Duane Morris D&I 360 Podcast with Joe West

Joe talks with Amauri Costa, Partner in our Duane Morris Corporate Practice Group, about his career doing business in Latin America and his role as co-leader of the firm’s attorney Hispanic and Latino employee resource group.

Aaron Ford, Attorney General of Nevada and the first African American to hold statewide constitutional office in Nevada, talks with Joe West about his career path and calling: to serve the public as a teacher, lawyer and elected official.

Joe West talks with Trial Practice Co-Chair Sharon Caffrey about leading the largest practice at the firm while maintaining her own active practice, developing the next generation of trial lawyers, how the firm combats implicit bias in assignments, and her advice for young lawyers in the hybrid workplace.

Austin So, General Counsel & Head of Sustainability of Armstrong World Industries, talks with Joe West about “the hot mess” of the first half of his career and how following his mentor’s advice to “ruin his resume” gave him the variety of skills and experiences needed to move up and into the C-suite. Austin also shares what led him to pursue a legal career, the importance of diversity and mentoring and the advice he has for young lawyers.

Joe West talks with Noni Ellison, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Tractor Supply, about her career path and the key to her success: finding a space where she can be her authentic self and bring all of her skills and experience to work every day.

Duane Morris Partner and American Association of People with Disabilities Board Member Mike Zullo talks about his work at the firm and with the AAPD to advocate for full civil rights for the over 60 million Americans with disabilities.

Mark Smalls, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of JAMS, talks about the importance of diversity and representation in arbitration, mediation and alternative dispute resolution.

Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Joe West sits down with Yvonne Kilmer, Office Manager of the Duane Morris San Diego office, Co-leader of the Hispanic/Latino Staff Employee Resource Group, and Vice President of the Association of Legal Administrators, San Diego Chapter, about her experiences at the firm and her involvement in the community.

Joe West talks with Sherry Williams, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, Corporate Secretary and SVP of Human Resources at SMI (Strategic Materials, Inc.), about her career path and the importance of having your own personal board of directors.

Joe West talks with Monté T. Squire about his career path - engineer, law school, administrative patent judge and member of the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board - and the value a lawyer with deep STEM skills can bring to a business.

Erica McKinley, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of the Big Ten Conference, shares how mentorship – and her active approach to being mentored – helped build relationships and create opportunities throughout her career.

Joe West talks with colleague Michael Bernick, employment lawyer at Duane Morris LLP, about his experiences and efforts to raise awareness of neurodiversity and create job opportunities for people with autism, ADHD and other neurodiverse conditions. Michael serves on the board of the Autism Aspergers Spectrum Coalition for Education Networking and Development (AASCEND) and is the author of The Autism Job Club and The Autism Full Employment Act.

Joe West talks with the Hon. Shira Scheindlin, former U.S. District Court judge for the Southern District of New York, about her career, the landmark cases she presided over, including the “stop-and-frisk” ruling, and why representation matters.

Joe West talks with April Smith, Deputy District Attorney for Alameda County, about her career and why she became a lawyer, her advice for young lawyers, addressing the lack of diversity in the legal profession and a reminder for lawyers who are fighting for change and progress to take time to care for themselves, too.

Joe West and Don H. Liu, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Risk Officer at Target, discuss the importance of creating a culture of professional development within corporate legal departments. Topics include building one's professional brand, navigating moving between industries and developing a career path in the legal industry. Recorded during the 2021 Reuters Events Legal Leaders conference.