The Most Admired Women in Law, 2021 October 2021

VOL- 10 I ISSUE 01 I 2021

Law at Forefront Fighting Against Injustice with Bravery by Being Judicious Women in the Legal Profession Awaiting a Ladder in the Dark

Punam

Singh Rogers An Immigration Trailblazer and an Impactful Leader

The Most Admired Women in Law, 2021

EDITOR’S NOTE The Advocates of Tomorrow

C

an you imagine a society without laws? The lawless society will lose its essence, and the world will be a playground for utter chaos. This mere thought sends shivers down my spine as it is impossible to live in a world without law. Joseph P Bradley once said, “Law is the bond of society: that which makes it, that which it preserves it and keeps it together,” to which I agree entirely, to maintain a civil society, the law is a must.

Every aspect of society follows the guidelines set by the law and is represented by legal authority. Leaders in law are responsible for the monumental task of providing justice to every person who is deprived of their rights. These leaders shape the future of society and various industries with laws that are equal to any and everyone.

Women leaders are now driving the law industry niche while increasing the proportion of women leadership in the legal profession. It is a clear indication that the law is becoming more representative of its diverse constituents worldwide.

With their extensive understanding of the law, women leaders address structural barriers and advocate cultural change needed at the organizational level to succeed and advance in the legal industry. These women leaders support various law practices, from counseling various organizations to representing some aspects of society.

One of the essential characteristics of women leaders in law is that they support bringing together women working in the legal profession and help them achieve leadership positions in the law. However, this change doesn’t come easy as it

seems; they consistently face multiple hurdles. These hurdles can range from practice to challenge myths around work/life integration and generational values. Women leaders have ensured that their ability to deal with challenges while delivering possible solutions highlights their quality of agility, efficiency, and innovative approach. These women leaders are genuinely paving the way for aspiring legal representatives.

Thus, CIO Look commenced an expedition to seek leaders who have impacted the law industry with their adept understanding and expertise. In this edition of ‘The Most Admired Women in Law, 2021,’ we commemorate the women leaders who have created their successful sagas with enthusiasm, courage, and unmatched efforts.

Featured on the cover of this edition is Punam Singh Rogers. She is the Partner at Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP. She serves on the firm’s 13-member executive committee and co-chair firms Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Practice Group.

Dive into more alike and inspiring stories of such inspiring leaders and spread the word about their contribution to making the world a better place with law.

While flipping through the pages, make sure to scroll through the articles written by our in-house editorial team and CxO standpoints of some of the leading industry experts to have the knowhow about the industry.

Delve in!

Aditya Gaikar

CONTENTS COVER STORY

08

Punam Singh Rogers An Immigration Trailblazer and an Impactful Leader

ARTICLES

18 34

Law at Forefront Fighting Against Injustice with Bravery by Being Judicious

Women in the Legal Profession Awaiting a Ladder in the Dark

CxO

30

Leader’s Viewpoint

20

Jeralyn Lawrence

24

Yosr Hamza

It’s all about Evolving

Leading with Compassion and Service

An Ardent Advocate of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Hitesh Dhamani Editor-in-Chief CONTENT

Senior Editor Alan Swann Executive Editors Aditya Gaikar Alex Spellman

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October, 2021

Featuring Person

Company Name

Brief

Bilyana Belcheva Associate

Shearman & Sterling shearman.com

Shearman & Sterling has been advising many of the world’s leading corporations and financial institutions, governments and governmental organizations for more than 140 years.

Davina Turnbull Senior Associate

Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP rpc.co.uk

Recognised as leaders in industries ranging from retail to insurance, technology to media, and well beyond, RPC has the expertise to handle bet-the-business litigation, complex regulatory challenges, transformational transactions and so much more.

Isabella Wong Senior Associate

Deacons deacons.com

Deacons is Hong Kong’s premier independent firm that provides an extensive range of legal and commercial services to local and international corporations.

Janet Cho Special Counsel

Baker McKenzie bakermckenzie.com

Baker McKenzie is helping clients solve complex legal problems by collaborating across borders and practice areas, using transformative technology and dealing with people with empathy.

Jeralyn Lawrence Founder & Managing Partner

Lawrence Law lawlawfirm.com

Lawrence Law only focuses on one area of the law – helping clients with all their family law needs.

Jyotsna Jayaram Partner

Trilegal trilegal.com

Trilegal is one of India’s leading law firms with offices in four of India’s major cities - Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram and Mumbai.

Peiwen Chen Counsel

White & Case whitecase.com

White & Case is a global law firm with longstanding offices in the markets that matter today.

Punam Singh Rogers Partner

Constangy, Brooks Smith & Prophete LLP constangy.com

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete offers a wider lens on workplace law.

Sher Hann Chua Consultant

Tilleke & Gibbin tilleke.com

Tilleke & Gibbins is a leading full-service Southeast Asian law firm proudly serving international and local businesses across six countries.

Yosr Hamza Director, Legal Affairs

Gartner gartner.com

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) delivers actionable, objective insight to executives and their teams.

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We appreciate the importance of being on the cutting edge of our profession and seek innovation in all areas of our business.

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PUNAM SINGH ROGERS An Immigration Trailblazer and an Impactful Leader

Punam Singh Rogers Partner Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP

COVER STORY

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or decades, people have been immigrating to foreign countries in search of work. Being an immigrant is a challenge as it presents barriers like language, cultural differences, prejudices, political asylum, and many more. Despite these barriers, immigrants continue to play an essential role in various communities and economies.

The number of talented individuals who are in demand for their technical skills is ever-growing globally. This necessity has opened up new hurdles to create and maintain a workforce that will enhance one's organization stay cutthroat. However, it becomes fundamental for an immigrant to be aware of expanded security challenges, fixed standards, and a labyrinth of quickly evolving laws.

Being an immigrant herself, Punam Singh Rogers understands these issues deeply and helps immigrants with their immigration matters.

Apart from being an experienced immigration attorney, Punam is also a Partner at Constangy and oversees its Boston office. She serves on the firm's 13-member executive committee and co-chair firms Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Practice Group. She also counsels U.S. employers of all sizes, from start-ups to established multinationals, on immigration matters for a wide range of industries and activities.

Punam develops cost and time-efficient strategies to pursue high volume processing of immigration petitions and applications for employers with many foreign national employees. In addition to overseeing the preparation of non-immigrant and immigrant visa petition filings of all types, she regularly provides employment-related immigration compliance training to human resources and legal staff for employer clients.

Punam participated in DEI leadership in her previous firm, and she is excited to expand her role as a voice for diverse attorneys at Constangy. She's been active in the firm's effort to strengthen diversity and inclusion efforts within the firm. She was recently tapped to cochair the firm's new Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practice group focused on expanding services to help its clients do the same.

Punam believes that advancing diversity and inclusion is foundational to her professional goals. Her family migrated to the U.S. from India when she was a toddler.

Thus, from an early age, she had to navigate the challenging and incompatible "American" and "Indian" traditions, experiences, culture, etc., by finding common ground. She would create her unique perspective based on varied experiences. This process taught her that even though people appear different, there are always concentric circles where experiences and values overlap. This self-honed skill is what Punam believes is the foundation of DEI today.

Diversity and inclusion play a tremendous role in the future success of the clients at Constangy. Currently, the firm is in a unique position where Generation X workers are at a stage where it is filling key leadership positions, but there isn't enough to go around. Several industries are facing a shortage of highly experienced workers. Being an immigration attorney, Punam sees numerous companies in various industries looking beyond the borders to fill the gap.

It is well-known that the companies who leverage immigration policy coupled with strong DEI programs will certainly emerge as trailblazers in their respective industries. Punam expresses that there is strong data to support that if employers have a strong, diverse, and inclusive workforce, they outperform their competitors by over 30%.

Strengthening Roots to Diversified Work Approach One of the key factors in Punam's decision to join Constangy in 2019 was the firm's deep and meaningful commitment to diversity and inclusion that aligned with her values, principles, and commitments. Being a minority woman and immigrant herself, DEI principles have always been the cornerstone of how she navigated herself in the law from the beginning.

It is a unique opportunity for today's C-level leaders to set the stage for the future of the workplaces where an inclusive work environment is a norm, not an exception.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world," and Punam wants to be part of this evolution in the future of workplaces.

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A wider lens on workplace law.

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The Fight for The Right Hurdles in life are the constant reminder of one's capabilities; there is different contentment to overcome these hurdles and grow above and beyond limitations. Punam has made it happen in her journey where she rose triumph while facing various challenges.

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We empower our lawyers and sustain a culture of trust, respect, and support for lawyers and staff alike.

In the last year of law school, Punam had an opportunity to apply for internship work credits at a non-profit to handle "real client" matters in a few legal areas. Her internship a year prior also had gained her experience with the legal department of an international pharmaceutical corporation. She got selected to handle a federal immigration matter. It was this first immigration case that Punam handled which left an indelible mark on her. This experience changed the trajectory of her career as an attorney. Her first client was a Liberian woman applying for political asylum. She was the same age as Punam's mother, who had recently passed away, and they became quite close.

It was a difficult case and took a long process that was originally denied, appealed, and remanded back to the Immigration Courts for further fact find on past persecution.

Punam had a realization of how difficult it can be for numerous immigrants. When the federal Immigration Judge granted her client political asylum, the sense of triumph pretty much inked her career path going forward. She had found her purpose, and 20 years later, she is still passionate about the work she does to help others find their American dream.

Standing By Work Ethics In law, ethics is an essential factor that drives an individual's way of work, and Punam has always been faithful towards her work. At one of her earliest jobs, she was asked to represent a client seeking marriagebased permanent residency by a partner. It was clear to her, and it would have been clear to an immigration officer that it was not a good-faith marriage.

Punam told the partner that she wouldn't put in a notice of appearance that will in any way damage her future credibility. The partner was quite angry at her.

Needless to say, she quickly resigned from that firm.

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COVER STORY

She believes that an attorney who wants to maintain an ethical reputation can't be afraid to say "no" to a client.

She says, "A firm that lives out its values won't ask you to compromise yours.”

you view an immigration petition or application filing from this vantage, it makes the work you do have purpose and meaning. I consider this my and my team's principal marketing tool.”

Love Your Work

Valuable Contribution to The Communities

Punam expresses that the past few years have been a wild ride for immigration attorneys and organisations, and employees who want to work across international borders. Immigration policies, rules, and regulations have shifted quickly and consistently. She says, "The practice of immigration law became like groundhogs day where you are trying to put together a 1000 piece puzzle, and every day it is jumbled up again.”

Punam has always provided pro-bono legal support to many local community organizations like AILA, PAIR Project, the ACLU, MIRA Coalition, MLRI, etc. She started Pro-Bono Immigration Program at her prior firm and has won several awards for her services. She also has held numerous leadership positions with the national and local chapters of the American Immigration Law Association (AILA).

She adds, "Though frustrating and challenging at times, it has also been fascinating especially when feeling the satisfaction when you see everything come together and know that you are having a positive impact on a company, someone's life, their career and/or their family”

Punam has a strong interest in promoting diversity in the legal community. She has also led several leadership positions on the diversity and inclusion committee of the Boston Bar Association and AILA over the past few years.

The Morality of Implementing Positive Work Culture

Constangy has always offered its attorneys the flexibility to pursue pro bono work that aligns with each attorneys' passions. But after the events of last summer, its leadership team came together to talk about how they could do more to promote diversity and inclusion and address the problems caused by racial inequities.

When it comes to building a positive work culture, Punam believes that the most important part of building a positive workplace culture is to create an environment where everyone feels valued and comes together as a cohesive team. It means that no one person's role is more important than another's to the team's overall success. She includes valuing the contributions of the attorneys, paralegals, and administrative teams equally for her team.

Punam expresses that it can be difficult for some law firms that are ego-driven and cling to outdated notions that attorneys are somehow "above" small tasks like making their photocopies or answering phone calls. It also applies to how experienced attorneys mentor younger colleagues – ensuring that they have a chance to make meaningful contributions and value them as more than a "billable hour machine.”

Punam ensures that her team knows the work they do for each of her immigration matters impacts not only the employer looking to hire a talented professional but also the person and their life in the US. She says, "When

The firm has created several working groups that constantly looks at how it can address diversity, equity, and inclusion within the firm, for the clients it serves and, in the communities where it lives and works. It is updating its pro bono program to coordinate its efforts around diversity and inclusion, including creating a program that provides staff and attorneys alike with compensated time to provide pro bono or volunteer service. Constangy has also launched an initiative to provide targeted donations to community organizations working to address social justice and economic inequality issues.

Envisioning A Value-Driven Future A firm's farsighted vision helps it pave a more efficient path based on its established values. One of the things

that drew Punam to Constangy is that it isn't a typical "Big Law" firm. It has the depth and skillset of the larger firms, but there is a connection to its small firm roots that keeps it agile and focused and gave it an extra boost of flexibility and creativity. She loves working with people who wear many hats, and there is a lot of that at Constangy.

Everyone contributes in their way. There's also a genuine appreciation of the people who make up the firm – that humanity is led by the top chair Neil Wasser.

It recognizes that its teams are people first, then works to grow the skills that make them great attorneys and a fantastic workplace. It tends to attract like-minded people with these shared values and principles that allow anyone to continue to grow and expand with intentionality.

Bequeathing Up-and-Coming Entrepreneurs When asked for advice to aspiring women entrepreneurs in the law industry, Punam says, "I think that being true to yourself is key to a successful career – in law or anywhere else. Being your authentic self in your

workplace environment can be difficult – especially for women and for those who come from "different" cultures.”

"I truly believe that women need to practice and flex the muscle of authenticity instead of learning to camouflage our authentic selves to fit with perceived norms, which often are outdated. We become true leaders by having the courage to revealing who we really are and integrating our skills, our traditions, and our experiences into fostering a successful team. And that can only happen when what we think, say and do are congruent or in harmony,” "The only constant in life, whether it is business or personal relationships, is change; so always be curious, keep an open mind and never stop learning something new," she concludes.

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Law at Forefront

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Injustice with Bravery

by Being Judicious

Fighting Against

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Today, women are leading in the most exemplary way in practically every field. They are acquiring the best skills and talents to better serve human society. Women leaders in law are really becoming the most important force in the field to deliver proper justice to many vulnerable people. The inclusion of more women leaders in the law industry is most important for creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that will generate broader discussion and better ideas. The contribution from women leaders in every field makes society better. The law field is absolutely in need of quality women leaders.

njustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Injustice against anyone in the world is cruelty. It shatters the nervous systems of people. Any sort of injustice against anyone in the world is one of the worst scenarios in the world. Tolerance has its limits.

Tolerance against injustice is cowardice, and it is even greater injustice. Also, to remain silent in the face of injustice is absolute insanity, and it is more destructive.

Thus, we need leaders in the legal profession who are at the top of their games.

Women with their compassionate approach and deep knowledge have changed the face of the law industry.

They use all their pre-existing knowledge to ensure there is no injustice against anyone. They enhance their capabilities to fight against injustice with the weapon of knowledge in the law field.

Admired women leaders in law promote the culture of celebrating diversity and inclusiveness. They promote the attitude of bravery and fighting spirit in the lawyers they train. They resolve the tough cases with their expertise in the knowledge of the law. For any civilized society to grow sustainably, a balance of compassion and justice is most important. Today, women leaders in law are winning against all odds. They don’t make any room for racism and offensive behavior by criminals.

They live by the highest moral and ethical integrity.

Admired women leaders in law are brave in their approach. They fight against all types of injustices that happen against people. They fight against racism, prejudices, inequality, wrong discrimination, abuse, and exploitation, etc. They don’t make any room for injustice against anyone. They are a strong promoter of unity in diversity, equity, inclusion, and unity amidst variety. They fight against dogmatism and fanaticism.

The expertise of women leaders in the knowledge of law helps them be most judicious and take the most right decisions and actions for delivering justice to the people and businesses, making them even more admirable.

They promote the approach of cooperation and unity in society. They spread awareness in society for staying away from extremism and radicalization. www.ciolook.com

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Jeralyn Lawrence Leading with Compassion and Service

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doing so, she wanted to be sure that the people working with her were those that would help form the strongest team. Experience, comradery, loyalty, and dedication were a few of the traits she valued most. Since Lawrence Law aims to help its clients achieve solutions to difficult circumstances in their lives, the firm's lawyers need to have a perfect blend of being supportive yet tough, knowledegable, and tenacious.

Jeralyn is proud of her team, what Lawrence Law has built, and all that it has already achieved. She is excited for what the future has in store for her and her firm.

hree of the greatest motivating forces to make a valuable contribution in the world is to be driven by love, compassion, and service to others.

Compassion is an essential element for success. The leaders in any field who utilize their roles for higher purposes are truly admirable. Jeralyn Lawrence is one such admired woman in law who is guided by the spirit of compassion and service since childhood and is using her current role to solve many of the issues people face.

Jeralyn is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lawrence Law Divorce and Family Lawyers with offices in Watchung and Red Bank, New Jersey. She is a Certified Matrimonial Law Attorney who devotes her practice to divorce and family law and is a trained litigator, collaborative lawyer, mediator, and arbitrator.

Taking the Ability to Help Seriously Growing up, Jeralyn's parents always told her to be nice and to be helpful. Her father was a police officer, and from watching him, she also understood that commitment to community was important. In family law, she feels that she has been able to heed their advice by being a champion for people who need someone to help them get successfully through a very stressful, life altering experience. This has been Jeralyn's personal challenge. In her firm, in the community at large, and among her colleagues, she always wants to be able to support, assist, and improve things wherever possible. Lawrence Law is also very supportive of the community in any way it can be helpful. Whether through sponsorships of law enforcement, business partnerships, local youth sports orgnizations, or assistance and outreach programs, Jeralyn takes her ability to help seriously.

Lawrence Law specializes in all aspects of family law, such as divorce litigation, mediation, arbitration, collaborative divorce, preparing prenuptial agreements, adoption and guardianship, domestic violence and sexual abuse, as well as custody and parenting time issues.

Helping Clients Through Difficult Circumstances Jeralyn is a Certified Matrimonial Law Attorney designated by the New Jersey Supreme Court. Jeralyn is also the President of the New Jersey chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the President- Elect of the New Jersey State Bar Association. After more than twenty years as a family law attorney practicing at a large firm, Jeralyn decided to take the reins and started her own small firm. In www.ciolook.com

Staying Effective While Working Remotely Certainly, the Covid-19 Pandemic had an impact on

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Jeralyn Lawrence Founder and Managing Partner

Lawrence Law

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break. The team’s cohesive bond helps everyone be more productive, and provides a supportive, collaborative work environment.

Lawrence Law leads its clients through the emotional journey of divorce and related matters to a desired outcome and a better place.

Providing Top-Notch Legal Services Jeralyn's vision for Lawrence Law is to continue providing top-notch legal services to those in need while being surrounded by some of the best and brightest in the field. As the the firm continues to grow, the focus remains fixed on providing compassionate, strategic legal representation to those who are going through a challenging time in their lives.

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Keeping Life's Important Things in The Forefront Jeralyn says "Entrepreneurship means taking a risk to build something that you believe in. Starting a company means a lot of extra hours for you, as well as increased responsibilities, not only for getting the work done, but for the people on your team, the facilities, the company's profile, the outcomes of each and every case, and managing the day-to-day operations of the business.”

every person and every business. The legal industry was no exception. Lawrence Law was concerned that everything would just stop, but thankfully its practice did move forward. The firm adapted quickly to changes and started operating in a new mode. It was ready and willing to do whatever it took to stay available for its clients, who needed assistance. Through digital platforms, the firm was able to keep cases moving, meet with clients, and communicate with the courts, all virtually. Jeralyn feels these digital tools offer the possibility to work even more efficiently. It brought great relief to know Lawrence Law had options when things all around were looking uncertain because of the pandemic.

Jeralyn's advice to anyone who aspires to be a leader is to surround themselves with people of equal passion and commitment. She believes that to succeed in anything, it is important to continue learning and refining, building and growing, while working hard to balance work and personal life and to remember the things that matter most to you. This is most important because your family, friends and interests keep you grounded and help you cope with the stresses of owning your own business. The advice Jeralyn would like to give to other women entrepreneurs is to follow their dreams and to take a chance on themselves.

Jeralyn firmly believes that women entrepreneurs should open lines of credit to ensure they have the financing available to take the leap to follow their passion and pursue their goals.

Creating A Cohesive Employee Experience At Lawrence Law, Jeralyn tries to model and create a sense of serious work ethic, focus on detail, and a strategic team solution for every client. At the same time, she has always realized that people need to have fun, be confident about their value, and feel supported at work. This focus on her employees and the workplace are the key contributing factors of why Lawrence Law was ranked as the #2 Best Places to Work NJ 2021 by NJ Biz. Jeralyn strongly believes that people make the company. Lawrence Law employees celebrate birthdays, enjoy outings and other social events together. The staff might order smoothies, get ice cream, or play music and dance in the office for a fun

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Yosr Hamza An Ardent Advocate of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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or decades women in the law industry have traveled an invigorating yet rocky road. History has witnessed that women in the legal industry have offered an unparalleled view of their profession.

Hence, the progression of women in the law industry is significant for creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that will generate broader discussion and ideation. As a result, it enhances client services and embarks a cohesive and robust culture. To take this culture further to face rigidity and constraints and assert a cultural shift in the industry, Yosr Hamza is leading with perseverance.

“In Gartner, we believe that as individuals and as an organization, we are stronger and better by bringing diverse perspectives and experiences together. Through the work of our ERGs, we establish inclusive and supportive environments for everyone globally because that's what we need. We need for everyone to be able to achieve the same, no matter who they are and where they come from," mentions Yosr.

A company's success is all about the people. People want to work in an environment that fosters and rewards diversity and is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for everyone to bring their authentic selves to the workplace.

As a Director of Legal affairs at Gartner, Yosr leads the Middle East legal team and ensures that it remains one of the top-performing regions globally. She also continues to track sales growth by maintaining a culture of high performance and accountability.

In addition, Yosr also represents the Office of the Ombuds and Data Protection team in the Middle East.

Influencing Factors The books 'Quiet The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking' by Susan Cain and 'The Road Less Travelled' by Morgan Scott Peck have hugely influenced Yosr.

A Confident Peregrination Yosr's journey has been quite remarkable. She is an award-winning bilingual legal counsel who was the first locally hired lawyer in the Middle East. Fast forward to today, she leads a small team supporting legal work in an emerging, complex, dynamic, and rapidly growing region. They are constantly improving how to leverage finite resources to align their practices with expanding business needs closely. Yosr and team have been recognized multiple times for being an effective strategic business partner while championing ethical values and a growth mindset and maintaining a culture of high performance and accountability.

Alongside books, another factor that impacted Yosr was relocating to Dubai, considering law practice is an exciting and rewarding experience given the nature of clients, the scale of projects, and the variety of the work, especially in private practice.

Moreover, Yosr had recognized early in her career that she wanted to move in-house. She tried to give herself a chance to get used to being outside her comfort zone as a lawyer and interact confidently with senior stakeholders to ensure they take risk-assessed business decisions.

Yosr is a massive champion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). She leads the efforts for Women at Gartner - Middle East chapter while also co-leading the DEI efforts in the global legal team through Mosaic at Gartner. www.ciolook.com

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Yosr Hamza Director, Legal Affairs Gartner

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One of the crucial issues Yosr mentions is that gender inequalities still shake the Middle East. Women still face more cultural rigidity and constraints than their western peers, and there is so much yet to achieve in this area, fight for the cultural shift about gender equality. To help her in this fight, Yosr's son has been her biggest motivation to be vocal about DE&I in the legal profession. "Arguably, his most important quality is his inability to judge. Because of his neurodiverse condition, he doesn't see differences in skin color, religion, or gender.

He willingly offers the same kind of acceptance that most people spend their entire lives searching for," says Yosr.

been a priority than it is today. The company's success is all about the people. A diverse and positive work culture leads to amplified efficiency. Gartner's inclusive culture encouraged her to bring her authentic self to work. Individually or collectively, it is essential to value each other's unique experiences, backgrounds, values, views, and contributions. All these factors play a critical role in a company's collective success.

The Pandemic Out-Turn Talking about the impact of the current pandemic on the Law Industry, Yosr expresses that personally, social distancing and remote working have forever changed the workplace. Colleagues are now working from home with their pets, kids, and partners, blurring the line between their personal and work lives. Once seen as a sign of weakness in the legal industry, which values 'inperson meetings,' remote work is now center stage.

The last factor that impacts Yosr is to wholeheartedly embrace as an in-house counsel by wearing multiple hats and fulfilling the shoes of a decision-maker and business advisor.

Changing Times, Changing Work Culture Sharing her views on implementing a positive work culture, Yosr opines that the work culture has never www.ciolook.com

Likely, more companies and law firms are endorsing flexible work in a way the legal profession has rarely

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seen before the pandemic. In the future, those who request flexible time to take care of children will no doubt deal with less pushback since employers know work can be done remotely.

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Similarly, candidates once competed for jobs, and employers now advertise their flexibility to help attract talent. Hopefully, the historical barriers of promotion to in-house lawyers or the admission to partnership for private practice lawyers will also be re-thought.

Keep an open mind while staying true to yourself, your values, what you believe in and want to do regardless of what your peers think is the right path.

Encouraging DEI Traditionally, DEI was seen as an HR initiative at work only. But now, it goes beyond the internal focus towards an external footprint as well. Personally, Yosr is committed outside work to DEI, mentorship, sponsorship, and creating opportunities for younger female students to thrive throughout their legal career journey.

Yosr has mostly found this remote working environment good for her career since it gave her more control over her schedule and work. She has found the time to be part of Gartner’s internal DEI efforts and mentor law students and junior lawyers externally.

Everyone has something to offer, and the mentor gets as much from the mentorship as the mentee.

In these unprecedented times, gaining work experience and networking is difficult, but hopefully, mentors can help students build resilience and perseverance. Yosr asserts, “A lot of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety can be relieved with a few supportive words and genuine advice.

We have all been there and hoped to find a good mentor to reach out to.

Besides, people never forget when someone goes above and beyond, and even small, daily gestures add up over time.

Everyone wins when the mentorship machine is well-oiled.

After all, a student will likely turn to you for advice throughout their career and maybe even refer a few potential clients or employers your way.”

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Guiding Light On advising women aspiring to venture into Law Industry, Yosr says, "Be confident and authentic. You don't need to be anyone or anything other than who you are right now to succeed in this profession.”

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It’s all about

Evolving www.ciolook.com

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Leader’s Viewpoint

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veryone realizes that COVID-19 was not only an unexpected uprooting to our normal way of life, but it dramatically changed how we will operate in the future. COVID has touched nearly every aspect of our lives, from where we choose to live, what products we newly value to how we interact with the people around us. There is currently a dilemma between those in upper management and the workforce about how to handle being in the office 5 days a week versus the work from home (WFH) model that we have had thrust upon us. One thing is clear, however, COVID-19 has changed the work environment for good in the following ways:

businesses have also had to upgrade their software solutions to include meetings for over 100 people. They have had to purchase headsets, microphones, and video cameras, purchase more bandwidth for video streaming and they have had to create webinars and videos to push out content for their customers and prospects.

The Cloud and Collaboration The WFH environment also accelerated the trend to put everything in the cloud. This permits workers to access software applications, databases, etc., from any location and allows for greater collaboration when needed. This has facilitated more employers turning to the Software as a Service (SaaS) to empower workers and improve productivity. Many of the common SaaS apps provide Time Keeping, Project Management, Payroll etc. The SaaS business model puts tremendous value on cultivating customer relationships and upselling. As a result, businesses can benefit by having visibility across numerous operations.

Communication One of the biggest winners of the WFH environment has been Zoom which allows multiple users to meet virtually, share screens, and interact as if they are in person; without the need to spend time traveling.

COVID-19 has made many business people realize they can be more productive by spending less time traveling and instead of holding a zoom meeting. Not to be outdone, Microsoft responded by upgrading their Teams platform, and Google created Google Meet.

Cyber Security With all the activity going digital on the internet the need for proper Cyber Security has never been greater.

The basic mantra businesspeople hear is ‘it’s not a matter of if you will be hacked, rather it is only a matter of when you will be hacked’. Whether this comes from a rather low-level ‘phishing’ attempt in an email to a more sophisticated attack looking for back doors in operating systems, business managers should be paying greater

Businesses have been required to subscribe to these services, educate their employees on proper protocols, and navigate through details such as adjusting the lighting in the room, creating creative backgrounds, and protocols to keep everyone muted or unmuted. Many

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Team Op ma Office

attention to this threat. The most disruptive result of hacking is holding your data for ransom, which effectively shuts down your business until you pay. The less noticeable ones involve stealing intellectual property, trade secrets, and customer lists, where the impact on your business occurs over time. Some of the basic precautions involve training of all employees on the basics of cyber security, the use of Multi Factor Authentication (MFA), upgraded cybersecurity shields and even biometric verification like fingerprints or facial recognition. It would be prudent to have a complete backup of all digital information and proper recovery systems put into place before you become a victim of cyber hacking.

be delivered on a Smart Phone, tablet, or other handheld devices. It also means that you need to deliver your unique product or service on-demand or with extra flexibility if you are to stay ahead of the competition.

Fractional Services The pandemic has greatly increased the need for fractional services. Because of all the improvements with technology, communication, the cloud and the WFH model, many businesses have decided to focus on what they do best and leave the back office work to those that specialize in those services. For example at Optima Office, located in San Diego, we were onsite 90% of the time prior to COVID-19. 18 months later, we service clients across the US and are closer to 60% onsite and 40% remote. We can tackle the accounting dilemmas that a company has whether or not we are onsite. If we cannot travel to a client's office, we can simply switch them to a cloud-based software such as QBO, QuickBooks on the cloud, Netsuite or Sage Intacct. We can also remotely tackle any HR issue with the use of video conferencing and HRIS software.

Marketing and the Customer Experience It is no surprise that with all these technological advances, people would seek a way to use it for their benefit. By adopting best-in-class technology options, companies can expand their reach and bring in more customers. Some of the more forward-thinking companies are using virtual reality and chatbots to attract user attention. Others are hiring outside consultants to provide Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to drive people to their website and attract more business. Customers also demand that everything is delivered to them faster and to be at their fingertips.

That means whatever you are doing digitally needs to

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Its important to pay attention to who has been successful at adopting the new business environment and incorporating technology into their business model and who hasn’t. The ones who have been able to evolve are likely going to end up on top.

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AWA I T I N G

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Women in the Legal Profession

W

omen in the legal profession have made tremendous progress in the 21st century.

Did you know that women make up twothirds of assistant deans in law schools today? They make nearly half of associate deans and one-fifth of law school deans. Besides, women also made up for 51% of all clerkships in 2012, one of the most objective, meritbased positions. Women in the legal profession continue to scale new heights. If a woman time traveled from 1920, she would breathe of sigh of relief in our world, only a few of us can really imagine. This sigh of relief is perhaps also what traps most women in the positions they are in today.

If the best of women today is passed on better job opportunities, compensated less than what is fair, and treated with disrespect – it is a tragedy for an advanced nation like the US. For most educated women, making a successful career is a deeply personal choice. For example, nearly 35% of women shared that they were less likely to have children when they had reached nearly 40. These women also shared that they didn’t have that option as their career demanded long hours and an unrelenting commitment.

A Grave Sin Furthermore, as a society, when we treat people unequally, we commit a grave sin against ourselves. For example, nearly 53% of senators in 2015 came from the background of the legal profession. The legal profession represents an emblem of our growth, unparalleled in many ways. Some notable women judges made headlines in early 2000, when they spoke out against a systematic bias against black people. A judge even looked back at her career and shared that she punished black people with far graver sentences than white people. Can you imagine a man sharing such damning admission openly, to jeopardize his own career, to bring justice to millions who suffer every day? Unless we count out Gandhi – this isn’t the way of the world, nor is the world about to change anytime soon.

Despite the tremendous progress made by American women in the legal profession, today, only 17% are made equity partners. According to a study of nearly 3,000 lawyers conducted by the American Bar Association, women are more likely to be interrupted, to do more office housework, to be mistaken for non-lawyers, and to have less access to prime job assignments.

According to another study of nearly 5,000 lawyers, men also earned 20% more than women, with a median salary of $80,000, while women earned just $66,000 after twelve years in the legal profession. Additionally, men were 2 to 5 times more likely to be made partners while controlling for factors like time taken out of the profession, grades, hours, and others.

A Never-Ending Tale of Injustice

Growing surveys around the world also show that women as decision-makers make a world of difference in how we approach the real world. For example, increasing participation of women in politics leads to increased funding for education and healthcare.

Despite the tremendous progress made by women, the inequalities that exist today should put any human being to shame. Partly because women work longer hours than men today. Among full-time employees in law firms, women worked an average of 49 hours per week. They worked an additional eight hours, as compared to men. Similar findings were reported in ACC surveys. Women in the legal profession also face discrimination when it comes to opportunities offered.

Women have inspired men for generations, nurtured the best life has to offer, and have stayed behind closed doors to let men mask in the glory. Times are changing, and women are increasingly unhappy in the legal profession and elsewhere against the lack of respect, unequal pay, and more. But somehow, we have all forgotten – the battle for equality is a never-ending battle for life itself.

For example, several law firms offered women notequally-important committees like diversity, quality of life, and pro bono. On the other hand, men took up 73% of positions on committees like associate promotions, 91% on compensation, and 72% in recruitment.

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