Entertainment and Art Section. Recently, Attorney Washington received the NBA’s 2008 Presidential Award and Outstanding Region of the Year Award. Currently, he serves as deputy chief of staff for the National Bar Association. Additionally, he is a Patrick E. Higgin-botham American Inns of Court member. Attorney Washington is a graduate of Grambling State University where he received a degree in accounting. He earned a law degree cum laude from Southern University Law Center. As a law student, he was a member of the Southern Univer-sity Law Review and the Moot Court Board.

Wintta M. Woldemariam ChairNational Black Law Students Association Austin, Texas

Wintta M. Woldemariam is a third-year law student at The University of Texas School of Law. She received a dual bachelor’s of arts in political science and African & African-American stud-ies, and a minor in history from Duke University. While at Duke, Ms. Woldemariam served as the president of the Black Student Alliance, as well serving in leadership roles on the Presi-dent’s Council on Black Affairs, Duke Student Government, and Delta Sigma Theta. She was awarded the Karla F.C. Holloway Award for Service and the University Involvement Award at Duke University for her commitment to social action and service to the community. At the Uni-versity of Texas, Ms. Woldemariam is the recipient of the Presidential Scholarship in Law. She also works as a student attorney in the Immigration Clinic, as well as a member of the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society, Street Law, and Society Mentor Program. She also served as the Social Action Chair of the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA). Currently, she is the chair of the NBLSA.

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S C H E D U L E O F E V E N T S

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F R I D A Y , O C T O B E R 1 0 , 2 0 0 8

7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. FREE Registration/Check-In for Registration Materials7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Complimentary Welcome Breakfast - Continental Breakfast/

Fellowship 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Opening Session Invocation/Opening Prayer Welcome/How to Maximize Your Conference Experience - Evan-

geline M. Mitchell, Esq., Founder & Chairperson, National Black Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair

Remarks – Bert Jennings, Esq., President, Houston Lawyers As-sociation (HLA) (Houston, Texas)

Remarks – Daryl K. Washington, Esq., Deputy Chief of Staff, Na-tional Bar Association (Dallas, Texas)

Featured Keynote Speaker: Rodney G. Moore, Esq., President, National Bar Association (NBA) (Atlanta, Georgia)

Remarks - Wintta M. Woldemariam, National Chairperson, Na-tional Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) (Austin, Texas)

Featured Keynote Speaker: Shawn D. Stuckey, J.D., Associate, Zelle Hoffman and Chair, NAACP Legal Department, Saint Paul Chapter (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Presentation of Plaques Acknowledgment of Sponsors Housekeeping Issues9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (NOON) Law School Recruitment Fair University of Houston Hilton Hotel12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Pick Up Complimentary Lunch (first come, first served) Sponsored by Andrews Kurth LLP12:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. SESSION #1 FOCUS: THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS PROCESS Law School Admissions Professionals Panel: What Every Law

School Applicant Needs to Know About the Law School Admis-sions Process

QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD 1:50 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Break2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. SESSION #2 FOCUS: THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSION TEST (LSAT) Addressing the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Achievement

Gap: Keys to Excellent Preparation for Earning the Competitive Scores that Law Schools Want

QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD


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3:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. PRE-LAW RESOURCES FAIR/MARKET PLACE3:15 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. Break3:25 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. SESSION #3 FOCUS: THE PERSONAL STATEMENT AND THE DIVERSITY STATE-

MENT The Law School Personal Statement and Diversity Statement:

What They Are, Their Role in the Admissions Process, and How to Write Effective Statements That Really Stand Out

QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Break5:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. SESSION #4 FOCUS: FINANCING A LEGAL EDUCATION How to Pay for Law School: Insider Information on Loans, Scholar-

ships, Fellowships, and Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (and Tips on Money Management)

QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. REFRESHMENT BREAK NETWORKING POWER HOUR7:15 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. SESSION #5 FOCUS: LAW SCHOOL SELECTION The Truth About Law School Rankings, and How to Choose the

Law School That is Best for YOU QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD CONCURRENT SESSION #5 FOCUS: LAW SCHOOL CHOICE/CAREER SUCCESS Blazing Your Own Trail: Creating Opportunity from Every Tier in the

Spectrum Sponsored by Baker Botts LLP QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD7:15 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS & PREPARATION ADVICE HELP

CLINIC8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Professional Networking Social/Mentorship Mixer (refresh-

ments and drinks served) Topic: The Importance of Networking and Mentorship for Future Success Theme: Nacho Bar and Margaritas Featured Keynote Speaker: Jolanda “Jo” Jones, Esq., Lawyer,

City Council Member, Businesswoman, Athlete, Former “Survivor: Palau” Contestant (Houston, Texas)

Gospel/Inspirational Music

S A T U R D A Y , O C T O B E R 1 1 , 2 0 0 87:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. FREE Registration / New Attendees Check-In for Registration

Materials7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Complimentary Continental Breakfast/Fellowship7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Icebreaker – Networking Activity


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8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Invocation/Opening Prayer Welcome – Evangeline M. Mitchell, Esq., Founder and Chair,

National Black Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair Remarks – Eric M. Mathis, Esq., Chair, National Bar Association,

Young Lawyers Division (NBA-YLD) (Detroit, Michigan) Remarks – Sonya Bishop, Esq., Vice Chair, Racial Diversity in the

Profession Committee, State Bar of Texas (Houston, Texas) Remarks – Sharonda Boyce, Chair, College Student Division, Na-

tional Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) (Atlanta, Georgia) Featured Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Arthur L. Burnett, Sr.,

Senior Judge and Executive Director of the National African Ameri-can Drug Policy Coalition, Inc. (Washington, DC)

Remarks – E. Steve Bolden II, Esq., Chair, African American Law-yers Section, State Bar of Texas (Dallas, Texas)

Special Presentation on Election Protection: Ami M. Sanchez, Esq., Associate Counsel, National Campaign for Fair Elections, Voting Rights Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Washington, DC)

Election Protection Efforts: A Call to Action Presentation of Plaques Acknowledgement of Sponsors Housekeeping Issues9:00 a.m. – 10:35 a.m. SESSION #6 FOCUS: INTRODUCTION TO THE CASE METHOD AND THE SOCRATIC

METHOD/MOCK LAW SCHOOL CLASS Participants are expected to have read the assigned case and to

be well-prepared for full engagement in the class session. QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD CONCURRENT SESSION #6 FOCUS: FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ONLY – EARLY PREPARA-

TION FOR LAW SCHOOL AND LEGAL CAREER EXPLORA-TION

What You Can Do Now to Prepare to Become a Highly Competi-tive Law School Candidate: Strategies and Advice for Success in College, Law School, and Beyond

QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD10:35 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Break10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (NOON) SESSION #7 FOCUS: THE LAW SCHOOL EXPERIENCE How to Become an All-Around Successful Law Student: The Reali-

ties of Life as a Law Student and How to Make the Most of the Entire Law School Experience

CONCURRENT SESSION #7 FOCUS: RACE & GENDER ISSUES The Double Minority: The Additional Challenges of Being Both

Black and a Woman in the Legal Profession AND


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Black Men in the Legal Profession: Getting More of Us on the Other Side of the Law

QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. PRE-LAW RESOURCES FAIR/MARKETPLACE12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Pick Up Complimentary Lunch (first come, first served)

Sponsored by Hope’s Promise Publishing and Civic Frame12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch Round Tables Discussions led by law students, law school graduates, law school

administrators, and attorneys1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. SESSION #9 FOCUS: DIVERSITY ISSUES Life as a Black Law Student: Coping with the Additional Burdens of

Racism and Prejudice, and Ways to Make Positive Contributions in the Law School Environment and Legal Work Setting

QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD3:00 p.m. – 3:10 p.m. Break3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. SESSION #10 FOCUS: THE BAR EXAM African Americans and the Bar Exam: Understanding Exactly What

It Takes to Pass this High-Stakes Exam and Earn Your License to Practice Law

CONCURRENT SESSION #10 FOCUS: THE JOB SEARCH What You Need to Know to Gain Employment and Advance in the

Legal Profession That You Will Not Learn Anywhere Else Sponsored by Faegre & Benson LLP4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. REFRESHMENT BREAK (Refreshments provided) NETWORKING POWER HALF-HOUR5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. SESSION #11 FOCUS: CAREERS (OPPORTUNITIES) African American Lawyers: Diverse Career Paths and Options QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD CONCURRENT SESSION #11 FOCUS: CAREERS (LAW PRACTICE/ENTREPRENEURSHIP) African American Attorneys With Their Own Law Practices: The

Challenges and Rewards of Being a Legal Entrepreneur QUESTION & ANSWER PERIOD5:00 p.m. – 9:45 p.m. LSAT Informational Session/Practice Diagnostic Test Presented by Princeton Review6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. Break6:45 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Special Closing Session Welcome - April Yvonne Garrett, Advisory Board, National Black

Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair Remarks - Crystal Ford, President, Black Law Students Associa-

tion, University of Houston Law Center (Houston, Texas)


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Featured Keynote Speaker: David A. Green, Esq., Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, North Carolina Central University School of Law (Durham, North Carolina)

Remarks - Keith Lamar, President, Black Law Students Associa-tion, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University (Houston, Texas)

Featured Keynote Speaker: Vernellia R. Randall, Esq., Professor of Law, University of Dayton School of Law and Co-Founder of the J.D. Project (Dayton, Ohio)

2008 Legacy Builder Awards – PresentationsVernellia R. Randall, Esq. Board Chair and Co-Founder, The J.D. ProjectTshaka Randall, Esq. President and Co-Founder, The J.D. ProjectDonald M. Temple, Esq. Founder and Executive Director, Charles Hamilton Houston Law School Preparatory InstituteJo Ana Saint-George, Esq. Founder and Chair, National Bar Association Arizona Diversity Pipeline Program, Inc.The Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones (Posthumous), Mentor and Advocate for Future African American Lawyers

Recognition Ceremony - Presided by Evangeline M. Mitchell, Esq., Founder and Chair, National Black Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair

Awards and Recognition of Conference Speakers, Panelists, Mod-erators, Volunteers, and Law Schools

Acknowledgement of Sponsors Closing Prayer8:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Complete Conference Evaluations and Return8:30 p.m. – 12:00 p.m. Future Lawyers Farewell Networking Reception (Refresh-

ments provided) Sponsored by Lawyerly Love Theme: Chicken Wings and Champagne Speed Networking Activities Old School/Rhythm & Blues/Soul

S U N D A Y , O C T O B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 89:00 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. LSAT Informational Session/Practice Diagnostic Test Presented by Princeton Review

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P A N E L D E S C R I P T I O N S

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SESSION #1FOCUS: THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS PROCESS Law School Admissions Professionals Panel: What Every Law

School Applicant Needs to Know About the Law School Admissions Process

DESCRIPTION: In this panel, knowledgeable law school admissions deans and direc-tors discuss admissions requirements, what law schools are looking for in “competitive” applicants, and what minority candidates can do to stand apart from other smart and talented admissions candidates. These ad-missions “insiders” will also discuss Grutter v. Bollinger, affirmative action, and the role that “diversity” plays in the admissions process.

MODERATOR: Aaron N. Taylor, Esq., Assistant Dean for Admissions, University of Arkan-sas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law (Little Rock, Arkansas)

PANELISTS: Delphine Byrd, Associate Director, Admissions Office, University of Michi-gan Law School (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

Yvonne Cherena-Pacheco, J.D., LL.M., Assistant Dean for Enrollment Management and Director of Admissions, The City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law (Flushing, New York)

Monica Ingram, Esq., Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid, University of Texas School of Law (Austin, Texas)

Reginald McGahee, Esq., Assistant Dean and Dean of Admissions, How-ard University School of Law (Washington, DC)

Jill Nikirk, Esq., Associate Director of Admissions, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (Dallas, Texas)

SESSION #2FOCUS: THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSION TEST (LSAT) Addressing the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Achievement

Gap: Keys to Excellent Preparation for Earning the Competitive Scores that Law Schools Want

DESCRIPTION: This panel discusses the extremely important role that the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) plays in distinguishing applicants for admission and its usefulness as a predictor of success during the first year in law school. Panelists impart critical information on how applicants can best prepare themselves to perform at their highest level on this all-important exam. There will also be discussion about some of the factors that lead to African Americans’ underperforming on these exams, and how future test takers can avoid making common mistakes and buying into stereotypes and misconceptions that contribute to less than stellar scores.

MODERATOR: David E. Danner, Esq., Attorney at Law, Law Office of David E. Danner, P.C. and Contract Specialist, Division of Research and Sponsored Pro-grams, Tennessee State University (Nashville, Tennessee)

PANELISTS: Khary Hornsby, J.D., Associate Director of Admission and Recruitment, Emory University School of Law (Atlanta, Georgia)

BarbaraKaye Miller, Esq., Dean of Admissions, Phoenix School of Law (Phoenix, Arizona)

Virginia Keehan, J.D., Assistant Dean for Admissions, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (Dallas, Texas)

Reginald McGahee, Esq., Assistant Dean and Dean of Admissions, How-ard University School of Law (Washington, DC)


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Aaron N. Taylor, Esq., Assistant Dean for Admissions, University of Arkan-sas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law (Little Rock, Arkansas)

Mario T. Trimble, Esq., Associate, Kutak Rock LLP (Denver, Colorado)SESSION #3FOCUS: THE PERSONAL STATEMENT AND THE DIVERSITY STATEMENT The Law School Personal Statement and Diversity Statement: What

They Are, Their Role in the Admissions Process, and How to Write Effective Statements That Really Stand Out

DESCRIPTION: In this session, panelists will discuss the differences between personal statements and diversity statements, what law school admissions com-mittees consider to be effective and powerful statements, and how these writing samples can either help you or hurt you. They also provide tips on how to write a statement that stands out from the pack, and point out common mistakes applicants should avoid.

MODERATOR: DeMonica D. Gladney, Esq., Counsel, Exxon Mobil Corporation (Houston, Texas)

PANELISTS: Lynda Cevallos, Esq., Pre-Law Coordinator, Council on Legal Education Opportunity, American Bar Association (Washington, DC)

Yvonne Cherena-Pacheco, J.D., LL.M., Assistant Dean for Enrollment Management and Director of Admissions, The City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law (Flushing, New York)

Darrell J. Davis, Esq., Assistant Dean for Students and Multicultural Af-fairs, Hamline University School of Law (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

` Sandra L. English, Esq., Coordinator of Law Admissions and Multicultural Recruitment, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State Univer-sity (Cleveland, Ohio)

Fareza Khan, Director of Admissions, St. Thomas University School of Law (Miami Gardens, Florida)

SESSION #4FOCUS: FINANCING A LEGAL EDUCATION How to Pay for Law School: Insider Information on Loans, Scholarships,

Fellowships, Grants, and Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (and Tips on Money Management

DESCRIPTION: In this discussion, panelists will cover how aspiring lawyers without per-sonal or family wealth will be able to finance an expensive professional legal education. Information will be provided about those resources avail-able (including loans, scholarships, fellowships, grants, as well as Loan Repayment Assistance Programs) and how incoming law students can qualify for them. There will also be discussion on debt management and how one’s debt load can impact their career decisions.

MODERATOR: Angela L. Dixon, Esq., Attorney at Law, The Law Office of Angela L. Dixon, PLLC (Houston, Texas)

PANELISTS: Lynda Cevallos, Esq., Pre-Law Coordinator, Council on Legal Education Opportunity (Washington, DC)

Carolyn Dennis, Director of Admission, Willamette University College of Law (Salem, Oregon)

Catina M. Haynes, Esq., Associate, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. (Houston, Texas)

Fareza Khan, Director of Admissions, St. Thomas University School of Law (Miami Gardens, Florida)

Ashlee Caligone McFarlane, Third-Year Law Student, Vanderbilt Law


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School (Nashville, Tennessee) BarbaraKaye Miller, Esq., Dean of Admissions, Phoenix School of Law

(Phoenix, Arizona)SESSION #5FOCUS: LAW SCHOOL SELECTION The Truth About Law School Rankings, and How to Choose the Law

School That is Best for YOU DESCRIPTION: Just because a school is listed at the top of a popular ranking list does

not mean that it is the best law school for you. During this session, law school administrators and attorneys discuss the many factors one needs to seriously consider when making a decision about what law schools to apply to and ultimately to attend. Your law school choice will follow you throughout your career and professional life, therefore it is crucial that you make the right choice about the best law school that is right for you and that you can be proud of having attended.

MODERATOR: Everett Chambers, Esq., Director of Academic Support and Adjunct Professor of Law, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (Fort Worth, Texas)

PANELISTS: Mason D. Barrett, Esq., Director, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Savannah Local Office (Savannah, Georgia)

Darrell J. Davis, Esq., Assistant Dean for Students and Multicultural Af-fairs, Hamline University School of Law (St. Paul, Minnesota)

Shirley A. Jefferson, Esq., Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Diver-sity, Vermont Law School (South Royalton, Vermont)

Denise A. Robinson, Esq., Diversity Administrator, O’Melveny & Myers LLP (Washington, DC)

Dennis Ryan, Esq., Partner, Faegre & Benson LLP (Minneapolis, Minne-sota)

Jennifer Sims, J.D., Assistant Dean for Admissions, Cumberland School of Law Samford University (Birmingham, Alabama)

Kathryn R. Stell, Esq., Director of Diversity, Sidley Austin LLP (Chicago, Illinois)

Donna R. Tomlinson, Esq., Associate, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP (Dallas, Texas)

CONCURRENT SESSION #5FOCUS: LAW SCHOOL CHOICE/ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT/CAREER SUC-

CESS Blazing Your Own Trail: Creating Opportunity from Every Tier in the

Spectrum Sponsored by Baker Botts LLP DESCRIPTION: This panel will address the issue of creating your own unique path to suc-

cess if you do not attend a top 25/first-tier law school as ranked by U.S. News & World Report in its annual law school rankings and/or perform as well as you expected.

PANELISTS: Travis Foster, Esq., Associate, Intellectual Property Department, Baker Botts LLP (Dallas, Texas)

Sylvia James, Esq., Diversity Counsel, Baker Botts LLP (Washington, DC) Marcus LeBeouf, Esq., Associate, Corporate Department, Baker Botts

LLP (Houston, Texas)


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SESSION #6FOCUS: INTRODUCTION TO THE CASE METHOD AND THE SOCRATIC

METHOD Mock Law School Class DESCRIPTION: In this session, attendees have the chance to participate in an interactive

“mock” law school class taught by real law professors. Students must go to their assigned sessions, and are expected to have prepared for the class beforehand by reading and briefing the assigned case. A list of participants will be provided to professors, and any “law student” will be subject to being cold called by the professor. After the mock classroom experience, professors will take the time to discuss the case method and the Socratic method of class discussion as a learning tool to teach stu-dents how to “think like a lawyer.” They will also share their candid advice about the academic demands and responsibilities of being a law student, and the lessons to be learned, skills to be acquired, and work ethic to be sharpened during those three to four years of law school training.

LAW PROFESSORS: Everett Chambers, Esq., Director of Academic Support and Adjunct Professor of Law, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (Fort Worth, Texas)

David A. Green, Esq., Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, North Carolina Central University School of Law (Durham, North Carolina)

Melynda J. Price, J.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Law, University of Kentucky College of Law (Lexington, Kentucky)

Elbert L. Robertson, Esq., Professor of Law, Suffolk University School of Law (Boston, Massachusetts)

CONCURRENT SESSION #6FOCUS: FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ONLY – LAW SCHOOL AND LEGAL

CAREER EXPLORATION Preparation for Success Starts Today!: What You Can Do Now to

Prepare to Become a Highly Competitive Law School Candidate (Strategies and Advice for Success in High School and College)

DESCRIPTION: This session provides insight on things high school students can begin doing now to prepare themselves to become competitive law school can-didates. Concrete suggestions regarding academic performance, college choice, extracurricular involvement and leadership, research opportuni-ties, summer programs, work experiences, preparation for the LSAT, career exploration, and more will be discussed. It is very important to be strategic and to consider how you can make yourself the very best student and leader well before you even sit down to fill out your actual law school applications. The advice imparted will help high schoolers learn how to stand out and shine whether or not they ultimately decide to pursue law school or another graduate/professional program or career choice.

MODERATOR: Ronda L. Harrison, Esq., Associate Director of Academic Assistance and Student Counseling, South Texas College of Law (Houston, Texas)

PANELISTS: The Honorable Caroline Baker, Judge, 151st Civil District Court (Houston, Texas)

Damien L. Bevelle, President, Black Law Students Association; Second-Year Law Student, Seton Hall University School of Law (Newark, New Jersey)

Sharonda Boyce, Director, College Student Division, National Black Law Students Association; Second-Year Law Student, Emory University School of Law (Atlanta, Georgia)

Christina Crozier, Esq., Associate, Haynes and Boone, LLP (Houston,


55

Texas) Nakia M. Davis, Esq., Associate, Beck, Redden and Secrest, L.L.P.

(Houston, Texas) Frederick L. Day, Esq., Associate, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and

Flom LLP (Houston, Texas) SESSION #7FOCUS: THE LAW SCHOOL EXPERIENCE How to Become an All-Around Successful Law Student: Facing the

Realities of Life as a Law Student and Making the Most of the Entire Law School Experience

DESCRIPTION: In this session, panelists will discuss what life is really like as a law stu-dent – the high academic expectations and the daily grind, as well as the competing demands and opportunities outside of the classroom. They will provide strategies for achieving success in the classroom, during study, and on exams, as well as through positive involvement and leadership in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. They will stress the impor-tance of both working hard, playing hard, and having a support system in place in order to achieve a positive and somewhat balanced law school experience.


PANELISTS: Sharonda Boyce, Second-Year Law Student, Emory University School of Law (Atlanta, Georgia)

Cary Lee Cluck, Esq., Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, University of Mississippi School of Law (Oxford, Mississippi)

David A. Green, Esq., Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, North Carolina Central University School of Law (Durham, North Carolina)

Irene Oritseweyinmi Joe, Esq., Law Clerk, The Honorable Napoleon A. Jones, Jr., United States District Court for the Southern District of Califor-nia (San Diego, California)

Sonia Laird, Third-Year Law Student, University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Ngozi Okechukwu, Esq., Associate, Hunton & Williams LLP (Dallas, Texas)

Jackie Robinson, Esq., Partner, Thompson & Knight LLP (Dallas, Texas) Jamila Patten, Legislative Aide, Senator Leticia Van de Putte, State of

Texas; Third-Year Law Student, University of Houston Law Center (On Leave, Spring Semester) (Austin, Texas)

CONCURRENT SESSION #7FOCUS: RACE & GENDER ISSUES The Double Minority: The Additional Challenges of Being Both Black

and a Woman in the Legal Profession DESCRIPTION: Being Black in law school and in the legal profession is not easy, but

Black women have certain additional issues they must face as well in not only dealing with racial stereotypes but also gender inequalities. This panel confronts the difficulties of life as a double minority, and provides suggestions as to how to deal with those sensitive issues with dignity and grace. There will also be a brief discussion of the American Bar Associa-tion report “Visible Invisibility: Women of Color in Law Firms,” as well as “From Visible Invisibility to Visibly Successful: Success Strategies for Law


56

Firms and Women of Color in Law Firms.” MODERATOR: Jean Johnson, Esq., President and Chief Executive Officer, LegalWATCH

(Houston, Texas) PANELISTS: Jamila Boozer, Esq., Attorney at Law, Boozer Law Firm (Houston, Texas) Nakia M. Davis, Esq., Associate, Beck, Redden and Secrest, L.L.P.

(Houston, Texas) Demetra L. Liggins, Esq., Associate, Thompson & Knight LLP (Houston,

Texas) Tracie J. Jackson, Esq., Associate, Simoneaux and Frye, PLLC (Houston,

Texas) Tara M. Shaw, Esq., Assistant City Attorney, City of Houston (Houston,

Texas) AND Black Men in the Legal Profession: Getting More of Us on the Other

Side of the LawDESCRIPTION: It is widely publicized how a substantial number (one in four according to

some statistics) of Black men will be negatively involved in the criminal justice system and spend some time in jail. In this panel, discussants will touch on the issues that Black men face in achieving in college, and going on to law school and practicing law. The biases and prejudices that Black men in particular experience in law school and the legal profession, as well as the great need for higher Black male representation will be addressed. Panelists will consider ways we can reverse this alarming sta-tistic and interest more Black boys and men in wanting to become lawyers and making sure that they achieve their goals.

MODERATOR: Daryl K. Washington, Esq., Partner, Shackelford, Melton & McKinley (Dal-las, Texas)

PANELISTS: Damien L. Bevelle, President, Black Law Students Association; Second-Year Law Student, Seton Hall University School of Law (Newark, New Jersey)

Lonnie L. Johnson, Esq., Strategic Issues Manager, Public Affairs, Exxon Mobil Corporation (Houston, Texas)

Keith Lamar, President, Black Law Students Association; Second-Year Law Student, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern Univer-sity (Houston, Texas)

Rodney G. Moore, Esq., President, National Bar Association; Of Counsel, Greenberg Traurig (Atlanta, Georgia)

David Taylor, Esq., Attorney Advisor, United States Patent and Trademark Office (Washington, DC)

SESSION #8FOCUS: DIVERSITY ISSUES Life as a Black Law Student: Coping with the Additional Burdens of

Racism and Prejudice, and Ways to Make Positive Contributions in the Law School Environment and Legal Work Settings

DESCRIPTION: This session discusses the importance of diversity in law schools, and the challenges that this diversity can bring. Panelists address the realities of prejudice and discrimination in a diverse law school environment, particu-larly issues that Black law students must face. The discussion will provide helpful suggestions to assist future law students in understanding that they can use such instances as opportunities for teaching and leadership in the law school community precisely due to their unique experiences and perspectives. Their will also be discussion about navigating racial issues in legal work settings while still a law student.


57

MODERATOR: Andriel M. Dees, Esq., Associate Dean for Multicultural Affairs and Adjunct Professor, William Mitchell College of Law (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

PANELISTS: Jerome Coenic-Taylor, President, Black Law Students Association; Second-Year Law Student, University of Iowa College of Law (Iowa City, Iowa)

Janeia R. Daniels, Esq., Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Florida State University College of Law (Tallahassee, Florida)

Shirley A. Jefferson, Esq., Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Diver-sity, Vermont Law School (South Royalton, Vermont)

Sonya Montgomery, Esq., Third-Year Law Student, University of Denver Sturm School of Law (Denver, Colorado)

Shayne O’Reilly, Esq., Associate, Hunton & Williams LLP (Richmond, Virginia)

Reginald Skinner, Esq., Associate, Hunton & Williams LLP (Richmond, Virginia)

Donna R. Tomlinson, Esq., Associate, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP (Dallas, Texas)

Wintta M. Woldemariam, Chair, National Black Law Students Association; Third-Year Law Student, University of Texas School of Law (Austin, Texas)

SESSION #9FOCUS: THE BAR EXAM African Americans and the Bar Exam: Understanding Exactly What It

Takes to Pass this High-Stakes Exam and Earn Your License to Practice Law

DESCRIPTION: Panelists will discuss what the bar examination is, what it tests, and the bar preparation courses, tutors, and materials available. They also examine statistics regarding African American bar passage rates, and the real reasons why the bar exam presents such an obstacle for many African American law graduates in becoming licensed practicing attor-neys. Knowledgeable attorneys provide concrete suggestions and advice on how Black law students can ensure that they prepare well, persist, and get the support they need to ensure they succeed on this critically impor-tant, high-stakes exam – the passage of which presents the final hurdle to becoming a full-fledged “attorney and counselor at law.”


PANELISTS: Cheryl Alsandor, Esq., Attorney at Law, The Alsandor Law Firm (Houston, Texas)

U. Lawrence Boze’, Esq., Vice Chair, Board of Law Examiners, State Bar of Texas (Houston, Texas)

Everett Chambers, Esq., Director of Academic Support and Adjunct Professor of Law, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (Fort Worth, Texas)

Sandra English, Esq., Coordinator of Law Admissions and Multicultural Recruitment, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State Univer-sity (Cleveland, Ohio)

Ronda L. Harrison, Esq., Associate Director of Academic Assistance and Student Counseling, South Texas College of Law (Houston, Texas) Irene Oritseweyinmi Joe, Esq., Law Clerk, The Honorable Napoleon A. Jones, Jr., United States District Court for the Southern District of Califor-nia (San Diego, California)


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CONCURRENT SESSION #9FOCUS: THE JOB SEARCH What You Need to Know to Gain Employment and Advance in the

Legal Profession That You Will Not Learn Anywhere Else Sponsored by Faegre & Benson LLP DESCRIPTION: This panel is designed for those many future and current Black law

students who don’t have any lawyers in their families or close mentors to share with them what they need to do to be successful. There are many keys for successful entry into legal careers and for career success that you need to know, but you may not have access to “inside” information. Learn positive strategies to increase your chances for gaining employ-ment and positively advancing in your career. Advice and tips will be provided to help you understand what it takes to “make it” in the legal profession.

MODERATOR: Carolyn Sandberg, Esq., Diversity Manager, Faegre & Benson LLP (Min-neapolis, Minnesota)

PANELISTS: Darrell J. Davis, Esq., Assistant Dean for Students and Multicultural Affairs, Hamline University School of Law (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

Craig Kyle Hemphill, Esq., Attorney at Law, Craig Kyle Hemphill Law Offices PLLC (Houston, Texas)

Rodney G. Moore, Esq., President, National Bar Association; Of Counsel, Greenberg Traurig (Atlanta, Georgia)

Dacia Russell, Esq., Associate, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP (Washington, DC)

Dennis Ryan, Esq., Partner, Faegre & Benson LLP (Minneapolis, Min-nesota)

Tiffany R. Simmons, Esq., Legal Recruiting Administrator, Hunton & Williams LLP (Richmond, Virginia)

Orlesia A. Tucker, Esq., Shareholder, Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody (Austin, Texas)

Daryl K. Washington, Esq., Partner, Shackelford, Melton & McKinley (Dallas, Texas)

SESSION #10FOCUS: CAREERS African American Lawyers: Diverse Career Paths and Options DESCRIPTION: Panelists will briefly discuss their educational and career backgrounds,

as well as their current positions and the work they do as a lawyer. This panel is designed to expose aspiring Black lawyers to the various possi-bilities available to those possessing a professional legal education. Tips will also be given as to how to gain entry into these various jobs.

MODERATOR: DeMonica D. Gladney, Esq., Counsel, Exxon Mobil Corporation (Houston, Texas)

PANELISTS: W. Bernard Goudeau, III, Esq., Counsel, BP America Inc. (Houston, Texas)

Charles Holmes, Esq., Associate Professor and Pre-Law Advisor (Re-tired), Tougaloo College (Tougaloo, Mississippi)

Deloise “D.” Holmes, Esq., Supervisory Internal Revenue Agent, Internal Revenue Service (Houston, Texas)


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Jean Johnson, Esq., President and Chief Executive Officer, LegalWATCH (Houston, Texas)

Oswald J. Scott, Jr., Esq., Attorney at Law and Municipal Court Judge, City of Houston (Houston, Texas)

Tara M. Shaw, Esq., Assistant City Attorney (Prosecutor), City of Houston (Houston, Texas)


Nydia D. Thomas, Esq., Deputy General Counsel, Texas Juvenile Proba-tion Commission (Austin, Texas)

Marlen D. Whitley, Esq., Associate, Thompson & Knight LLP (Houston, Texas)

CONCURRENT SESSION #10FOCUS: CAREERS/LAW PRACTICE African American Attorneys With Their Own Law Practices: The

Challenges and Rewards of Being a Legal Entrepreneur DESCRIPTION: This panel features African American attorneys who have chosen to be-

come self-employed legal entrepreneurs. They discuss the reasons why they started their own practices and what they did in order to learn how to successfully manage a law firm. They share both the positives and negatives of having one’s own law office, as well as the unique challenges and concerns African American solo and small firm practitioners face. Additionally, they recommend resources and organizations to assist those who have the courage to choose this route.

MODERATOR: Angela L. Dixon, Esq., Attorney at Law, The Law Office of Angela L. Dixon, PLLC (Houston, Texas)

PANELISTS: Olaide A. Banks, Esq., Attorney at Law, Ngwolo & Banks PLLC (Houston, Texas)

Jamila Boozer, Esq., Attorney at Law, Boozer Law Firm (Houston, Texas) Cheryl Harris Diggs, Esq., Attorney at Law, Law Office of Cheryl Harris

Diggs (Houston, Texas) Ronald Edward Dupree, Esq., Attorney at Law, The Dupree Law Firm

PLLC (Houston, Texas) Craig Kyle Hemphill, Esq., Construction Contract Specialist, Williams

Midstream Gas and Liquids (Houston, Texas) Rodney G. Moore, Esq., President, National Bar Association; Of Counsel,

Greenberg Traurig (Atlanta, Georgia) R. Nicole Stagg, Esq., Attorney at Law, Law Offices of James and Stagg PLLC (Houston, Texas)

P A N E L I S T S & M O D E R A T O R S

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F E A T U R E D P A N E L I S T S & M O D E R A T O R S

Cheryl Alsandor, Esq. earned a bachelor of arts in economics from Wesleyan Uni-versity and a juris doctor from the University of Houston Law Center. She has been an attorney with her own successful practice, the Alsandor Law Firm, P.L.L.C., since 1999. As a law student, she served as a law clerk for Adams and Reese, a student attorney at the University of Houston Legal Aid Clinic, and a judicial intern at the Unit-ed States Federal Bankruptcy Court. She has received training as a child advocate

and with the American Bar Association’s Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute. She is Board Certi-fied in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Attorney Alsandor is a member of the College of the State Bar, the Family Law Group, the State Bar of Texas Family Law Section, and the Burta Rhodes Raborn Family Law American Inn of Court.

Judge Caroline Baker is in her 12th year as judge of the 151st Civil District Court. A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Texas School of Law, she is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Special-ization. Prior to taking the bench in 1997, she was a partner in the litigation firm of McFall, Sherwood & Sheehy. She serves on the Committee on Judicial Ethics, Judi-cial Section of the State Bar of Texas; is chair of the Ethics Committee for the Board

of Civil Judges; is president of the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists; serves on the State Bar Jury Service Committee; serves on a Pattern Jury Charge Committee; and is chair of the Administration of Justice Committee for the Board of District Judges. In addi-tion to her hard work on the bench, Judge Baker devotes a great deal of time giving back to the community. She serves on the boards of Girls Incorporated of Greater Houston (current chair), Neighborhood Centers Inc., the YMCA, The Ripley Foundation, and Leadership Houston (current chair), as well as the advisory boards of The Chinquapin School, Career Recovery Resources, Inc., and City Hall Fellows.

Olaide Banks, Esq. is an attorney and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) represent-ing businesses, entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations in Texas and the Carib-bean. Mr. Banks is a member in the law firm Ngwolo & Banks PLLC, the chief finan-cial officer at Decision Information Resources, Inc., and also the executive producer of the Moonsplash Music Festival. Moonsplash is the Eastern Caribbean’s premier reggae music festival. Mr. Banks earned his B.B.A. at the University of Houston and

J.D. at South Texas College of Law. Mr. Banks began his professional career as an accountant and has grown to become an expert on organizational growth and strategic planning for small to mid-sized businesses. Mr. Banks is a member of the State Bar of Texas’ Pro Bono College, and his pro bono work includes the NAACP’s Legal Redress Clinic in Houston. He has also researched and presented extensively on predatory lending practices in the sub-prime lending market.

Mason D. Barrett, Esq. is the director of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Savannah Local Office. Attorney Barrett earned a B.S. degree in pure mathematics from Prairie View A&M University and a juris doctor degree from the University of Denver College of Law. He is an accomplished trainer who can draw on his “in the trenches” experiences concerning law school and bar examinations. His high-impact programs have made him an in-demand trainer for those experiencing

difficulties in their quest to succeed on the bar examination.

Damien L. Bevelle is a second-year law student at Seton Hall University’s School of Law. Prior to enrolling in law school, Mr. Bevelle gained valuable experience in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Immediately after earning his B.S. in finance and banking from Hampton University, he returned to New York City to pursue a career in financial services/investment banking. While working on Wall Street, Mr. Bevelle was a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and eventually became a founding

partner of American Financial Company, LLC, a boutique capital management and consulting company. Thereafter, he became an executive for The Miracle Makers, Inc. (“MMI”), a Brooklyn, New York-based non-profit, community based organization, where he was instrumental in estab-


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lishing the MMI Youth Development Institute, which partnered with the New York City Department of Education, to provide academic enrichment and enhancement services, as well as cultural and social development opportunities to middle school and high school children. Most recently, Mr. Bevelle co-founded the All-American Preparatory Institute (“API”) which focuses on the intellec-tual, social, and spiritual development of middle school and high school students.

Jamila Boozer, Esq., a native of Newark, New Jersey, is a solo practitioner at the Boozer Law Firm. Prior to starting her own law practice, she served as assistant district attorney in Galveston County and as an honors attorney at the Office of the Attorney General in Austin, Texas. Ms. Boozer received a 4-year academic scholar-ship to attend Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in mass communications. She later went on to receive her

law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She has served as a congressional fellow under the tutelage of former Congressman Chris Bell of the 9th District of Houston, a member of the Board of Advocates, and justice of the Honor Court at Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She also participated as a competitor and judge in several moot court and mock trial competitions. Attorney Boozer is a community activist who has run for Miss Black Houston and is a member of several volunteer organizations, such as The Junior League of Houston, Top Ladies of Distinc-tion, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Ms. Boozer is most proud of being featured as one of the “most influential” Black women in the 2008 edition of Who’s Who in Black Houston.

Sharonda BoyceBiography provided above.

U. Lawrence Boze’, Esq. is the owner and primary shareholder of U. Lawrence Boze’ & Associates, P.C. His practice areas include personal injury, mass toxic torts, real estate, probate, entertainment, and commercial litigation. Attorney Boze’ has served as the vice chair and a member of the Texas Board of Law Examiners since 1997. He has also served as a member on the State Bar of Texas’ Committee on Mi-norities in the Profession. He was the 54th president of the National Bar Association

(NBA), served as past vice president for membership of the NBA, past president of the Houston Lawyers Association, and president and founder of the Texas Association of African-American Lawyers. Attorney Boze’ is a graduate of the University of Houston, a summa cum laude gradu-ate of Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and a summa cum laude graduate of the Texas South-ern University School of Business.

Delphine Byrd is the associate director of admissions at the University of Michigan Law School. She joined the Law School Admissions Office in 2001 with over 10 years of experience in higher education. Her background includes working in the areas of enrollment management, admissions and recruiting, financial aid, student registration, student affairs and orientation, and both educational and career coun-seling at the two-year and four-year levels. In her role, she has been a University of

Michigan Law School spokesperson throughout the United States at national recruiting events. Ms. Byrd is an avid reader and in her spare time enjoys reading books on presidential history.

Lynda Cevallos, Esq. is an attorney who serves as pre-law coordinator and un-dergraduate advisor for the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) of the American Bar Association, and oversees the Thurgood Marshall College Scholars Program. Before joining CLEO, Ms. Cevallos practiced employment and labor law for a Washington, D.C. law firm, and clerked for the National Labor Relations Board, and the U.S. Department of Labor. Attorney Cevallos is a cum laude graduate of

Rutgers University and earned her juris doctorate from the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C.

Everett Chambers, Esq. is the director of academic support and an adjunct pro-fessor at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. He also manages a part-time probate law practice. Attorney Chambers is a graduate of the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica and Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in Fort Worth, Texas.


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Yvonne Cherena-Pacheco, Esq. has been assistant dean for enrollment manage-ment and director of admissions at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law since November 2000. She received her J.D. as a member of CUNY Law School’s inaugural class in 1986 and her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a teaching clinical fellow. She became a member of the found-ing faculty at the District of Columbia School of Law (now UDC) in 1988, where she

was an assistant clinical professor and she served on the Admissions Committee. For eight years, she was associate dean and director of admissions at St. Mary’s University School of Law. Dean Cherena-Pacheco has been a volunteer panelist with the Law School Admissions Council Law Forums on minority student recruitment, financial aid, and admissions panels. Be-fore attending law school, she was an elementary and junior high school teacher for 13 years, committed to Black and Latino students and minority affairs.

Cary Lee Cluck, Esq. is the assistant dean for student affairs at the University of Mississippi School of Law. In that capacity, she is involved with recruiting, admis-sions, scholarships and student affairs. Dean Lee received her Juris Doctor in 1996 from the University of Mississippi School of Law where she was an active member of the Moot Court Board and the Journal of National Security Law. She received her B.A. in English from the University of Mississippi as well. Prior to her current position

she was a judicial clerk for the 10th Chancery Court District in Mississippi and she also lived and worked in Washington, D.C. Ms. Lee is a member of the Mississippi Bar. At the Univer-sity of Mississippi, she serves on the Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Women. She is also the state treasurer for the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Jerome Coenic-Taylor is a second-year law student at the University of Iowa Col-lege of Law. He received his bachelor of arts, magna cum laude, from the Univer-sity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he majored in sociology and minored in African American Studies. After his first year of law school, Jerome worked as a summer associate for a law firm in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jerome currently serves as the president of the Black Law Student Association at the University of Iowa. He is also on the executive board for Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International and a

member of the Christian Legal Society.

Christina Crozier, Esq. is an associate with the appellate practice at Haynes and Boone LLP. She graduated with a bachelor of science with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin. She was a senior fellow in the College of Communica-tion. She earned her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, where she was the casenotes and comments editor for the Houston Journal of International Law. She is a member of the Appellate Practice Section of the State Bar of Texas, the Ap-

pellate Practice Section of the Houston Bar association, the Houston Young Lawyers Association, the United Way of Greater Houston Young Leaders, and the committee chair of the Association of Women Attorneys.

Janeia R. Daniels, Esq. is the assistant dean for student affairs at Florida State University College of Law, where as a law student she was a multiple award-winning member of the Moot Court team and articles & notes editor of the Journal of Trans-national Law & Policy. She began her legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable Philip J. Padovano of the First District Court of Appeal and later joined Meyer and Brooks, P.A. as an associate specializing in labor and employment law and election

law. She also served as an adjunct professor at the College of Law for three semesters. Dean Daniels has been a member of the William H. Stafford Inn of Court, and is a member of the Supreme Court Standing Committee on Fairness & Diversity, for which she co-authored two well-recognized publications on the Florida courts system. She also is an active member of the Tal-lahassee Bar Association, the Tallahassee Barristers Association, Tallahassee Women Lawyers, and the Florida Bar. She received the 2005 Attorney of the Year award from the Law-Related Education Association for her work on the Bar’s Standing Committee for Law-Related Education, which she currently chairs.

David E. Danner, Esq. is an attorney who practices law in Nashville, Tennessee as a solo practitioner. Attorney Danner graduated from Tennessee State University with a double concentration bachelor of business administration in accounting and management. Attorney Danner received his law degree from Boston College Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. He has chaired the Legal Redress Committee of


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the NAACP’s Nashville Chapter, and chaired the Advocacy Committee of Reconciliation Minis-tries, during which time he drafted a bill lobbied by that organization for a Family Bill of Rights which became a Tennessee state statute providing for family visitation rights for inmates. He is also the founder of the Tennessee Black Lawyers Association. Attorney Danner has taught busi-ness law at his alma mater Tennessee State University (TSU) for a decade and he also serves TSU as a contract specialist in the Division of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP), which secures and administers millions in annual research dollars for scientific discovery and innova-tion at TSU.

Darrell J. Davis, Esq. is assistant dean for students and multicultural affairs at Ham-line University School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dean Davis is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received his B.A. in political science. He completed his J.D. at the University of Minnesota Law School. Follow-ing graduation from law school, Dean Davis was appointed special assistant attorney general for the Minnesota Attorney General from 1981 to 1986. In 1986, he joined Honeywell Inc. as senior attorney, where he managed litigation. From 1992 to 2007,

Dean Davis served as director of litigation for Graco Inc., where he was responsible for managing all litigation for the company. During his career, he has taught legal writing and research as an adjunct professor at William Mitchell College of Law, and served on numerous boards. He is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Minnesota Black Lawyer’s Association, the American Bar Association, and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Nakia Davis, Esq. received her J.D. in 2006 from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law, where she received a merit scholarship and won the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Mock Trial Competition. Ms. Davis was also a quarter-finalist in the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition, and a member of the St. Thomas More Inn of Court. Ms. Davis received a B.A. in economics from Vanderbilt University in

1 9 9 6 , where she was awarded a full golf scholarship. Attorney Davis also was a recipient of the Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship. She received her master in business administra-tion from the University of New Orleans in 2003. She also served as an intern to Justice George C. Hanks of the First Court of Appeals in Houston, Texas. Ms. Davis is a former professional golfer, competing on the Duramed Futures Tour for four years. As a college golfer, she lettered four years at Vanderbilt, and was a four-time Louisiana State Girls Golf Champion, and two-time Professional Golf Association (PGA) Gulf States Section Champion.

Frederick L. Day, Esq. is currently a second-year associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where his practice areas include corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions. Attorney Day received his bachelor’s degree with highest honors in both finance and marketing at the University of Houston (2004) and his law degree with high honors at Southern Methodist University (SMU) Dedman School of Law (2007). While at SMU, he was a member of the SMU Law Review, the Bar-risters, the Order of the Coif, and a Sarah T. Hughes Scholar.

Andriel M. Dees, Esq. is the associate dean for multicultural affairs and an adjunct professor at William Mitchell College of Law. Attorney Dees is a 1995 graduate of William Mitchell College of Law and earned a bachelor’s degree from Hampton Uni-versity. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Dees worked as operations managing attorney at the Office of the Monitor in St. Paul, Minnesota, which was established following class action lawsuits by African-American farmers against the U.S. Department of

Agriculture. Before that, she was an employee relations consultant at U.S. Bancorp in Minneapolis, Minnesota for four years, and an employment claims representative for the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust in St. Paul. Dean Dees also has worked as diversity/civil rights coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Economic Security and the Minnesota De-partment of Employee Relations.

Carolyn Dennis is director of admission for Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon. With over nine years of law school admission experience, Dennis oversees all admission and prospective student outreach efforts. She actively par-ticipates in multicultural student outreach, law school admission educational panels, and is a member of multiple local and national educational and legal organizations. Prior to law school admission, Dennis’ professional experience includes working as

an account manager for a high-tech public relations firm, freelance copywriter, operations office


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manager, and as an executive administrative assistant in corporate, not-for-profit, and college settings.

Cheryl Harris Diggs, Esq. is an attorney in private practice in Houston, Texas. Her practice areas are criminal law and family law. She is fluent in Spanish. Attorney Diggs is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Houston Law Center. She is married to David Diggs and they have a son, Harrison. Mrs. Diggs is a member of the Houston Lawyers Association, Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, The Family Law Group, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Angela L. Dixon, Esq. is the owner of the Law Office of Angela L. Dixon, P.L.L.C. and practices in the areas of family law, social security disability law, wills and pro-bate, and personal injury law. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Alabama A&M University, M.B.A from St. Ambrose University, and law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law. Prior to starting her own firm, Attorney Dixon was an associate with Powers & Frost L.L.P., practicing toxic tort and products liability litigation. As a

law student, she served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Ewing Werlein Jr. of the U. S. Dis-trict Court for the Southern District of Texas, and law clerk for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Huntsville, Alabama, and Findlay & Tate in Cape Town, South Africa. Additionally, she was a member of the Journal of Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems, winner of the client counseling and business law essay competitions; and winner of the Garfinkel Glantz Prize for the Best Civil Liberties Paper. In her spare time, Attorney Dixon is a cast member of the Houston Bar Association’s all-lawyer musical production Night Court, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and a big sister with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program of Houston.

Ronald Edward Dupree, Esq. is the founder and managing member of The Dupree Law Firm, PLLC, and the founder and president of the Dupree Mediation and Arbitra-tion Group. Attorney Dupree is a graduate of The Florida State University, where he obtained both his bachelor’s and juris doctorate degrees. While at Florida State, Mr. Dupree was a Virgil Hawkins Fellow, and an intern for Dean Donald J. Weidner. He also clerked for the law firm of Bryant Miller & Olive, P.A. Attorney Dupree received

his mediation training at the University of Texas School of Law’s Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution. He is the co-chair of the Houston Young Lawyers Association Solo Practitioners’ Committee, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Dispute Resolution Center of Harris County.

Sandra L. English, Esq. is the coordinator of law admissions and multicultural re-cruitment at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University. She holds a bachelor of arts from Ursuline College and a joint juris doctor and master of public administration from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and Maxine Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. Ms. English has several years experience in law school admissions. In past years, she recruited nationally

for Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and served on the Admissions Committee. As a law stu-dent active in student and external organizations, Ms. English served as president of the Black Law Students’ Association, student president representative of the Equal Justice Works Board of Directors, and student representative of the Student Bar Association. Prior to joining Cleveland-Marshall College of Law as admissions coordinator, Ms. English worked as an assistant Cuya-hoga County prosecutor.

Travis Foster, Esq. is an associate in the Intellectual Property Department at Baker Botts LLP in Dallas, Texas. He earned his bachelor of science in mechanical engi-neering from Southern University and A&M College. He graduated with his J.D. cum laude from Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, where he served as managing editor of Thurgood Marshall Law Review. He is affiliated with the Dallas Bar Association, the Lee Park and Arlington Hall Conservancy, and the

J. McDonald Williams Institute, Foundation for Community Empowerment. Attorney Foster’s practice focuses on bank financings and the private placement of securities. He has been named by Law & Politics as a Texas Rising Star for 2005-2006 and 2008. Before attend-ing law school, Mr. Foster worked as a mechanical engineer within both the energy and public utilities industries.


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DeMonica D. Gladney, Esq. is currently counsel for Exxon Mobil Corporation, where she has practiced for over 13 years. She received her bachelor of science degree in criminal justice cum laude from Lamar University. In 1993, she received her doctor of jurisprudence degree cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center. She began her legal career as a briefing attorney for the Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston, Texas. Ms. Gladney is also an accomplished public speaker, poet, and

author. She is the director of the women’s ministry at First Baptist Church Pearland and founder of DeMonica Gladney Ministries.

W. Bernard Goudeau, Esq. is counsel for BP America Inc., and is responsible for providing legal counsel to the company’s North American alternative energy busi-ness. Specifically, Mr. Goudeau provides counsel on all matters relating to wind en-ergy transactions. Attorney Goudeau is a graduate of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and received his doctorate of jurisprudence from the University of Houston Law Center (UHLC) in 1996. During his law school tenure, Mr. Goudeau was presi-

dent of the Black Law Students’ Association, president of the Corporate Law Society, and served as a student representative on Admissions Committee. Mr. Goudeau has worked in private practice and served as in-house counsel to other private and public entities prior to joining BP America Inc. in 2004. David A. Green, Esq. Biography provided above.

Ronda L. Harrison, Esq. is associate director of academic assistance and student counseling at South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas. She primarily works with at-risk law students, law students with disabilities, and minority students. Ms. Harrison also conducts programs relating to substance abuse, depression, and stress management. She works on pipeline programs with high school and college students in an effort to increase the number of minority students in higher education

institutions. She was the recent convention chairperson for the National Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. Attorney Harrison is a member of the American Bar Association, Houston Law-yers Association, Texas Young Lawyers Association, and Houston Young Lawyers Association. She is also a certified mediator.

Catina M. Haynes, Esq. is a native Houstonian who graduated from the University of Houston in 2002 with a major in corporate communications and a minor in Span-ish. She interned for Congressman Nick Lampson during the spring of 2003, and later attended South Texas College of Law. While in law school, Ms. Haynes argued before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals of Texas as a member of an administrative law state championship moot court team, and she received American Jurisprudence

Awards for the highest grade earned in Civil Procedure, Evidence, Property II, Torts I and Torts II. Attorney Haynes is currently an associate at Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., and she focuses her practice on international arbitration and litigation matters.

Craig Kyle Hemphill, Esq. currently serves as a construction contract specialist with Williams Midstream Gas and Liquids. He is the founder of a transactional boutique, Craig Kyle Hemphill Law Offices LLC. His tenure includes serving as an associate attorney with the global law firms of Faegre & Benson LLP (Minneapolis, Minnesota) and Baker Botts L.L.P. (Houston, Texas). In addition, Mr. Hemphill served as an assistant city attorney with the City of Houston’s Legal Department/Contracts Divi-

sion and as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Kenneth M. Hoyt, United States District Court (Southern District of Texas). Mr. Hemphill earned his juris doctor in 1999 from the Thurgood Mar-shall School of Law, Texas Southern University, magna cum laude, finishing third in his graduat-ing class, and serving as editor-in-chief of the Thurgood Marshall Law Review (1997-1999). He earned a bachelor of science in economics in 1995 from the College of Business and Economics, University of Texas at Arlington. Mr. Hemphill is currently a master of divinity student at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.


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Charles Holmes, Esq. earned a bachelor of science in social science from Jackson College, a master of arts in political science from Atlanta University, and a juris doc-torate from North Carolina Central University School of Law. He is a retired associate professor in the political science department and pre-law advisor at Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi. Prior to serving in those positions, he was an instructor and associate professor at Jackson State University. He serves on the board of

trustees at Mt. Helm Baptist Church and on the advisory boards of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Mississippi Common Cause. He is a member of the American Bar Association, National Bar Association, Magnolia Bar Association, NAACP, Ameri-can Political Science Association, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

Deloise “D.” Holmes, Jr., Esq. is currently supervisory internal revenue agent, LMSB for the Internal Revenue Service. Mr. Holmes has a B. S. in accounting from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center. He is a certified public accountant (Ohio) and licensed attorney by the state of Texas. Prior to joining the IRS, Mr. Holmes was global assistant gen-

eral counsel of Arteva Services S.a.r.L., a global polyester/chemical manufacturing company. Prior to that, he was a senior manager of Tax Services in the Houston office of Deloitte & Touche LLP. He has also been the manager for tax research and planning, and director of tax for a pub-licly traded master limited partnership. Earlier in his career, he held various accounting, auditing, and tax staff positions at KPMG, Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, and Marathon Oil Company. Mr. Holmes’ community activities includes class memberships on the United Way Project Blueprint and Leadership Houston Class 11. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Julia C. Hester House and Spaulding for Children. He is also a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America, a member of the United Way Fort Bend Advisory Committee, and a member of the Sugar Land Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals.

Khary D. Hornsby, Esq. is the associate director of admission and recruitment at Emory University School of Law. Hornsby graduated with a bachelor of science degree in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Michigan-Ann Ar-bor. During his tenure at the University of Michigan, Hornsby received research grants from the National Science Foundation and the Fogarty Institute to perform re-search at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China. After completing his

undergraduate studies, Hornsby received an English teaching assistantship from the Rectorat de Lyon and spent a year working in Lyon, France. Hornsby received his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. While at the University of Minnesota, Hornsby served as an editor of Law and Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice, president of the Black Law Student As-sociation, and was named the 2005 Judge Michael J. Davis Scholar for outstanding academic achievement. Prior to joining the staff of Emory Law, Hornsby clerked for the Honorable Harry S. Crump of the Fourth Judicial District Court of Minnesota.

Monica Ingram, Esq. received her baccalaureate degree in broadcast communica-tions from Grambling State University and her juris doctor degree from the University of Texas School of Law. After graduating, Dean Ingram garnered experience (1) as a practitioner in public education, (2) a licensing agency staff attorney in the Investiga-tions and Enforcement Division of the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC), and (3) as a staff attorney at the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), a non-

profit association that represents school board members. In April 2002, Ms. Ingram returned to her law school alma mater as the assistant dean for admissions. Yet, she continues to serve the legal community in various capacities. Ms. Ingram served as: an attorney ad litem for Travis County; an executive member of the Austin Black Lawyers Association (ABLA), and a member of the Austin Bar Association. Additionally, Ms. Ingram served as an Austin Children’s Shelter Board Member and a T.A. Brown Elementary Adopt-A-School Program Mentor. She continues to serve as a member of the St. James Episcopal School Board.

Tracie J. Jackson, Esq. earned a bachelor of business administration, a master of arts in labor relations from the University of Cincinnati, and a juris doctor from the University of Toledo. She has practiced law in the field of labor and employment for the past 13 years. A former field attorney with the National Labor Relations Board, Attorney Jackson argued before the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and provided arbitration services for the United States Postal Service. Ms. Jackson is

licensed to practice law in the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Ohio.


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Sylvia James, Esq. is the firmwide diversity counsel for Baker Botts LLP. Prior to joining Baker Botts, Attorney James was senior counsel at the law firm of Holland & Knight in Washington, D.C., specializing in corporate diversity counseling and la-bor and employment law. Ms. James has authored or co-authored several diversity-related articles, including “Where Do We Go From Here - Diversity in the Wake of the Seattle and Louisville Cases,” NALP Bulletin (September 2007), and “The Top

Ten Things You Should Do When Setting Diversity Hiring Goals,” The Race for Diverse Talent: A Major Report - Best Practices in Corporate Communications, June 30, 2006. Before joining Holland & Knight, she was an associate at Scopelitis, Garvin, Light & Hanson and Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. She earned her law degree from the Duke University School of Law and a bachelor of arts (with honors) in political science from Vassar College.

Shirley A. Jefferson, Esq. earned her bachelor of science in public administration from Southeastern University, and a juris doctor from Vermont Law School. She is the associate dean for student affairs and diversity at Vermont Law School. She is also an adjunct professor and teaches Race and the Law and Non-Profit Organiza-tions. Dean Jefferson previously served as the director of alumni relations and ad-missions counselor at the law school. After graduating from law school, she worked

as a legislative assistant to Washington, D.C. Council Member Wilhelmina J. Rolark, became an associate in Mrs. Rolark’s law office, and then was associate counsel and then general counsel to the United Black Fund, Inc.

Irene Oritseweyinmi Joe, Esq. is a law clerk to the Honorable Napoleon A. Jones, Jr. for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Attorney Joe graduated from Stanford University School of Law in May of 2006 with pro bono honors. Immediately after graduation, Irene completed a capital post-conviction fel-lowship with the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama in Montgomery, Alabama. In late October, she will begin working as a public defender with the Orleans Public Defend-

ers in New Orleans, Louisiana. Attorney Joe was born in Sapele, Nigeria, and moved to the United States when she was three-years-old. Ms. Joe completed her undergraduate stud-ies at the University of Texas at Austin with honors in 2003, and won the William Jennings Bryan Award for Undergraduate Honors Theses for her thesis entitled “Was There a Place for Anger? An Analysis of African American Militancy in American Politics Since the Gary Convention.”

Jean Johnson, Esq. is president and chief executive officer of LegalWATCH, a risk mitigation training company she formed in 1997 after practicing law for a Fortune 100 company, and working for the United States Department of Justice, and an interna-tional law firm. In addition to her juris doctorate degree, she holds a master’s degree in energy, environmental and natural resource law, a bachelor of science degree in business administration, and an associate’s degree in criminal justice. Jean is certi-

fied in training and development and holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation. Ms. Johnson currently serves on the boards of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) and NISH National Institute for the Severely Disabled (NISH). Attorney Johnson just completed an unprecedented eight-year term as chair and vice chair of the Women’s Law-yers Division of the National Bar Association. She also served on the National Women’s Busi-ness Council, the Forum of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, and is a member of the Women Business Enterprise Alliance of Texas and Houston Minority Business Council. Ms. Johnson is a past president of the Houston Lawyers Association and past chair of the African American Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Texas.

Lonnie L. Johnson, Esq. is the strategic issues manager, Exxon Mobil Corporation, providing Public Affairs support for media-related litigation cases and select legisla-tive issues. Prior to serving in his current position, he served in various positions within Exxon and ExxonMobil. These positions include counsel for ExxonMobil Ex-ploration and Development projects in the Gulf of Mexico, Madagascar and Nigeria; refinery attorney, Baytown and Beaumont Texas refineries; environmental counsel,

ExxonMobil Production Company, Eastern United States; and trial attorney, Exxon Company U.S.A., Houston, Texas. Mr. Johnson received his J.D, with distinction, from the University of Iowa College of Law, where he served on the Iowa Law Review, and was a member of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity. He earned his B.S.B.A. from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Mr. Johnson currently serves on the Board of the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO); and is active in the State Bar of Texas, having served as a member of the Legal Services to the


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Poor Committee and past chair of the Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession Committee. He has served on various committees of the Houston Bar Association, the Houston Lawyers As-sociation, the National Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.

Virginia M. Keehan, J.D. is the assistant dean and director of admissions at South-ern Methodist University (SMU) Dedman School of Law. Prior to joining the admis-sions office at SMU, Dean Keehan practiced corporate and securities law at the Dal-las office of Thompson & Knight LLP. Ms. Keehan graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of business administration from Texas A&M University. She earned her juris doctor with honors from SMU, where she was a Hatton W. Summers Scholar,

a member of the Order of the Coif, Order of the Barristers, and an articles editor for the Interna-tional Law Review.

Fareza Khan is the director of admissions at St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami Gardens, Florida. Mrs. Khan earned her bachelor of arts and master of science degrees from Boston College. Previously, she was the assistant director for financial aid and the law school admissions coordinator at Boston College Law School. During her time as the assistant director for financial aid at Boston College, Mrs. Khan was honored with the Staffer of the Year Award from the Law Student Association.

Sonia Laird received her bachelor’s in science from Nyack College, where she grad-uated with distinction in organizational management. She received her master’s in business administration from Nyack Graduate School of Business, where she was the 2004 Leading Scholar, and the only African-American student to graduate from the M.B.A. program with a 4.0 GPA. Ms. Laird has dedicated her life to public service and has over thirteen years of experience being an advocate for underrepresented

populations. Since beginning her legal studies at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, Ms. Laird has founded two non-profit organizations, the National Public Awareness Agency and the Lawyers’ Council on Social Justice. She also started a publishing firm, the Newell Publishing Group, and an organizational development enterprise, Real Life 101. She has appeared or been featured in the National Jurist and St. Thomas Lawyer magazines as well as on CBS affiliate, WCCO.

Keith Lamar, Jr. is a second-year law student at Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University. He is the Chapter President of the Black Law Students Association and the Law Student Representative for the State Bar of Texas. His work experience includes interning for U.S. Congressman Hank Johnson, at the Leg-islative Black Caucus in Atlanta, serving as a health and safety coordinator for the Pre-Freshman Summer Program at Morehouse College, and an intern at Fearnley,

Califf, Price, Walker & Hughes, and the Law Office of Boykin Edwards. Mr. Lamar is a graduate of Morehouse College where he earned a B.A. in political Science. While there, he was a member of the Pre-Law Society, the Pre-Alumni Society, the NAACP, the Student Government Associa-tion Ethics Committee. He also served as senator for the Georgia Club, an Adams Community Service Scholar, and chair of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.

Marcus LeBeouf, Esq. is an associate at Baker Botts in their Houston office, where he practices corporate and securities law. He earned his B.A. in political science from Morehouse College and his J.D. from the Duke University School of Law. He is a member of the Houston Bar Association, the Houston Young Lawyers Association, and the Sports Lawyers Association. He is a member of the Texas Bar and the North Carolina Bar.

Demetra L. Liggins, Esq. is an associate at Thompson & Knight LLP. Attorney Lig-gins is a cum laude graduate of Samford University Cumberland School of Law and a cum laude graduate of Christian Brothers University, where she earned a bachelor of business administration in marketing. She is currently the chair-elect of the Hous-ton Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Section. She has received numerous professional

awards and recognitions including the Houston Bar Association President’s Award for outstand-ing service as co-chair of the Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession Committee, and she was named as a Lawyer on the Fast Track by H Texas Magazine in 2004, and a Texas Rising Star in the 2005 and 2007 editions of Texas Monthly.


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Ashlee Caligone McFarlane is a third-year law student at Vanderbilt University Law School. She graduated magna cum laude from Spelman College in 2006 with a B.A. in political science and philosophy. While at Vanderbilt, Ms. McFarlane has received dean’s list honors and currently serves as the president of the Black Law Students Association. She is also involved in Vanderbilt’s admissions process as a student recruiter and law school ambassador. She plans to begin her legal career in the

Houston office of Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell practicing labor & employment law. Ashlee and her husband Allan are one of two married couples who both currently attend Vanderbilt Law School.

Reginald McGahee, Esq. is the assistant dean and dean of admissions at Howard University School of Law. He earned dual bachelor’s degrees in English and politi-cal science at South Carolina State University, and then his juris doctor degree from Howard University School of Law. While a law student, he served on the Board of Trustees, the Huver I. Brown Trial Advocacy Moot Court Team, and as an executive officer of the Student Bar Association. Prior to joining the admissions office at How-

ard, Dean McGahee worked in the Business and Legal Affairs Division of GM and for the District of Columbia Council. He was recently named as Young Lawyer of the Year by the National Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division.

BarbaraKaye Miller, Esq. is the dean of admissions at Phoenix School of Law. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law, where she was an associate editor of the Iowa Law Review. She was an associate with Fuller & Henry in Toledo, Ohio, and became the first African American assistant prosecutor in Lucas County, Ohio. She went on to clerk for the Honorable John W. Potter of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. She has also been a partner at Wise People

Management, and Ryan, Wise, Miller & Dorner, LLC. Prior to joining the admissions office at Phoenix Law, she was vice president of LegalWATCH, Inc., a preventive law training company headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Sonya Montgomery is a third-year law student at the University of Denver Sturm School of Law. She has served as a student representative on law school’s admis-sions committee, a student representative on the Diversity in the Legal Profession Committee for the Denver Bar Association, a committee member and organizer of the 2007 Colorado and Denver Bar Association Diversity in the Legal Profession Rocky Mountain Diversity Legal Summit, and fellow of the Council on Legal Edu-

ca t ion Opportunity (CLEO). Her legal experiences include interning for Attorney Joseph Ba-rilla Jr., externing for the Superior Court of Los Angeles in the Criminal Justice Division, serving as a student attorney at the law school, and interning for the law firm of Holland and Hart. She has actively participated in mock trial, appellate advocacy, and negotiation competitions. Ms. Montgomery earned a B.A. in political science with a minor in legal studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio where she was a member of the debate team and earned her place on the dean’s list.

Jill Nikirk, Esq. is the associate director of admissions at Southern Methodist Uni-versity Dedman School of Law. Prior to joining the Admissions Office, Ms. Nikirk practiced education law at the Dallas Office of Walsh, Anderson, Brown, Schulze & Aldridge, where she defended Texas public school districts in special education and disabilities litigation, and was a frequent speaker across the state of Texas. Ms. Ni-kirk graduated the University of Houston with a degree in communication disorders.

She earned her J.D. from SMU Dedman School of Law, where she was awarded the John E. Kennedy Memorial Scholarship, was the executive director for the Jackson Walker Moot Court Board, the Student Bar Association programs director, managing editor for the International Law Review, and was a member of the Barristers. Currently, Ms. Nikirk is active with the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL). She was also a member of the DAYL’s 2004 Leadership Class.

Ngozi C. Okechukwu, Esq. a Nigerian-American, was born in Minneapolis, Min-nesota, and moved to Enugu, Nigeria at the age of 9. While in Nigeria she attended primary (grade) school and completed most of her high school. She returned to the United States in 1997 to complete high school and went on to attend the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, where she received a bachelor of arts in political science. While at the University of Minnesota, Ms. Okechukwu served as both the political

chair and vice president of the Black Student Union. She received her juris doctor from Thurgood


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Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. While there, she served as the associate justice of the Board of Advocates and was a senior editor on the Thurgood Mar-shall Law Review. Currently, Attorney Okechukwu is an associate in the Dallas office of Hunton & Williams, LLP, where her practice focuses on various complex commercial litigation matters.

Shayne O’Reilly, Esq. is an associate in the Richmond, Virginia office of Hunton & Williams LLP. His practice focuses on all aspects of intellectual property, including patent law, patent litigation, prosecution, due diligence investigations, licensing, and other transactional work and counseling. Attorney O’Reilly graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in 2002 with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering, and received his J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill School of Law in 2006. He is a member of the Virginia, North Carolina, and Wash-ington State Bars, and is licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Jamila Patten attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and gradu-ated with a concentration in international health. As a health development volunteer in the Peace Corps, she lived on the island of Saint Lucia and worked with the Minis-try of Health and local and regional communities in the area of HIV/AIDS education, treatment, and support. After completing two years of service, she matriculated into the University of Houston Law Center. In July 2008, Jamila received a legislative fel-

lowship through the University of Houston Health Law and Policy Institute. She is currently serv-ing as a legislative aide for State Senator Leticia Van de Putte through the Texas 81st Legislative Session. After completing this fellowship, Ms. Patten will return to the University of Houston Law Center to complete her final year. Following graduation, she will start as a litigation associate at Jackson Walker L.L.P. in Houston. She is the immediate past president of the Black Law Students Association at the law school.

Melynda J. Price, J.D., Ph.D. is an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law. Professor Price completed a doctorate degree in political science from the University of Michigan in 2006. Her dissertation was awarded the 2007 Best Dissertation Award from the Race, Ethnicity and Politics Section of the Ameri-can Political Science Association. In addition to her degree in political science, she also earned a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 2002. While at the

University of Texas, she was a member of the Texas International Law Journal and was awarded both the University of Texas Coop Award for Public Interest Law and the Baron and Budd Schol-arship for Public Interest Law. She completed her undergraduate studies in Physics at Prairie View A&M University in 1995. Professor Price teaches in the areas of torts, immigration, law and social science, and law and popular culture. Her research focuses on race and citizenship, the politics of punishment and the role of law in the politics of race and ethnicity in the U.S. and at its borders.

Elbert L. Robertson, Esq. is a professor of law at the Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. He earned a B.A. from Brown University, an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, and his J.D. from Co-lumbia University Law School. He teaches Administrative Law, Antitrust, Business Associations, Corporations, Criminal Law, Jurisprudence, Law & Economics, Legal Method, and Torts. His legal experience has included working as a litigation associ-

ate for Jenner & Block in Chicago, Illinois, and as a special antitrust attorney and advisor for the Office of General Counsel (Competition Division) for the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C. He has served as an assistant professor of law at Texas Southern Univer-sity’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law and an assistant professor of law at Boston College Law School.

Denise A. Robinson, Esq. is the firm-wide diversity administrator for O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where she is responsible for recruiting, retaining, and advancing at-torneys and staff from underrepresented backgrounds. Attorney Robinson came to O’Melveny from Georgetown University, where she worked as an admissions coun-selor for the Law Center and, most recently, as an assistant director of undergraduate admissions. Her admissions experience included evaluating U.S. and international

candidates for the Law Center’s J.D. and LL.M. programs. At the undergraduate level, she was responsible for multicultural recruitment. Prior to working in the higher education arena, Denise


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practiced labor and employment law at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP in Cincinnati, Ohio. She earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College, and her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

Jackie Robinson, Esq. is a partner at the global law firm of Thompson & Knight LLP in Dallas, Texas. He focuses his practice on litigation, has practiced in state and federal courts, and has tried more than 70 cases to verdict. Although the dominant portion of his practice involves the defense of premises liability and products liability claims, Mr. Robinson has represented clients in a number of contexts, including high-way construction, airline safety, workers’ compensation and non-subscriber litigation,

and general tort litigation. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Morehouse College and a doctor of jurisprudence degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

Dacia Russell, Esq. is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP. Her practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate matters. She was selected to participate in the DC Neighborhood College, a year-long community leadership training program sponsored by George Washington University. She currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Citi-zen Academy, a series of policy tutorials developed by Greater DC Cares, to educate

the public and volunteers regarding timely issues facing the District. She interned at the U.S. Department of State in the Law Enforcement and Intelligence Division of the Office of the Legal Adviser. She currently is active on the American Bar Association’s Africa Committee. Attorney Russell is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College. She received her law degree from Stanford Law School, and has also earned a master’s in financial economics from the University of Oxford, England. She is a member of the bar both in New York and Washington, D.C.

Dennis Ryan, Esq. is a partner in Faegre & Benson’s Finance and Restructuring Group. He practices in the areas of bankruptcy, business reorganizations, and com-mercial finance. He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Minne-sota State Bar Association Bankruptcy Section, and the Local Rules Committee of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Minnesota. He is also the district enrollment director for the Dartmouth Club of Midwest’s Executive Committee. Attorney Ryan is

committed to pro bono legal work serving with the District of Minnesota Bankruptcy Adversary Proceeding Pro Bono Defense Project and the Volunteer Lawyers Network. He has been rec-ognized as a Super Lawyer by Minnesota Law & Politics. He is an alumnus of the University of Iowa College of Law, where he graduated with high distinction, and earned membership on Order of the Coif and Iowa Law Review.

Carolyn Sandberg, Esq. is the first diversity manager for Faegre & Benson, LLP. She leads the implementation and development of diversity initiatives throughout the firm, with a primary focus on U.S. offices. Prior to joining Faegre, she was a partner with a practice in intellectual property at another large Minneapolis law firm. She has also been an officer and head of the Trademark Department at a patent specialty firm. Before entering private practice, Carolyn was a member of the offices of general

counsel at Honeywell Inc. and Control Data Corporation. She taught MBA and MSDD candidates in the University of St. Thomas graduate schools for over fifteen years, and has been a mem-ber of the Hamline University School of Law adjunct faculty since 1992. She currently teaches Trademark Law & Unfair Competition. Carolyn is a graduate of Macalester College and Hamline University School of Law.

Oswald J. Scott, Jr., Esq. is an attorney and municipal court judge for the City of Houston. As a practicing attorney, he focuses his practice primarily in wills and probate law. He has practiced in both state and federal courts and before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Oswald’s business and legal experience spans over 20 years. His career accomplishments include becoming a judge, working as a financial consultant, lecturing to professional and civic organizations on such topics as wills

& probate, writing articles on financial and business matters, and publishing a legal newspaper. Attorney Scott is licensed to practice law by the Texas and Louisiana State Bars. He received his bachelor of science degree from Louisiana State University, and a juris doctorate degree from Southern University Law Center. In addition, he also speaks to youth groups and churches on the topics of success and achievement.


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Tara M. Shaw, Esq. is an assistant city attorney in the Criminal Law Division for the City of Houston. Ms Shaw received her Juris Doctorate from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. In law school, she competed in the Frederick Douglas Moot Court Competition and advanced to the national competition winning the regional Best Pe-titioner’s Brief and Second Runner-Up for Best Overall Team. After graduating from law school, Ms. Shaw clerked for the Honorable Chief Justice Alma L. López, Fourth

Court of Appeals, worked as a paralegal at the United States Department of Health And Human Services in the Office of the General Counsel, Ethics Division, Washington D.C., and as a docu-ment review attorney at various firms located in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and South Carolina. She has also served clients through her own private practice on primarily criminal de-fense, family law, and contract matters. In addition, Attorney Shaw has drafted appellate briefs to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Shaw earned her B.A., magna cum laude, in English literature from North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina.

Tiffany Simmons, Esq. is the legal recruiting administrator for the Richmond office of Hunton & Williams, LLP. In this capacity, Ms. Simmons is responsible for the recruiting and hiring of lateral and entry-level associates. Additionally, she serves on the Recruiting Committte and Diversity Programming Task Force. She received her juris doctorate from Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law (TMSL). While attending TMSL, her commitment to her institution was recognized

when she was given the Student of the Year Award and Pro Bono Award. Upon graduating from law school, Ms. Simmons was offered a position at her law school as the assistant director of admissions and financial aid. Attorney Simmons is a member of the Old Dominion Bar Associa-tion, the Association of Women Attorneys, and the Texas Young Lawyers Association. She was recently appointed to the Virginia State Bar Commission on Women and Minorities in the Law.

Jennifer Sims, J.D. is the assistant dean for admissions at Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and advisor to its Black Law Students Association chapter. She earned her doctorate of jurisprudence from Cum-berland School of Law before joining the Admissions Office in 2004. Prior to at-tending Cumberland, she graduated with undergraduate degrees in environmental design and philosophy from Texas A&M University at College Station.

Reginald Skinner, Esq. graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Richmond with a bachelor of arts in political science. Mr. Skinner spent the summer between college and law school as an intern with the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc., where he studied the effects of curriculum tracking on minority students in elementary and secondary schools. He then received his juris doctor and master’s

in public administration from Harvard University. After law school, Mr. Skinner served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Nathaniel Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (retired) and Judge Allyson Duncan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Currently, Attorney Skinner is an associate with Hunton & Williams, where his practice focuses on appellate, commercial, and mass tort litigation.

R. Nicole Stagg, Esq. is a 2001 graduate of Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Ms. Stagg received her undergraduate degree in 1998 from Stephen F. Austin State University in political science. In 2002, she became a part-ner in The Law Offices of James and Stagg, PLLC. Ms. Stagg is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Family Law and Criminal Law Sections, Houston Bar Association, Family Law and Criminal Law Sections, Burta Rhodes Raborn Inns of Court, Solos

Supporting Solos, the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and she is a member of the Houston Bar Association’s Night Court.

Kathryn R. Stell, Esq. is director of diversity at Sidley Austin LLP, where she over-sees programs and policies designed to increase diversity and inclusion at the firm and in the legal profession. A lawyer by training, Ms. Stell previously served as as-sistant dean of students at the University of Chicago Law School, where she read and evaluated hundreds of law school applications. Later, as deputy dean of students and assistant to the provost at the University of Chicago, she headed the Office of

Minority Student Affairs, and provided counseling on law school admissions and other matters. A


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member of both the California and Illinois State Bars, Ms. Stell earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, and her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

Aaron N. Taylor, Esq. is the chief admissions officer at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law. He joined the law school in September 2006 from Harvard University where, as an administrative fellow, he managed admissions for five Master’s degree programs in the Graduate School of Education. Prior to his fellowship, Dean Taylor practiced professional responsibility law before serving as assistant director of admission at the University of the District of Columbia School

of Law. Dean Taylor received a bachelor’s in political science from North Carolina A&T State University, a juris doctor from Howard University, and is a doctoral candidate at Peabody Col-lege, Vanderbilt University. In addition to his work at the law school, Dean Taylor serves on the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Misconduct and Irregularities in the Admission Process Subcommittee, the Young Lawyers Executive Council of the Arkansas Bar, and is editor of the online pre-law magazine, TheAdvisorMag.com. He is a member of the Arkansas Bar and the Florida Bar.

David Taylor, Esq. earned a degree in business administration with an emphasis in real estate and insurance from the University of Southern Mississippi, and later earned a master of business administration degree from Mississippi State Univer-sity. In 1994, Mr. Taylor enrolled at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law where he graduated in the top 15% of the class of 1997. During law school, Mr. Taylor served as an intern for the Houston law firm Williams, Birnberg and Anderson, where he se-

cured his first full-time legal employment upon graduation. After practicing in Houston, Mr. Taylor moved on to serve in his current capacity as an attorney advisor for the United States Patent and Trademark Office, where he has practiced intellectual property law since 1998. During his lengthy tenure, Mr. Taylor has prosecuted, registered, or defended thousands of trademarks for many of the world’s most well-known companies, entertainers, and sports teams. Attorney Taylor has also successfully argued cases before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Nydia D. Thomas, Esq. is deputy general counsel for the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. She serves as agency counsel in the areas of juvenile law, adminis-trative law, contracts, legislative analysis, and ethics. Ms. Thomas is a professional trainer and lecturer on juvenile law, as well as a recurring faculty member for the Texas Justice Court Training Center, the Correctional Management Institute of Texas, and the Texas Association of Counties. Ms. Thomas holds a bachelor of science in

government from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas and a doctor of jurisprudence from How-ard University School of Law. During her time in Washington, D.C., she worked for a congres-sional research foundation and for a member of Congress. Prior to joining the Commission in 1998, she was in private practice in suburban Houston, an adjunct instructor of political science at Montgomery College in the Woodlands, and coordinated a delinquency prevention program for the Liberty County Juvenile Probation Department. The former council member and mayor pro tem of Cleveland, Texas has received both gubernatorial and attorney general appointments.

Donna R. Tomlinson, Esq. is an associate with the law firm of Bracewell and Giu-liani in Dallas, Texas. Her practice focuses on a variety of general business, gov-ernance, securities, financing, and merger and acquisition matters for private and public business entities. Attorney Tomlinson earned her bachelor of business ad-ministration cum laude from Prairie View A&M University, a juris doctor cum laude from South Texas College of Law, and a master of laws degree from the University of

Florida Levin College of Law. She is a member of the Houston Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and co-chairs the Minority Affairs and the Aspiring Youth Program Committees of the Houston Young Lawyers Association.

Mario T. Trimble, Esq. is an associate in the Denver office of Kutak Rock LLP. At-torney Trimble concentrates his practice in matters involving the issuance of tax-exempt and taxable municipal securities to finance various types of public projects. He earned his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in the state of Colorado.


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Orlesia A. Tucker, Esq. is a shareholder of Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody. She has practiced in the areas of trial and appellate litigation, and trademark and copyright law. In addition to her license to practice law in Texas, Hawkins is a regis-tered patent attorney with patent prosecution experience in the field of biotechnology and business methods. She also has advised clients on technology licensing issues. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor of science degree in bio-

engineering and earned her law degree from South Texas College of Law. Hawkins is a graduate of Leadership Austin, and a board member of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas and Reading is FUNdamental. She is also a director of the Texas State Bar’s African American Lawyers Section, and a member of the Texas Bar Foundation.

Daryl K. Washington, Esq.Biography provided above.

Marlen D. Whitley, Esq. is an attorney in the Houston, Texas office of Thompson & Knight, LLP, an international law firm, where he practices in the firm’s Corporate & Securities Law Section. Attorney Whitley received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was named a Dean’s Distinguished Graduate of the College of Liberal Arts. During his senior year, he was elected to serve as the student body president of the University of Texas (UT). He later

received his doctorate of jurisprudence from the University of Texas Law School. While attending UT, Mr. Whitley served as a member of the Men’s Intercollegiate Athletics Council, a co-convener of the African American Male Summit, and as a member on the committee to construct the histori-cal statue of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on campus. Attorney Whitley has served on the boards of the Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation, the Open Door Preschools, and the Morning Star Rising Youth Empowerment Program. He also served as a director of youth ministries for the David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. He currently serves as general counsel to the Houston Citizen’s Chamber of Commerce. Wintta M. WoldemariamBiography provided above.

L A W S C H O O L R E C R U I T M E N T FA I R PA R T I C I PA N T S

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• Albany Law School • Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Yeshiva University • Baylor Law School • Brooklyn Law School • California Western School of Law• Case Western Reserve University School of

Law • Catholic University of America Columbus

School of Law • Chapman University School of Law • Charlotte School of Law • Chicago-Kent College of Law (Illinois

Institute of Technology) • Cleveland State University Cleveland

Marshall College of Law • Concord Law School, Kaplan University • Creighton University School of Law• CUNY School of Law • Drake University Law School • Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law • Elon University School of Law• Emory University School of Law • Florida State University College of Law • Fordham University School of Law • Golden Gate University School of Law• Gonzaga University School of Law • Hamline University School of Law • Hofstra University School of Law • The John Marshall Law School • Lewis & Clark Law School• Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert

Law Center • Loyola Law School• Loyola University New Orleans College of

Law• McGeorge School of Law, University of the

Pacific • Mercer University School of Law • Michigan State University College of Law• Mississippi College School of Law• New York Law School• Northeastern University School of Law • Ohio Northern University College of Law • Pace University School of Law• Phoenix School of Law• Regent University School of Law • Saint Louis University School of Law

• Samford University Cumberland School of Law

• Santa Clara University School of Law • Seton Hall University School of Law • Southern University Law Center • Southern Methodist University Dedman

School of Law • Southwestern University School of Law• St. Thomas University School of Law • Stanford Law School • Stetson University College of Law • Suffolk University Law School • Temple University Beasley School of Law• Texas Tech University School of Law• Thomas Jefferson School of Law • Tulane University School of Law • University of Alabama School of Law • University of Akron School of Law • University of Arkansas School of Law • University at Buffalo Law School - State

University of New York • University of California Hastings College of

the Law • University of California Los Angeles School

of Law (UCLA)• University of Colorado Law School • University of Houston Law Center • University of Iowa College of Law • University of Kansas School of Law• University of Kentucky College of Law • University of Maine School of Law • University of Maryland School of Law • University of Michigan Law School • University of Mississippi School of Law • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

School of Law • University of Oregon School of Law• University of Southern California Gould

School of Law • University of St. Thomas School of Law,

Minneapolis• University of Wyoming College of Law • Vanderbilt University Law School • Vermont Law School • Wake Forest University School of Law • Washburn University School of Law • Western State University College of Law• Willamette University College of Law • William Mitchell College of Law

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

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Thank you to our sponsors! We greatly appreciate your support of this important event!

GOLD SPONSOR

www.faegre.com

SILVER SPONSORS

www.bakerbotts.com

www.mayerbrown.com

BRONZE SPONSORS

www.lw.com

www.phoenixlaw.org

www.tklaw.com

COPPER SPONSOR

www.dicksteinshapiro.com

PATRON SPONSOR

www.hunton.com


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FRIDAY LUNCH SPONSOR

www.andrewskurth.com

SATURDAY LUNCH SPONSOR

www.hopespromisepublishing.com

www.civicframe.org

FUTURE LAWYERS FAREWELL RECEPTION SPONSOR

www.LawyerlyLove.com

UNIVERSITY/STUDENT ORGANIZATION SPONSOR National Black Law Students Association - University of Houston Law Center Chapter

http://www.law.uh.edu/organizations/blsa/

2008 Media Partners

www.blacklegalissues.com

www.blackesquire.com

2008 ACTIVE SUPPORTERS Houston Young Lawyers Association - Tomorrow’s Attorneys Pipeline Project (TAPP)

www.hyla.org


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Vendors - Pre -Law Resources FairAccess Group

Black Legal IssuesCharles Hamilton Houston Law School Preparatory Institute

Civic FrameCouncil on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO)

Hope’s Promise PublishingThe J.D. ProjectLawyerly Love

National Bar Association Arizona Diversity Pipeline Program, Inc.Princeton Review

Conference Team MembersTraci Boyd

Charli Alexa CookseyAndre EvansCrystal Ford

April Yvonne GarrettBrennon Jackson

Jeff JamesErika Johnson

Emma P. MeansStephanie Mensah

Evangeline M. Mitchell, Esq.Jane MitchellJamila PattenKristie PickneyBrittany Sterling

Psonya Wilson, Esq.

VolunteersJimmy Hall, Esq.

Tiffany Harvey, Esq. Chandria Jackson, Esq.Mandy R. Jones, Esq.

Daniella D. Landers, Esq. Renee Lowe, Esq.

Dwayne L. Mason, Esq. Erin E. O’Driscoll, Esq.

Dawn PaulRoss Peters, Esq.

Victoria Phipps, Esq. Shannon Ross, Esq.

Johnna Teal, Esq.Thurgood Marshall School of Law,

Texas Southern University Black Law Students Association Byron Watson, Esq.

University of Houston Law Center Black Law Students Association

2008 LEGACY BUILDER AWARD HONOREES:

Jo Ana Saint-George, Esq. Founder and Chair, National Bar Association Arizona Diversity Pipeline Program, Inc. www.nbapipeline.org

The Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones (Posthumous), Mentor and Advocate for Future African American Lawyers

Tshaka Randall, Esq. President and Co-Founder, The J.D. Project www.thejdproject.org

Vernellia R. Randall, Esq. Board Chair and Co-Founder, The J.D. Project www.thejdproject.org

Donald M. Temple, Esq. Founder and Executive Director, Charles Hamilton Houston Law School Preparatory Institute www.chhlawinstitute.org

Building Dreams, Establishing Legacies: Honoring Lawyers Devoted to Reaching Back

to Pull Up the Next Generation of Black Lawyers

Documents

2008 Black Esquire Magazine