Miller Canfield to participate in Hackathon

Miller Canfield is one of 54 top law firms nationwide, and the only Michigan-headquartered firm, to be selected to participate in Women in Law Hackathon, an innovative program to advance women in the legal profession. The Hackathon is a national "Shark Tank"-style pitch competition created by the Diversity Lab in collaboration with Stanford Law School and Bloomberg Law. The goal is to generate innovative ideas and solutions that will lead to greater recruitment, retention and advancement of women in law firms. Dawn M. Schluter, Chair of Women of Miller Canfield and Personal Services Group leader, will represent Miller Canfield, and is a member of one of nine teams, each comprising six high-level partners, two expert advisors and one Stanford law student. Over six months, each team will generate practical and actionable ideas to improve gender parity in law firms. During and after the Hackathon, Miller Canfield will create a Hackathon Support Committee, co-chaired by Schluter and Miller Canfield Principal A. Michael Palizzi, Miller Canfield Intellectual Property Group leader and Litigation Group co-leader. The HSC will provide plans to firm leadership, and work to implement transformative plans based upon the Hackathon. The nine Hackathon teams started their work in January. They will work through June of this year to devise projects, plans or initiatives. The teams will then present their ideas in-person to a panel of expert judges at a pitch event at Stanford Law School on June 24. The top three winning teams will award grant prizes, donated by Bloomberg Law ($10,000 for 1st place; $7,500 for 2nd place; and $5,000 for 3rd place), to their choice of a non-profit organization that advances women in the legal profession and beyond. Miller Canfield will participate alongside an impressive array of leading Big Law firms from across the country, including, among many others: Sidley, Orrick; White & Case; Akin Gump; Jenner & Block; Weil Gotshal; Reed Smith; Morrison Foerster; Vinson & Elkins; Seyfarth Shaw; Skadden; Arnold & Porter; Haynes & Boone; Holland & Knight; Andrews Kurth; Fried Frank; Morgan Lewis; Kirkland; Sullivan Cromwell; Dentons; Wilson Sonsini; WilmerHale; DLA Piper; Winston & Strawn; and Kilpatrick Townsend. Published: Mon, Mar 07, 2016