Leslie D. Davis is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, Inc. (NAMWOLF), a nonprofit trade association that connects preeminent minority and women-owned law firms with corporations and public entities hiring outside counsel. Before taking the helm at NAMWOLF in 2021, Leslie spent 25 years as a trial lawyer and rainmaker, made partner at three firms, and served as lead counsel in complex jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations. She is also a certified transformational leadership coach, sought-after speaker, mentor, and longtime advocate for equity in the legal profession. Leslie earned her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law and her M.A. and B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Iowa.
WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT HOW MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS WIN CORPORATE WORK
Minority and women-owned law firms have been fighting for a seat at the corporate table for decades. The barrier has not been a lack of talent or capability. Outside counsel decisions have historically been shaped by connections, relationships, and familiarity, making it harder for firms outside those established networks to compete for corporate work.
NAMWOLF works to change that by connecting carefully vetted minority and women-owned firms with corporations and public entities hiring outside counsel. Its member firms are selected based on their reputation, experience, responsiveness, reliability, and ability to handle sophisticated legal work. The organization also creates opportunities for firms and in-house counsel to build real relationships while encouraging member firms to refer work to one another rather than compete for every opportunity.
In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Leslie Davis of NAMWOLF about how minority and women-owned firms win corporate work, why relationships remain central to outside counsel decisions, how NAMWOLF evaluates its member firms, and how the organization is responding to changing attitudes toward diversity.
2:51 - NAMWOLF's mission and the legal market it serves
4:30 - Why member firms collaborate instead of competing for every opportunity
6:50 - How NAMWOLF vets firms for sophisticated corporate legal work
9:06 - Creating relationships between member firms and corporate counsel
12:15 - Why Leslie left trial practice to lead NAMWOLF
14:21 - How litigation and rainmaking prepared Leslie for the CEO role
17:01 - Learning to lead professionals who are not lawyers
20:55 - Responding to the changing climate around DEI
25:04 - Staying focused when the conversation becomes a distraction
30:26 - Building real relationships that lead to business
MENTIONED IN HOW MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS ARE WINNING CORPORATE WORK
NAMWOLF | LinkedIn
Leslie Davis on LinkedIn
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