Seat at the Table

noreply@blogger.com (Seat At The Table)

How many times have you wished you could sit down with a legal luminary, ask them difficult questions and hear their most vulnerable and honest answers? The time is now. This podcast aims to connect women in the legal profession to those who have been trailblazers, who are currently fighting the good the fight, and those who are changing the legal profession.

Episodes

  1. 10/15/2019

    VOLUME 14: KELLY DERMODY Managing Partner of the San Francisco office Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP

    96 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Kelly Dermody is Managing Partner of the San Francisco office and chair of the employment practice group at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP.  Kelly represents employees and consumers in class, collective, and #metoo actions. Kelly is a leader in non-profit organizations devoted to serving the public interest, improving access to justice, and ensuring that the rights of historically disenfranchised persons are protected. In 2012, Kelly served as President of the Bar Association of San Francisco. She has been inducted as a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and has served on the governing Council of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section.  In 2016, Kelly was named a “Giant Slayer” by The Recorder legal press. Kelly has been named as a 2019 recipient of the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award by the American Bar Association. Kelly is a graduate of Harvard College and Berkeley Law School.  LISTEN HERE: Volume 14 With Hosts:  Summer C. Selleck and Ariel B. Lee Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan Recording At:  Alameda County District Attorney Office

  2. 07/15/2019

    Volume 12: NEDA MANSOORIAN of OLEANDER LAW PARTNERS LLC

    Neda A. Mansoorian is a co-founder of and the managing partner at Oleander Law Partners LLP. Located in Los Gatos, California, she provides crisis management services for her individual and corporate clients in Santa Clara County, Silicon Valley and other parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. Admitted to practice before all California state courts, Ms. Mansoorian is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Eastern Districts of California. Ms. Mansoorian uses her extensive background and experience in litigation, business, mediation, and negotiations to provide advice and counsel to clients who are risking the loss of their reputation and standing when they are facing a crisis in their personal or business lives. The types of matters that she has handled in this regard have involved business disputes, embezzlement, wrongful termination, extortion, high-profile divorces and workplace harassment. She has counted among her clients chief executive officers, public companies and public officials. The manner in which she has handled what are often sensitive issues has earned her the respect of her colleagues, as evidenced by her receipt of an AV Preeminent peer review rating through Martindale-Hubbell every year since 2014. Ms. Mansoorian has also been named to the Silicon Valley Business Journal's annual 40 Under 40 list. Prior to founding Oleander Law Partners LLP in October 2016, Ms. Mansoorian was a partner and the chief legal officer at a well-known San Jose law firm. While she was there, she represented many high-profile clients and helped to resolve their disputes both in the courtroom and at the negotiating table. A fellow in both the American Bar Foundation and the Litigation Counsel of America, Ms. Mansoorian holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law. LISTEN HERE: VOLUME 12 With Hosts:  Summer C. Selleck Ariel B. Lee Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan Recording At: Alameda County District Attorney Office

  3. 05/11/2019

    JUDGE VICTORIA KOLAKOWSKI, SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE OF CALIFORNIA FOR ALAMEDA COUNTY

    Judge Victoria Kolakowski became the first and only openly transgender trial judge in the United States when she was elected to the Alameda County Superior Court in November 2010.   As a judge, she has served in both civil and criminal trial assignments. She recently completed a year as the Supervising Judge of the Collaborative Courts, with subject matter oversight over all of the treatment courts (drug, behavioral health, veterans’, etc.) in Alameda County. Judge Kolakowski is also passionate about ensuring and expanding access to justice, particularly for those with limited resources.  She serves on the Judicial Council of California’s Advisory Committee on Providing Access and Fairness, and is the California Council of Churches' appointee to the California Commission on Access to Justice. She has been a leader in educating the judiciary on transgender issues. She is also a frequent speaker on LGBT issues, internationally, nationally and locally. For example, Judge Kolakowski conducted a series of four videoconferences in June, 2017 with LGBT and allied civil rights leaders hosted at U.S. consulates in India - at the request of the U.S. Dept. of State. Judge Kolakowski is a former President of the International Association of LGBT Judges, and of the Earl Warren American Inn of Court chapter in Alameda County. Judge Kolakowski was an attorney for twenty-one years in Louisiana and California, serving as a sole practitioner, attorney in a small firm, as general counsel for a publicly traded company, as a senior government utility regulatory attorney, and as an administrative law judge for two different California agencies. Since coming out publicly in 1989, she has been a leader in numerous local, state and national LGBT legal, political and spiritual organizations. Her many accomplishments include co-authoring Berkeley, California's domestic partner public registration ordinance in 1991 and co-chairing the board of directors of the Transgender Law Center, an organization focused on the well-being and protection of transgender individuals.  She has received numerous awards, including the Pioneer in the Law Award from California Women Lawyers in 2014 and the Distinguished Service Award from the Alameda County Bar Association in 2015. She was a community grand marshal for San Francisco Pride in 2011, and marched with BALIF, the local LGBT Bar Association. Judge Kolakowski is being honored by the California State Assembly in March as the 2019 Woman of the Year for the 18th Assembly District.  She lives in Oakland with her wife Cynthia Laird, their Pembroke Welsh Corgi Darby, and cat Espresso. LISTEN HERE: VOLUME 10 With Hosts:  Summer C. Selleck Ariel B. Lee Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan Recording At: Alameda County District Attorney Office

  4. 03/09/2019

    SUZETTE Z. TORRES-Vice President/Regional Counsel of North American Title Company, Inc.’s

    Suzette Z. Torres is Vice President/Regional Counsel of North American Title Company, Inc.’s (“North American Title”). She provides legal and escrow advisory support to North American Title’s branches throughout the Western Region which includes California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Her duties include handling compliance and employment issues, providing underwriting guidance, and advising on commercial transactions. Prior to joining North American, Ms. Torres worked for another national underwriter, first as VP/Trial Counsel, and later transitioned to VP/Underwriting Counsel. When she was in private practice, she rose up to partnership at her firm (Bardellini, Straw, Cavin & Bupp LLP) and became the only minority, female, equity partner. Her practice included resolving title and escrow claims, negotiating business disputes, managing contract negotiations, trials and handling several adversary proceedings in bankruptcy. Suzette served as the District 4 Governor of the California Women's Lawyer's Association (the largest women's bar association statewide) and was the Chair of the In House Counsel Network. She is an active member and former Co-Chair of the In-House Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, a member of the Filipino Bar Association-Northern California, and a member of the San Francisco and East Bay Chapters of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women).  She has been rated AV Preeminent® by her peers, the highest rating given by Martindale-Hubble®, and was selected as an honoree for the 2018 National Women in Law (Collaborative Leadership Category). LISTEN HERE: VOLUME 9 With Hosts:  Summer C. Selleck Ariel B. Lee Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan Recording At: Alameda County District Attorney Office

  5. 01/12/2019

    Judge Tara Flanagan

    Judge Tara Flanagan serves as a Judge of the Superior Court of California in the County of Alameda.  Judge Flanagan earned a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Northridge and earned her law degree from Southwestern Law School in 1998.  Before going to law school, Judge Flanagan lived in England pursuing her rugby career. She was selected to the US Women's Rugby National Team. She and her teammates went on to win the Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991. The USA Eagles followed their impressive 1991 victory with a second-place finish in the 1994 World Cup. Judge Flanagan is a member of the USA Rugby Hall of Fame.  As her rugby career came to a close, Judge Flanagan enrolled in Law School. Attending law school at night while working full time, she distinguished herself at Southwestern, becoming class president and named to the Moot Court Honors Program, where she later served on the Honors Board of Directors. After graduation, Judge Flanagan’s law career started at a large litigation firm in Orange County; from there, she joined the Los Angeles District Attorney's office where she served as Deputy District Attorney. During her first year at the D.A.'s office, her hard work and skill earned her recognition and honors as an "Outstanding Domestic Violence Prosecutor." In 2004, Judge Flanagan began practicing family law. As a legal aid attorney, she represented domestic violence survivors and their children. She fought for restraining orders and financial support to ensure that the victims had the security to move forward with their lives. Later, Judge Flanagan was the managing Attorney of the Self-Help Center of the Superior Court, and Family Law Facilitator. She later opened her own practice and continued to protect victims of domestic violence. In 2012 Judge Flanagan won election for a seat on the Alameda County Court. Her seat was challenged in 2018 and she won that election as well.  Since joining the bench, she has continued to be an active voice in our community, serving on various boards and volunteering her time. LISTEN HERE: VOLUME 7 With Hosts:  Summer C. Selleck Ariel B. Lee Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan Recording At: Alameda County District Attorney Office

  6. 12/07/2017

    Volume 4: Featuring LOUISE RENNE, Civil Rights Extraordinaire

    Louise Renne is a lawyer, former Supervisor and one-time City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, California.  She is a graduate of both Michigan State University and Columbia Law School (1961). Ms. Renne was appointed Supervisor by Mayor Dianne Feinstein in 1978. She acted as member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for 8 years from 1978 to 1986, where she was chair of the Finance Committee. She was then appointed by Feinstein as City Attorney in 1986 and became the first female City Attorney in San Francisco history. She served in the position until 2001. In this role, she argued on behalf of the state before the California and United States Supreme Courts. She had her own private practice for 2 years and was a staff attorney in the general counsel’s office at the Federal Communications Commission for 3 years. Ms. Renne served as General Counsel for the San Francisco Unified School District where she led the effort to combat corruption existing at the time and establish a legal department. She also served as City Attorney for the City of Richmond. She currently works at  Renne Sloan Holtzman & Sakai LLP in San Francisco, which is a public law firm. She was a founder and former California Women Lawyers President from 1977-1978. 96 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} LISTEN HERE: Volume 4 With Hosts:  Summer C. Selleck Ariel B. Lee Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan Recording At: Alameda County District Attorney Office

  7. 04/25/2017

    Featuring Drucilla Ramey

    Dru Ramey is the former executive director of the National Association of Women Judges, former tenured member of the GGU School of Law Faculty, and former executive director and general counsel of the Bar Association of San Francisco. While serving with the Bar Association, Dru transformed the organization into one of the nation’s leaders in diversifying the profession and in the provision of legal services to the poor. For more than 30 years, Dru has been devoted to diversity, equal opportunity and access in the justice system. She has chaired the ACLU of Northern California and the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women and served as a co-founder and board leader of California Women Lawyers. Dru has received numerous honors and awards in recognition of the contributions she has made to the legal profession, including the prestigious Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award – the American Bar Association’s highest honor for women in the profession, the American Jewish Committee’s Learned Hand Award and the National Bar Association’s Wiley Branton Award.  Dru currently serves as the Chair of the Equal Rights Advocates and sits on the boards of the International Association of Women’s Judges and the Habeas Corpus Resource Center, which monitors 743 of California’s death row inmates. Dru is a charismatic public speaker and fierce civil rights advocate who received her Bachelor’s Degree magna cum laude from Harvard University and her Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School. Seat At The Table-Vol.2-Drucilla Ramey With Hosts:  Summer C. Selleck Mika Domingo Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan Recording At: Alameda County District Attorney Office

  8. 04/23/2017

    Featuring District Attorney Nancy O'Malley

    Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley is a nationally recognized expert in human trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence. She is known for her many innovative programs, including those to fight real estate fraud, elder and child abuse, prescription drug fraud, chronic absenteeism, sexual assault, domestic violence, ID Theft and environmental violations, as well as creating a project to eliminate the backlog of rape kits in Alameda County and beyond. DA O’Malley has led the charge for stronger legislative protections and increased rights for victims through her legislative work in Sacramento. Over the last ten years, her Office has obtained restitution orders of over $126 million for victims of crime in Alameda County. DA O’Malley created the Family Justice Center, pioneered an electronic notification system for victims, as well as developed H.E.A.T. Watch – an anti-human-trafficking initiative that has become a national model. Recently, she was the first District Attorney in the nation to receive the 2016 American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Award for professional excellence and for advancing opportunities for women the legal profession. In 2015, DA O’Malley received the 2015 Irvine Foundation Leadership Award and used the prize to launch the H.E.A.T. Institute, a research-based think-tank committed to ending all forms of human trafficking in California. A Seat at the Table - Vol 1 - Featuring Nancy O'Malley With Hosts:  Summer C. Selleck Sabrina Ashjian Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan Recording At: Alameda County District Attorney Office

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

How many times have you wished you could sit down with a legal luminary, ask them difficult questions and hear their most vulnerable and honest answers? The time is now. This podcast aims to connect women in the legal profession to those who have been trailblazers, who are currently fighting the good the fight, and those who are changing the legal profession.