The Value of Diversity and Inclusion for Law Departments

The recent Thomson Reuters/Acritas 2019 State of the Corporate Law Department report found that gender-diverse teams achieved significantly higher performance ratings, mirroring earlier research on corporate boards and teams in general. Similar results have been shown for other categories of diversity. The facts are clear: diverse teams are stronger, higher-performing, and more adaptable.

No matter the size of your law department, you can both make it more diverse and inclusive internally as well as drive change among outside counsel to create more diverse teams. In this free 75-minute Practical Law webinar, presenters Donna Bunch Coaxum (Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of OSI Group, LLC), Scott Coward (Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer and Secretary of Exact Sciences Corporation), and Helen Respass (Senior Legal Editor, Practical Law) discuss how to overcome common challenges and implement “best practices” to achieve greater diversity and inclusion and increase the value of your law department.

Speakers :

Donna Bunch Coaxum, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary OSI Group, LLC

Donna Bunch Coaxum is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of OSI Group, LLC where she directs all aspects of the legal and compliance functions supporting this nearly $7 Billion global consumer products food manufacturer comprised of 50+ entities, 50+ manufacturing facilities, and 19,000+ employees in 17 countries spanning 4 continents. OSI supplies products/services to some of the world’s leading brands, including McDonald’s, Kraft Heinz, IKEA, Nestle’, Wal-Mart, Tyson, Burger King and Aldi’s. Donna manages all aspects of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and other business transactions worldwide. She also oversees the global compliance function and heads the corporate crisis management team with the goal of protecting the company from legal, regulatory, and financial risks. Prior to joining OSI, she worked as an attorney for Kraft Foods, Oscar Mayer, Sears Roebuck, Willis Watson and in the private sector. Donna received her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Purdue University and her Certified Public Accountant designation in the State of Illinois. She received her Law Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a member of the Bar in Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania and California (where she was selected based on her Bar Exam score to grade the California Bar Exam over a 3 year period). She enjoys writing books, motivational speaking, travel, sports and theater.

Scott Coward, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer and Secretary Exact Sciences Corporation

D. Scott Coward serves as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer and Secretary of Exact Sciences Corporation. Exact Sciences is a molecular diagnostics company focused on the early detection and prevention of some of the deadliest forms of cancer. Exact Sciences is the provider of Cologuard®, which is an FDA-approved, non-invasive screening test for colorectal cancer, indicated for average-risk individuals 50 years or older. Prior to joining Exact Sciences, Mr. Coward was a partner with K&L Gates LLP, where he practiced corporate and securities law and served as managing partner of the Raleigh, NC office. Prior to his tenure at K&L Gates, Mr. Coward served as General Counsel of Blue Rhino Corporation, a leading supplier of consumer propane related products. Prior to Blue Rhino, Mr. Coward served as an Associate General Counsel at GE Medical Systems in Milwaukee, WI, and prior to that, as a partner at the Raleigh, NC law firm Smith Anderson Blount Dorsett Mitchell & Jernigan LLP. Mr. Coward earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill and a JD from Columbia Law School.

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