“Female Founded Law Firms: Confronting Bias in the Legal Industry” talk will be presented by Lindsey Mignano, Andrea Loh, and Amber Bissell.
Lindsey Mignano counsels startups regarding business formation and expansion into US markets. Prior to founding her three-woman firm in 2016, Lindsey practiced at an international law firm. She graduated from Stanford University (B.A., 2007), and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (J.D., 2010). Lindsey acts as the Secretary on the Barristers Board of Directors and is a member of the Executive Committee for the Barristers Solo and Small Firm Section for the Bar Association of San Francisco; sits on the Board of Directors for Mini Cat Town, Inc.; and acts as the Communications Co-Chair on the Sustainer Council for the Junior League of San Francisco, Inc.
She has received the Wendy Hayward Distinguished Member of the Year Award in 2019 from the Junior League of San Francisco, Inc.; the Outstanding Barristers Award in 2017 from the Bar Association of San Francisco; Women in the Law’s Outstanding New Leader Award in 2015 from DRI, an international legal organization for defense and corporate counsel; and a Rising Star from 2016-2019 by Super Lawyers, an honor awarded to only 2.5% of attorneys under the age of 40.
Andrea Loh represents employees in litigation and pre-litigation matters on a range of workplace-related issues. Her areas of practice include: (1) negotiating compensation packages and severance agreements; (2) sexual harassment, hostile work environment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and discrimination claims; (3) failure to pay proper wages; (4) meal and rest break violations; (5) employee misclassification; and (6) breach of contract claims.
Andrea also provides limited advice and counsel representation to small and medium-sized employers on various workplace issues and performs internal investigations on behalf of businesses that have received complaints of unlawful workplace conduct.
Gender bias is an important issue in the practice of law, affecting people of all genders in many different ways. Each of the program panelists has built successful, thriving law firms while dealing with and overcoming gender bias. We will have an inclusive discussion about the full scope of this important issue, as well as how to overcome it.
Amber Bissell is a partner at Bain Mazza and Debski and focuses on labor and employment cases. She is also a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA) and the Employment Law Section of the San Mateo County Bar Association. Additionally, over the last decade, Amber has studied and consulted with numerous non-profits and federal agencies on the issues of institutionalized gender discrimination and the prevention of gender-based violence. She has presented and been a panel speaker on these issues throughout her career. She is a graduate of UCLA, Loyola Law School, and the London School of Economics.
The key points are:
- Recognizing gender bias as an attorney
- How gender bias affects you
- Tips to overcome gender bias when it affects you
- How to build a thriving practice despite gender bias
Session
- 11:30 am to Noon – Networking
- 12:00 to 12:15 Introductions
- 12:15 to 12:45 Speaker Presentation
- 12:45 to 1:15 – Audience Learnings
- 1:15 to 1:30 pm – Networking.
“The Continuing Battle Over Arbitration for Employment Disputes” talk will be presented by Dean Royer.
Dean has advocated for employees since 2005. He is experienced in three areas of employment law: (1) wrongful termination and harassment, (2) wage and hour, and (3) leaves of absence. Dean represents employees in both the private and public sectors. He has handled a variety of wrongful termination cases, including discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and whistle-blower matters. Dean also represents individuals who have claims regarding their pay (minimum wage, overtime, and unpaid wages), meal and rest violations, and sick leave violations.
The key points of the presentation are:
- The origins of arbitration in the U.S.
- Conflicting interpretations of the scope of the Federal Arbitration Act.
- California’s legislative attempts to limit arbitration.
- Recent developments in the ongoing battle over the use of arbitration for employment disputes.
Session
- 11:30 am to Noon – Networking
- 12:00 to 12:15 Introductions
- 12:15 to 12:45 Speaker Presentation
- 12:45 to 1:15 – Audience Learnings
- 1:15 to 1:30 pm – Networking.
“Expand Your Practice By Utilizing Paralegals” talk will be presented by Hope Arnold.
Hope Arnold is a certified paralegal and owner of Paralegal Hope. She provides remote paralegal support to family law, personal injury and civil litigation attorneys throughout the bay area. She is passionate about promoting the paralegal profession. Hope was awarded BASF Paralegal Award for 2019 by the executive committee for the BASF Paralegal Section.
Paralegals are often an underutilized resource in many law practices. Unlike most states, California specifies in the law what paralegals can and cannot do as well as attorneys’ responsibilities and duties related to the supervision of paralegals. Learn how you can utilize paralegals and other non-lawyer staff most effectively to expand your law practice while staying in compliance with your duties to supervise them.
Session
- 11:30 am to Noon – Networking
- 12:00 to 12:15 Introductions
- 12:15 to 12:45 Speaker Presentation
- 12:45 to 1:15 – Audience Learnings
- 1:15 to 1:30 pm – Networking.