This September DLA Piper will host its third Global Women’s Leadership Summit (GWLS), focusing on the emerging roles of general counsel in today’s global business and political environments. The two-day event, which offers CLE credit, will feature some of the country’s most successful female leaders.
Leading up to the summit we will be posting to this blog regularly, introducing the summit’s speakers and previewing panel discussions. Please make sure to check back frequently for interviews with GCs and thought-provoking conversations on topics that will be discussed further during the event.
GWLSbegins on Monday, Sept. 29, when invite-only attendees arrive at the Four Seasons hotel in Chicago for a networking reception, dinner and keynote presentation. On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the summit will feature various panels and speakers on topics related to the law and business. Michelle Bernard, CEO of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy, opens the day’s activities with a keynote presentation titled “How Today’s Women are Changing the Face of Feminism.” Bernard, a seasoned journalist, is a legal and political analyst for MSNBC.
Following the morning keynote, attendees will break out to hear panel discussions among accomplished GCs of leading global companies, such as AOL, Discover Financial Services, Kraft and Nike, to name just a few.
In “The Trusted Advisor: What General Counsel Need to Know about the CEO, Board of Directors and Collaboration,” five experienced in-house counsel will discuss how the GC’s role is increasingly focused on striking a balance between being a trusted advisor to CEOs and board members and taking on the everyday risks associated with advancing the a company’s business interests.
In “Onward and Upward: Demonstrating Success as a General Counsel and Beyond,” five C-suite executives will share insights on the GC career path, what it takes to become a member of the C-suite, and how to leverage talent and experience to achieve and exceed career aspirations.
Three other panels will take on best practices in leading a law department; managing corporate risk, ethics and compliance; and strategies for shaping corporate board composition and winning a seat at the boardroom table. Liza Donnelly, an American writer and cartoonist for The New Yorker and Forbes.com, will give the lunch keynote presentation.
The summit wraps up that evening with a cocktail party where attendees and presenters will have a chance to meet, mingle and discuss the day’s events.