1. A voice for diversity
Bernard M. Plum is a partner in Proskauer’s Labor &
Employment Department and a member of the Diversity
Steering Committee. He has served on the firm’s Executive
Committee and as co-Chair of the Labor & Employment
Department. During Bernie’s more than three decades at
the firm, he has been concerned about diversity, and has
more recently played a prominent role in its evolution from
an idea to a core value. He is one of the firm’s most active
supporters of diversity.
Mosaic spoke with Bernie about his commitment to diversity,
his views on our progress and where we’re headed. What
follows is an excerpt from that conversation.
Why does Proskauer have a strong commitment to diversity?
Enhancing the participation and progress in our firm by underrepresented groups embodies
everything we stand for as an institution. Most importantly, it’s just the right thing to do.
For Proskauer partners in particular, it is a feeling reinforced by collective history and
experience. For decades, white-shoe law firms refused to hire Jewish lawyers regardless of
talent or ability, effectively excluding them from the top echelons of the profession. Proskauer
was one of just a few large firms open to Jewish lawyers — it was built by people who had
experienced discrimination. This gives us a special connection to, and responsibility for, the
diversity effort.
But diversity is also a business imperative. New-business presentations used to be made
almost entirely to white males by white males. That world is fast fading from existence:
Today, about 30 percent of Fortune 500 companies have general counsels who are females
and/or minorities,1
and these general counsels expect women and minorities to be among
their legal advisors.
Our firm needs to reflect the reality that workforces are increasingly diverse. Our clients want
— some demand — outside advisors who are as committed to diversity as they are. More and
more of them treat diversity as a criterion for deciding whether to hire a law firm, and keep
close track of staffing to ensure that women and minorities are assigned to their matters.
Bernie Plum
Mosaic The Proskauer diversity newsletter
Proskauer Rose LLP | Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome | Attorney Advertising
March 2015
inside
A voice for diversity........................... 1
Success stories..................................... 3
Moving on, moving forward and
moving out................................................. 4
• Is there life after Proskauer?..................... 4
• Truly a life of diversity................................. 5
• More out, less in........................................... 5
Through SEO and beyond............. 6
• An SEO summer: learning and enjoying.. 6
• Post-SEO: an extraordinary story
continues....................................................... 7
Diversity Steering Committee... 8
diversity at
Note: All events described
occurred in 2014.
1
Source: Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s 15th Annual General Counsel Survey (2014).

2. 2 Proskauer Rose LLP
We also support diversity because, as a business, we need
to maximize the potential of the very intelligent, highly
competent people we hire. We owe it to ourselves and to
our professionals and staff to provide the best-possible
career development opportunities. That, too, is both right
and good for our business.
How did you initially get involved with the firm’s
diversity efforts?
I’ve thought a lot about diversity since my high school days in
the late 1960s; my school was almost 70% minority and the
atmosphere and times were highly charged. But in my
professional life, I did little about it until an unrelated event a
few years ago led me to have some very candid conversations
with our diverse lawyers. Their feelings about their careers
were eye opening and it was clear to me that we — and I —
needed to do more.
How have things changed?
Change takes time as well as effort. There is much greater
awareness of the need to do more. I think it’s fair to say that
the importance of promoting diversity has become ingrained
in the fabric of the firm. Much of the credit for that goes to
Chairman Joe Leccese, who has been absolutely tireless in
promoting that goal, and to Peter Wilson.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Peter’s joining Proskauer
to head up our diversity program was a catalytic event. He
shares our view of diversity as a business imperative. He has
the perspective to know that we have to walk before we can
run, so he’s focused first on the basics; I like to call it “fixing
the plumbing.” Peter communicates and relates to diversity
in a way that lawyers and clients, including Proskauer’s
diversity community, understand. It helps that he’s been a
practicing lawyer.
None of our progress would’ve been possible without
support from the top. As head of the firm, Joe has been
outspoken about the importance of diversity and has made it
a priority — a cause, really. He gives it a lot of attention not
just internally, but also when he speaks externally. He thinks
and talks about Proskauer as a special place for a number of
reasons, one of them being that diversity is a force for good
that we embrace.
Can you share with us some specifics about our
diversity initiatives?
We have launched programs based on best practices in the
field. There’s ongoing dialogue among the diversity team, the
Executive Committee, Human Resources and numerous
partners about providing career development opportunities
for diverse associates, as well as building and maintaining a
pipeline of diverse lawyers for the future.
On a general level, we’re regularly monitoring the career
progress of diverse associates to ensure that they’re
engaged in significant matters for significant clients, and that
they’re experiencing the professional growth expected of all
Proskauer lawyers.
More specifically, we’ve initiated our Women’s Sponsorship
Program, which pairs distinguished women lawyers with
partners who serve not just as advisors, but also as career
advocates. I’m among the partners sponsoring an associate.
We’ve also started the Diverse Lawyer Mentoring Circle
Program, which focuses on developing our most junior-level
diverse associates, to achieve two key goals. The first is to
facilitate and foster continued partner/associate mentoring
relationships that strengthen the level of engagement for
diverse junior associates. The second is to offer multiple and
continual resources to enhance their experience at the firm
and, in the process, best position them for success.
We also organize retreats for diverse lawyers, and we’re
leveraging our affinity groups to help recruit and retain
diverse talent.
Looking ahead, do you have any thoughts about
other steps the firm can take in the future?
I’d like to see the firm have a more constant focus on career
development for all associates, with enhanced efforts for
diverse associates. We should track our progress to ensure
that we’re generating good results. Many of the things we’ve
done should ultimately be employed to get the best from,
and give the best to, all of our “human resources.”
More generally, I hope we can get more people — lawyers
and non-lawyers, throughout the firm — more engaged in
this effort.
Thanks, Bernie

3. Success stories
Harold Ford, Jr.
Teri McClure
Proskauer’s Black Lawyer Affinity Group marked Black History Month by presenting
a discussion on “The Impact of Race on Achieving Career Success” on February 18
in New York.
The event featured Harold Ford, Jr. and Teri McClure, African-Americans of distinguished
professional achievement. Ford was a five-term congressman from Tennessee early in his
career and has been a managing director and senior client relationship manager at
Morgan Stanley since 2011. McClure is Chief Legal, Communications and Compliance
Officer at UPS, which she joined in 1995 after several years in private practice.
McClure was direct about race’s impact on her own career: It fueled her determination
and desire to succeed. She recounted how she was told when starting law school that
black students “don’t do well here.” Stung by such scorn, she resolved to tune out the
negativity and, instead, focused on working harder and smarter — an approach that
proved her doubters wrong.
Ford’s thoughts on race and his career were more nuanced. While making clear that race
had presented him with many challenges, he tended to speak about the paths his
professional life had taken and the universal lessons he had learned along the way.
Both guests emphasized the importance of having sponsors who saw their potential and
advocated on their behalf. Ford’s biggest sponsors were his father (who he succeeded in
Congress) and the politically active lawyer Lanny Davis, for whom he worked at Patton
Boggs. McClure noted that while she hadn’t sought out sponsors, her success wouldn’t
have been possible without them.
Mosaic — The Proskauer diversity newsletter 3

4. Moving on, moving forward and moving out
From left to right: Donna Yip, Wendy Wu,
Megha Parekh, Karen Mo
Is there life after Proskauer?
What’s it like to work somewhere else after working at Proskauer? Four former associates
addressed this question in New York on June 4 in “Looking Ahead: Life After Proskauer.” The
firm’s Asian Lawyer Affinity Group hosted the Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month panel
discussion, which drew a diverse crowd of lawyers, staff and alumni.
The panelists were:
• Karen Mo, Corporate Counsel at NBC Universal
• Megha Parekh, Vice President and General Counsel of the Jacksonville Jaguars
• Wendy Wu, Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Cyber & Intellectual Property Crimes Section of
the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles
• Donna Yip, Associate General Counsel and Compliance Officer at Oak Hill Advisors
All of the panelists said that their Proskauer experiences prepared them well for their current
positions. Parekh, for example, worked in the sports practice for Joe Leccese, whose
encouragement to think and train as a generalist helped her to deal with the wide range of legal
issues she handles for the Jaguars. Yip cited her long associate hours as great training for the
demands of her in-house position.
Offering advice for lawyers considering careers outside of the partnership track, Mo advocated
identifying and acquiring the skills most valued for in-house roles. For Parekh, it was the dual
importance of aiming to be a good lawyer and establishing a strong reputation. Wu and Yip
emphasized building relationships both by finding a mentor and taking advantage of
opportunities to network within the firm.
4 Proskauer Rose LLP

5. Mosaic — The Proskauer diversity newsletter 5
Truly a life of diversity
Ricardo Anzaldua has lived and breathed diversity both personally and professionally. He
shared his experiences with us on September 23 in New York, where the Hispanic/Latino
Lawyer Affinity Group presented him as a guest speaker in celebration of National Hispanic
Heritage Month.
Anzaldua is Executive Vice President & General Counsel of firm client MetLife Inc. A Latino
with deep roots in the borderland area of Mexico and Texas, he spent his early post-college
years researching, writing and editing academic studies about Latin American economic
development issues.
But he eventually wanted out of academia, and a chance encounter started him on an entirely
different path: law school and 17 years at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, where he
focused on advising foreign governments on development and financing matters. He moved
in-house to The Hartford financial services company in 2007 and, in 2012, began his current
role at MetLife.
All along the way, Anzaldua has been a vocal, hands-on advocate for Latinos and people of
color more generally. And he appreciates the irony of being a self-described “radical,
longhaired rabble-rouser” leading demonstrations at college who “became part of the power
structure that I had long opposed.”
Anzaldua makes full use of the opportunities that the power structure offers. At MetLife, he
has created and implemented policies that make hiring more inclusive and foster the career
development of minority employees. And he challenges his outside law firms both to promote
their own diversity and give minority lawyers meaningful involvement in MetLife matters.
More out, less in
The LGBT Affinity Group marked LGBT Pride Month on June 25 by co-hosting “Out on the
Field” with the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York (LeGaL). Joe Leccese summed up
the occasion’s subject matter in his opening remarks: “While the sports industry can be resistant
to change, when it does see the light, it can be a great incubator.”
Matt Skinner, LeGaL’s Executive Director (and a Proskauer alumnus), introduced the event and
noted that “There has been a revolution this year in crazy, great accomplishments.” He was
referring in part to the first athletes in major league sports to come out as gay, most notably
Robbie Rogers (pro soccer), Jason Collins (pro basketball) and Michael Sam (a college football
player drafted by the National Football League).
The featured guest was Hudson Taylor, the founder and Executive Director of Athlete Ally, a not-
for-profit organization that promotes inclusiveness in the sports world. Taylor’s activism is
especially noteworthy because he is not only a former college wrestling champion and member
of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, but also not gay (hence the name Athlete Ally).
Taylor’s comments focused on the need to reach a wider audience. Colleges and high schools,
for example, should be encouraged to prioritize creating a safe and inclusive space for their
athletes. “We need to find vocal allies at every level of every sport,” he said.
He also acknowledged the recent gain in awareness of LGBT issues, noting both that athletes
and other public figures are increasingly coming out, and that allies of the LGBT community are
increasingly speaking out.
Ricardo Anzaldua
Matt Skinner
Hudson Taylor

6. 6 Proskauer Rose LLP
Through SEO and beyond
An SEO summer: learning and enjoying
Proskauer is a partner of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), whose Career Law
program places talented students of color in paid internships at law firms before their first
year of law school. In 2014, we hosted two SEO summer interns in New York for the seventh
consecutive year.
Our 2014 interns were Tashiana Hudson, who graduated from Howard University and is a 1L
(first-year law student) at Yale Law School, and Jaymon Ballew, a University of Michigan Law
School 1L and graduate of Columbia University.
Each developed a strong interest in becoming a lawyer early in life. Tashiana was initially
driven by the injustice she experienced when her family moved from the Compton area of Los
Angeles to Lakewood, California — and hooked when she participated in a mock trial as an
eighth-grader. Jaymon had a mentor who lived in his Cincinnati neighborhood and was a
lawyer. Seeing Jaymon’s ability to analyze and think critically, the mentor encouraged him to
go to law school.
Having the interns at Proskauer was a win-win situation for everyone. The firm was able to
help guide two aspiring lawyers and get an up-close appreciation for what they might
accomplish here someday.
As for Tashiana and Jaymon, both took full advantage of the many opportunities available to
them. They worked on substantive matters, studied how to conduct legal research, attended
mock trials and picked the brains of partners and associates. They also did plenty of fun
things and actively networked.
In short: They learned a lot about lawyers, lawyering and life at a big firm, and enjoyed their
experiences immensely.
Tashiana Hudson
Jaymon Ballew

7. Mosaic — The Proskauer diversity newsletter 7
Post-SEO: an extraordinary story continues
You may remember Leland Shelton as one of our 2013 SEO summer interns highlighted in the
previous issue of Mosaic. As it turns out, he and the firm liked each other so much that he came
back as a summer associate in 2014.
For Leland, a Baltimore native, getting to this point was extraordinary because his early life was
so difficult. He and his five siblings were raised by their grandparents because their parents
battled substance abuse, and he entered foster care at age 14.
In the face of such long odds, Leland excelled in school and was the first member of his family
to go to college. He graduated in 2013 from Morehouse College with Phi Beta Kappa honors
and received his class’s prestigious “Man of the Year” award.
At Leland’s Morehouse graduation, the guest speaker — who happened to be President
Obama — singled him out for his achievements. This presidential shout-out “changed his life”
by triggering an outpouring of good wishes and positive attention that continues even now.
Leland says that his SEO internship at Proskauer gave him an advantage versus his Harvard
Law School classmates: He entered school already knowing what it was like to work at a
corporate law firm.
The internship also impressed upon Leland that the firm is strongly committed to diversity and
inclusion. He felt instantly welcomed when a lawyer from our Black Lawyers Affinity Group
visited him on his first day. More broadly, he felt that people across the firm — staff, associates
and partners — wanted him to do well.
His experience as a summer associate was equally positive. (It didn’t hurt that he’d been here
before and knew his way around.) He worked, observed and broadened his exposure to
litigation and corporate practice areas.
Leland’s story at Proskauer has at least one more chapter to go: He’ll return as a summer
associate for a couple of weeks this coming August. As he puts it, “I can’t think of a better law
firm in terms of the people, lawyers, summer program and culture.”
Leland Shelton

8. www.proskauer.com
24295 - MARCH 2015
Diversity Steering Committee
Alicia J. Batts
Partner, Litigation
Steven M. Bauer
Partner, Litigation
Philippa M. Bond
Partner, Corporate
Van Ann D. Bui
Associate, Corporate
Kunal Dogra
Associate, Corporate
Susan D. Friedfel
Associate, Labor & Employment
Evandro C. Gigante
Senior Counsel, Labor & Employment
Brian D. Huber
Associate, Tax
Lesli M. Hutchinson
Recruiting Manager
Joshua M. Kaplan
Associate, Personal Planning
Bali Kumar
Associate, Labor & Employment
Vincent Lai
Associate, Litigation
Erica Loomba
Associate, Labor & Employment
Lisa B. Markofsky
Associate, Litigation
Carlos E. Martinez
Partner, Corporate
Caroline K. Menes
Director of Legal Recruiting
Toyya Shannon Meyers
HRMS Specialist
Kevin K. Nolan
Associate, Corporate
Joanne S. Ollman
Chief Professional Resources Manager
Jon H. Oram
Partner, Corporate
Brendan J. O’Rourke
Partner, Litigation
Bettina B. Plevan
Partner, Labor & Employment
Bernard M. Plum
Partner, Labor & Employment
Lindsay A. Roshkind
Associate, Personal Planning
Christina M. Sauerborn
Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator
Gordon R. Schonfeld
Senior Writer, Client Development
Stacey S. Schwartz
Manager of Professional Development
Howard Shapiro
Partner, Labor & Employment
Elizabeth Spector
Associate, Labor & Employment
Alyse F. Stach
Associate, Litigation
Praveena N. Swanson
Associate, Labor & Employment
Nigel F. Telman
Partner, Labor & Employment
Ronald A. Valenzuela
Associate, Litigation
Mindy H. Yang
Associate Director of Diversity and
Inclusion
Jamiel E. Poindexter
Committee Chair
Partner, Tax
Peter Wilson, Jr.
Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Committee Members
GreenSpacesTM
is our firmwide initiative to create a culture of environmental awareness, responsibility
and social consciousness that supports a productive and sustainable workplace.
Proskauer is one of the top 25 firms
ranked by the 2015 Vault Guide to the Top
100 Law Firms in three diversity-related
categories: overall diversity, minorities
and women.
Proskauer has been awarded 2014 Gold
Standard Certification by the Women in
Law Empowerment Forum in recognition
of the leadership roles achieved by the
firm’s women equity partners.