Two Latham Partners Named 2024 Black Leaders Worth Watching
Partners Danielle Conley and Kirsten Jackson have been named among Profiles in Diversity Journal’s 2024 Black Leaders Worth Watching, which recognizes exceptional individuals who “display talent and skill, a commitment to excellence, and a passion for mentoring and advocating for the next generation, and an ongoing involvement with the larger community.”
Conley, Chair of the Women Enriching Business Committee and leader of the Anti-Discrimination & Civil Rights practice, is a trusted adviser with deep experience in the public and private sector. She represents and helps companies, educational institutions, and other large organizations navigate matters involving substantial reputational risk.
Conley represents clients in sensitive internal investigations following allegations of sexual misconduct and race- and gender-based discrimination and in government investigations, including those involving allegations of violations of civil rights laws. She also regularly counsels clients on best practices for anti-harassment compliance programs and corporate DEI programs and initiatives.
Prior to joining Latham, Conley served as Deputy White House Counsel, where she established and led the first-ever White House Counsel’s Office team dedicated to civil rights and advancing racial, gender, and LGBTQ equity. Conley also helped shepherd Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic nomination and confirmation to the US Supreme Court. During the Obama administration, Conley served as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the DOJ, where she provided strategic counsel to the Deputy Attorney General and other senior government officials on a wide range of litigation and policy issues and managed some of the agency’s most significant and high-profile civil rights enforcement matters.
Jackson, Vice Chair of The Diversity Leadership Committee, is a complex commercial litigator who represents policyholders in a variety of insurance matters. She is leading an all-black, all-female trial team for Chevron and also working on insurance-related matters for Latham in the firm's representation of Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, and Larry David in class action lawsuits concerning the promotion of now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
As Vice Chair of the Diversity Leadership Committee, Jackson has a focus on creating a more inclusive, accessible path to the legal profession for underrepresented communities. In her role, she oversees all of Latham’s attorney DEI programs, including the Diversity Leadership Academies for law students and mid-level associates.
She also serves as the Diversity Subcommittee Co-Chair for the American Bar Association’s Insurance Coverage Litigation Section and has served on the board of the California Minority Counsel Program’s Annual Business Conference.