PD Insider

Lauren Hakala, Senior Director of Global Learning and Development at Reed Smith LLP, joined host Craig Miller to explore the insights gained and lessons learned while leading learning initiatives for a firm with offices spanning 4 continents. For an increasingly global industry, Lauren's unique perspective will be valuable for all professionals devising similar PD projects — no matter the size of their firm or organization.

Mike Haven, Director of Legal Operations and Associate General Counsel at Intel, and President of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC), sat down with host Craig Miller to share the insights he’s gained in his career as both a partner at a major law firm, and as a leader in the field of corporate legal operations. This interview is an invaluable opportunity to learn directly from your firm's key clients, and how legal ops is poised as a change agent for the profession.

Aisha Greene, Director of Attorney Development and Training at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP sat down with Craig Miller in the PLI Studio for an in-depth discussion sharing insights and lessons she's learned developing and implementing successful lateral integration programs for associates and partners. As the legal industry continues evolving and shifting, her valuable insights are more crucial than ever for PDs facing these challenges in their own firms.

To celebrate the first in-person PDC Summer Conference since 2019, PD Insider was on-site in Denver in July to record ten interviews for a special compilation episode. Each guest sat down with host Craig Miller to share the best lessons they've learned from a colleague in PD, their fall and winter priorities, and how the PD community supported one another during, and after, the pandemic. This special compilation features candid insights from diverse perspectives that will be a resource to all PDs this fall and beyond. Special thanks to our ten featured speakers:

Chris Boyd (Wilson Sonsini); Larry Brown (Fisher Phillips); Lewis Check (Baker McKenzie); Mollie Farrell (Greensfelder); Aisha Greene (Cadwalader); Alicia Kappers (Frost Brown Todd); Jeanne Picht (Fried Frank); Reva Pollack (Arnold & Porter); Jessie Spressart (Optia Consulting); and Erin Walczewski (Cooley)

Ida Abbott, President of Ida Abbott Consulting and a co-founder of the Professional Development Consortium (PDC), returns to PD Insider -- this time, her conversation with Craig Miller focuses on the role professional development can play in managing senior partner retirement, and the benefits of utilizing design thinking in succession planning. The industry's shift to remote and hybrid work created a new landscape for partner retirement planning, making the valuable insights shared more important than ever for PDs facing similar challenges in their firms.

For this edition of PD Insider, we're joined by Reva Pollack, Director of Professional Development at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP. In her conversation with Craig Miller, Reva explains the value of coaching principles and techniques in successful professional development. They also review the evolution of coaching in the age of remote and hybrid work, and Reva's shares her own insights about becoming a certified coach and best practices pulled from her own experience.

Our first guest of 2022 is Ann Gomez, the founder of global training organization Clear Concept Inc. In her conversation with Craig Miller, Ann candidly explores the keys to leading successful hybrid teams ‒ building trust and connections, fostering engagement, the importance of autonomy, and meaningful work ‒ along with other useful insights.

H. Sandra Bang of Shearman and Melanie Priddy of Katten, who just co-chaired the webcast series Empowering Professional Development 2021: DEI in the Legal Industry throughout November for PLI's PD Appreciation Month, joined PD Insider for the final interview of 2021. In their conversation with Craig Miller, Sandra and Melanie examine the wide-ranging, in-depth content covered in the four-part series and share their own perspectives and lessons learned from handling diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in big law, and how the shifting perspectives on social justice and remote work will influence future conversations.

Jennifer Leonard, Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director, Future of the Profession Initiative at University of Pennsylvania's Carey School of Law, met with Craig Miller over videoconference for a wide-ranging conversation. In this episode, Jen delves into her cutting edge role at Penn Law, and how design thinking and prioritizing empathy can positively impact attorneys' performance and relationships within – and outside of – the firm. 

Meg Holman, Chief Talent Officer for Ogletree Deakins, sat down with Craig Miller over videoconference for an in-depth conversation about the many considerations facing law firm management and other employers planning and implementing the return to office for their staff. Meg’s expert professional perspective grants helpful insights on what we’ve learned in the last year, and how we can use those insights to improve the legal industry.

Jennifer Bluestein of Perkins Coie returns to PD Insider to discuss her strategies for maximizing mid-level associate performance, which is the focus of her latest book, Stepping It Up: A Guide for Mid-Level Law Firm Associates from PLI Press. In her candid conversation with Craig Miller, conducted over videoconference, Jennifer helps shed light on the specific challenges mid-levels face and shares expert insights on how PDs can address these challenges to help the attorney and the firm thrive – especially as we pass the one-year anniversary of remote work for many law firm offices.

Kristen Uhl Hulse, Assistant Professor at Sturm College of Law, spoke to Craig Miller over videoconference for an illuminating discussion about the collaboration between law school faculty and legal employers to produce practice-ready graduates. With a rich history of work within both law firms and law schools, Kristen’s unique perspective will grant important insight for all PD professionals working with new attorneys.

Dr. Sharon Meit Abrahams, president of Legal Talent Advisors LLC, spoke to Craig Miller over videoconference for an illuminating discussion about best strategies for supporting and coaching underperforming partners. Using her extensive industry experience, she explores the complex ways of measuring partner performance and offers candid and actionable advice based on her own success with coaching at a wide range of top law firms.

Andy Hales, Vice President of Development & Training at Venable LLP, met with Craig Miller over videoconference to discuss his unique position heading firm-wide training at Venable, and Venable’s successful use of a centralized professional development and training model. Their recent conversation also covers support networks the firm has adopted in response to the nationwide civil rights demonstrations. Andy’s insights will be illuminating and instructive for all working on attorney and law firm staff development.

In the first remote PD Insider interview, Jim Lovelace, Director of Talent Development at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, spoke with Craig Miller about maintaining consistent and compassionate leadership with a newly-displaced team. Their discussion highlights the present-day challenges facing PD teams against the backdrop of COVID-19 and evergreen insights to enable successful coaching and management practices at your firm.

Jennifer Bluestein, Chief Talent Officer at Perkins Coie, visited PD Insider to address one of the leading issues facing PD teams: ensuring new associates find their footing and excel at a large law firm. In her lively conversation with Craig Miller, Jennifer expands on many of the concepts explored in her bestselling PLI Press title, An Associate's First Year: A Guide to Thriving at a Law Firm, sharing well-tested best practices and valuable insights for helping your new associates begin a successful career.

PLI President Anita Shapiro sat down for a special edition of PD Insider with longtime colleague Burt Lipshie, a renowned member of the Professional Development community in New York and beyond. In his illustrious career, Burt has impacted countless attorneys and PD professionals through his work at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, where he now serves as Senior Counsel, and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he is the Professor of Practice and Director of Advocacy Skills Training. In their candid conversation, Burt and Anita discuss the history of professional development, the PDC, and how lawyering has evolved during his career.

Tammie Garner, Director of Professional Development at Jackson Lewis, visits PD Insider to review successful strategies for designing and implementing effective training programs. Tammie sat down with Craig Miller to walk through the theory and practice behind creating level-based curriculum meaningful for attorneys at all stages of their careers.

H. Sandra Bang, the Chief Diversity and Talent Strategy Officer at Shearman & Sterling, returns to PD Insider for the second installment in her two-part interview. During her conversation with Craig Miller, Sandra shares her expert insights on working with firm leadership to ensure executive buy-in for professional development initiatives.

Michelle Wimes, Chief Diversity and Professional Development Officer at Ogletree Deakins, sat down with PD Insider to explore the theory behind implicit bias and the firm-wide practices which can be used to combat it. During her in-depth interview with Craig Miller, Michelle explains the unconventional methods she’s implemented: mindfulness and meditation, and the data-driven support for their effectiveness. Michelle and Craig’s conversation offers deep insight and the concrete tools for implementing mindfulness exercises and measuring their success at your firm.

Craig Miller, PLI’s Vice President of Membership and Accreditation, sat down with Sandra Bang, the Chief Diversity and Talent Strategy Officer at Shearman & Sterling, to address the universal question: how can I successfully manage my professional development team? Sandra’s unique perspective as a C-level executive within a global law firm informs her insights on leading a PD team with empathy and efficiency – their conversation is an informative must-watch for all those within PD departments.

Andrea Colby, executive coach and Principal at Pro Se, LLC sat down for a frank and illuminating conversation about attorney mental health. Now a trusted advisor for legal teams, Andrea opens up about her struggle with depression early in her career as a litigator, and how her experience has informed her advocacy for mental health awareness. Andrea shares her insights and advice for professional development teams looking to make attorney wellness a priority within their firms in this essential watch for the PD community.

Ida Abbott, President of Ida Abbott Consulting, and Morgan Smith, Professional Development Director at Dykema, visited PD Insider to explore the theory and practice of successful attorney mentorship programs. With the expert perspective of the PD consultant and in-house PD director, their conversation covers the range of considerations facing any law firm developing or managing mentorship programs.

Tim Henderson of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP shares his insights on implementing effective attorney performance evaluation systems. He discusses his innovative methods for ensuring objectivity and transparency, and making performance evaluations meaningful for every member of the firm.

Sammy Elzarka of Michelman & Robinson shares his expertise in data-driven professional development, focusing on instructional design and learning systems with measurable outcomes and meaningful results for your firm.

Matt Galando of K&L Gates reviews some of his innovative PD initiatives, including experiential programming, emphasizing cross-departmental strategic partnerships, and teaching the valuable soft skills for successful legal practice.

Don Smith of Crowell & Moring unpacks the importance of diversity for successful Professional Development. Don examines how an inclusive culture benefits team performance and retention, as well as the evolving status of diversity in PD and the legal community.

Milana Hogan of Sullivan & Cromwell shares her insights into the evolution of Professional Development in law firms, predictions for the PD community in 2019 and discusses success factors for women in large law firms, including grit and the value of a growth mindset.