ELS attorney Raquel Crump shared highlights from the LIWOCA Annual Conference held in Washington, DC March 27-29, 2019.
ELS Attorney Raquel Crump
LIWOCA provides annual scholarships to women of color in law school. LIWOCA’s mission is to educate, mentor, inspire and network with women of color attorneys and businesswomen as well as create a forum for mentoring and networking. Raquel serves on LIWOCA’s Annual Conference Planning Committee and has been active in LIWOCA for three years.
General Pointer
Keynote Speaker Sandie Okoro, Senior Vice-President and General Counsel World Bank Group was truly inspiring and encouraged conference attendees to move beyond fear and aspire to higher and higher goals. Sure, you might not get all you aspire to, but you may be pleasantly surprised and exceed your own expectations.
Takeaways from Two of the Many Engaging Conference Sessions:
#METOO: Labor and Employment Practice Implications in Handling Sexual Harassment Allegations in the Workplace
Panelists, including Charlotte A. Burrows of the EEOC, discussed the role of in-house and outside counsel in avoiding investigative and litigation pitfalls. This discussion served as a reminder and offered ideas on ways to achieve resolution without litigation.
- Proper and timely use of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) may be helpful in mitigating situations and avoiding litigation.
- When parties focus on a commitment to a positive and healthy work environment it becomes easier to mitigate a negative incident and contain the effects and impact on the work environment.
Ethical Considerations: Avoiding Landmines in Giving Legal Advice in the Corporate, Governmental, or Law Firm Environment
Panelists, including Ashley Scott, Policy Counsel, LIME, suggested best practices for ensuring ethical considerations are at the forefront of rendering legal advice.
- Use the phone – provide oral summaries
- Do not assume privilege
- Note “Do Not Forward” on communications
- Always be mindful of ethical considerations
- Understand in-house counsel manage legal and business considerations and not all communications are privileged or protected
Conference Bonus – Important Opportunity to Network and Connect
LIWOCA’s insightful conference format included Friday afternoon activities. Several engaging opportunities were available and provided a great opportunity to network and develop a support system.
Raquel enjoyed the Monuments Tour – especially seeing the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial up close as well as touring the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Please contact Raquel at rcrump@theemploymentlawsolution.com for more information about LIWOCA.
