Diversity Ever After

During our first episode in this two-part series, we had an engaging conversation with our guest Tiffany Obeng, who is an attorney and author, about representation and how it is an important step toward creating a sense of belong in workplace settings. In this episode, we continue this conversation by discussing how Ms. Obeng's children's books can help create more inclusive professions. Ms. Obeng's books contain images of BIPOC people in workplaces where they are either historically absent or severely underrepresented while also teaching children about the careers. These images and storytelling ignite children’s imagination as they read about an array of specialties and options even within various professions.  We discuss how this representation helps create diverse pipelines.  

Join us as for an inspiring conversation as we learn why Ms. Obeng's books and goals of educating children through representation will help create more inclusion and a greater sense of belonging.

Our Host this Week:
Nakimuli Davis-Primer, Shareholder at Baker Donelson
Tenia L. Clayton, Associate at Baker Donelson

Special Guest:Tiffany Obeng, Attorney and Author – Sugar Cookie Books

Resources:  Sugar Cookie Books - Career Books for Children

Do you have a topic or idea that you would like to hear more about?  Send us an email!

Welcome to season 6! We have covered a lot of topics in our past seasons, but one that stands out is the importance of representation. Sometimes you do have to see it to believe it. So, in this episode, we are revisiting our conversation about representation with our guest, Tiffany Obeng. Tiffany is an attorney and children’s book author. During our discussion, we learn why belonging and representation is important for everyone but also why it’s so important that we expose children of diverse backgrounds to various professions so they can see themselves in any career and so that we can create a pipeline in various professions. Join us for an engaging discussion about the importance of having access to professionals at a young age and how various industries can benefit from reaching a more diverse workforce.

Our Hosts this Week:
Nakimuli Davis-Primer, Shareholder at Baker Donelson
Tenia L. Clayton, Associate at Baker Donelson

Special Guest: Tiffany Obeng – Sugar Cookie Books

Resources:  Sugar Cookie Books - Career Books for Children

Do you have a topic or idea that you would like to hear more about?  Send us an email!

In this episode, some of our Summer Associates who worked across Baker Donelson's footprint discuss their summer experience and how they will use what they have learned this summer in their third year and future legal career. They share experiences on networking, being confident, taking chances, and being willing to grow from mistakes. Whether you are a current or future law student, a legal professional, a recruiter, or a mentor, you will gain invaluable insight from this engaging and honest discussion by the next generation of lawyers.

Our Hosts this Week:
Iyana Arrington, Summer Associate in the Baltimore office at Baker Donelson
Nakimuli Davis-Primer, Shareholder at Baker Donelson
Amearah Elsamadicy, Summer Associate in the Nashville office at Baker Donelson
Nick Fowler, Summer Associate in the Knoxville and Nashville offices at Baker Donelson
Brandee Permenter, Summer Associate in the Fort Lauderdale office at Baker Donelson
Kayla Pfeifer, Summer Associate in the Atlanta office at Baker Donelson

Do you have a topic or idea that you would like to hear more about?  Send us an email!

This week, our host is joined by some of our summer associates, who share their thoughts about the meaning of belonging and how we can help create a sense of belonging on teams and with colleagues. As rising third year law students, our guests provide invaluable insight into how many in the next generation of lawyers view what makes a workplace great. Join us for an engaging discussion that examines key characteristics of belonging and the significance its presence can have in our work and personal lives.

Our Host this Week:
Nakimuli Davis-Primer, Shareholder at Baker Donelson

Special Co-Hosts:
Iyana Arrington, Summer Associate in the Baltimore office at Baker Donelson
Amearah Elsamadicy, Summer Associate in the Nashville office at Baker Donelson
Brandee Permenter, Summer Associate in the Fort Lauderdale office at Baker Donelson
Kayla Pfeifer, Summer Associate in the Atlanta office at Baker Donelson

Do you have a topic or idea that you would like to hear more about?  Send us an email!

Each summer, law firms around the country host summer associates who are aspiring lawyers seeking to experience what it is like to work in a firm. In this episode, five of our summer associates introduce themselves and discuss the key factors that led them to join Baker Donelson as a summer associate, among other topics. Join us for an engaging discussion that allows us to reflect on various perspectives of workplace culture and the effect it can have on the hiring process. 

Our Hosts this Week:
Nakimuli Davis-Primer, Shareholder at Baker Donelson
Tenia Clayton, Associate at Baker Donelson

Special Co-Hosts:
Iyana Arrington, Summer Associate in the Baltimore office at Baker Donelson
Amearah Elsamadicy, Summer Associate in the Nashville office at Baker Donelson
Nick Fowler, Summer Associate in the Knoxville and Nashville offices at Baker Donelson
Brandee Permenter, Summer Associate in the Fort Lauderdale office at Baker Donelson
Kayla Pfeifer, Summer Associate in the Atlanta office at Baker Donelson

Do you have a topic or idea that you would like to hear more about?  Send us an email!

Fostering a sense of belonging is critical to create an inclusive workplace climate. What does belonging mean? In this episode of Diversity Ever After, we define belonging and discuss findings in a recent Bloomberg article highlight how belonging is the next step for DEI. Join us for an engaging discussion in which we explore how to tap into employees' differences and unique perspectives in the work environment to create a sense of community and ownership and to maximize work performance and employee satisfaction.

We hope you tune in to every episode this season and send us any topic ideas you are interested in hearing more about.  

Our Host this Week:
Nakimuli Davis-Primer, Shareholder, Baker Donelson

Special Guest:
Molly Huie, Team Lead – Data, Legal Analytics & Business, Bloomberg Industry Group

Resources:
ANALYSIS: DEI...B? Why 'Belonging' is Law’s Next Step for DEI
Harvard Business Review: The Value of Belonging at Work

Do you have a topic or idea that you would like to hear more about?  Send us an email!

How do we navigate parenting while working? In this episode, our hosts discuss the challenges and experiences of being working parents by focusing on workplace policies and the transition of taking parental leave and returning to work. They discuss the policies that were available to them during their parental leave and the support they received from their respective workplaces.  Additionally, they highlight the pivotal role that legislation, such as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections Act (the PUMP Act), and the Nursing Mothers Act has had in improving accommodations for all parents. They do so by highlighting the significance that the culture of a workplace has in portraying a corporate company's initiative and commitment to upholding these policies. Join us for an engaging discussion that reminds us of the role that we play in creating a supportive environment for new and expecting parents and the steps that we can take to create an inclusive workspace.

We hope you tune in to every episode this season and send us any topic ideas you are interested in hearing more about.  

Our Hosts this Week:

Nakimuli Davis-Primer, Shareholder at Baker Donelson
Aaliyah Locke, Associate at Baker Donelson

Special Guest:
Shayla Fletcher, Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Regions Bank, Legal Department

Do you have a topic or idea that you would like to hear more about?  Send us an email!

Welcome to the first episode of season 5! In our first episode, we talk to our Baker Donelson attorney hosts about this season.  We get to know each other better and realize how impactful a sense of belonging is to creating the best workplace cultures and team dynamics. We acknowledge that people who feel as though they are part of the team and have a sense of belonging within an organization are more engaged and committed to the organization and discuss some topics we will tackle this season. We also talk about our summer associate program and what we are looking forward to most this summer. This includes having several of our summer associates across the Firm join us throughout this season as guests to share their perspectives on several topics. We will release a special episode to introduce our summer associate hosts, so be on the lookout for that episode.

Our Hosts this Week:

Tenia Clayton, Associate at Baker Donelson

Nakimuli Davis-Primer, Shareholder at Baker Donelson

Aaliyah Locke, Associate at Baker Donelson

Lucas Lopez, Associate at Baker Donelson

Do you have a topic or idea that you would like to hear more about?  Send us an email!

Do you want to know more about the difference between a mentor and sponsor and why sponsorships are game changers for a person's professional growth, especially those in underrepresented groups? In this episode, we discuss the differences between a sponsor and a mentor, why both are important in the success of developing talent within an organizations, what should be considered when trying to get a sponsorship initiative off the ground, and suggestions for those who do not have access to a formal sponsorship program.

Our Host this Week:
Nakimuli Davis-Primer, Shareholder at Baker Donelson 

Special Guest:
Paula Edgar, CEO, PGE Consulting Group, LLC

Visit us at https://www.bakerdonelson.com/diversity

Diversity Lab, an incubator for innovation, collaborates with law firms and legal departments to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. Diversity Lab’s initiatives are rooted in data, behavioral science, and design thinking, and it is committed to not only test its initiatives but also to share the results and lessons learned. This episode discusses one of Diversity Lab’s innovative initiatives, the Mansfield Rule. This rule is designed to increase diversity in leadership and the pipeline to leadership in law firms.

When this episode was recorded, Baker Donelson was in the certification process for Mansfield 5.0.  We have since achieved Mansfield 5.0 Certification Plus status.  Additionally, special guest Natalia Marulanda was Diversity Lab's Mansfield Rule Director at the time of the recording. 

Our Host this Week:
Brian Fernandez, Associate, Baker Donelson
Cheryl Hunt, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Baker Donelson

Special Guest:
Natalia Marulanda, former Mansfield Rule Director at Diversity Lab, currently the Talent Retention and Development Director at Gunster