CMCP Diversity Matters eNewsletter – Winter 2016 Issue
CMCP Diversity Matters
From Practicing Labor Law in DC to Entertainment Law in LA The lack of diversity in academia was magnified at law firms in the seventies. At the time, the ranks of law firm associates was very homogenous and it was unheard of for a woman or a minority to become a law firm partner. The lack of inclusion at law firms was a major reason why Sandra decided not to begin her career there, as the law firm environment seemed like an unwelcoming place for her. Instead, Sandra opted to enter the public sector. Being a union-side labor attorney had been a goal of Sandra’s in law school. As such, Sandra decided to begin her legal career at the one place that would provide the greatest exposure to the labor issues of the day, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Washington, D.C. Sandra hit the ground running at her first job straight out of law school and began her career in an enviable fashion. She was an appellate lawyer for the NLRB and was given substantial responsibilities. One of the more memorable assignments Sandra handled at the beginning of her career was arguing an appeal before the Second Circuit eight months after graduating from Michigan. Sandra stayed in D.C. for three years before she decided to move to the Los Angeles Office of the NLRB. She would stay at the NLRB for another year before seizing an opportunity to move in-house to CBS Television when one of her NLRB colleagues, an attorney of color, alerted her to an opportunity there. Sandra jumped at the chance and joined the legal department of CBS Television in 1982. She would handle labor issues for CBS for the next seven years.
“Attorneys of Color Must Prove Their Competence” It is not surprising that Sandra became interested in entertainment law while working at CBS and she eventually got to join the transactional group, when a woman attorney in that group saw Sandra’s potential and helped her get a position there. Sandra says she will always be grateful to that attorney and that she learned a lot of management skills from her. Sandra recognizes that she has been fortunate to have worked in an environment like CBS Television, which has afforded her opportunities to grow and gain management responsibilities. In addition, she has seen the company become more reflective of American society, as not only has her legal department become more inclusive but also the management ranks at CBS have also become more diverse. But Sandra recognizes that the legal profession still has a ways to go. She recognizes that for attorneys of color, competence is not presumed and that minority attorneys must prove their competence much more so than non-minority attorneys. Nevertheless, Sandra believes that this state of affairs is not something to despair, but an opportunity to demonstrate excellence on a consistent basis. Michael Chung is Of Counsel at Willenken Wilson Loh & Delgado, and Chair of Willenken’s Korea Practice Group. In this capacity, he represents Korean companies who become entangled in U.S. litigation. Michael has experience representing public and private companies, as well as executives of major Korean corporations, in all aspects of federal and state litigation, from inception to discovery and all the way through to trial. For more about Michael and his practice, Click Here.
18