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Melissa McGonigal Berry Photo

Melissa

Melissa McGonigal Berry
Director of Professional Development and Diversity
Seattle
D 206.223.7092
berrym@lanepowell.com

As Lane Powell’s Director of Professional Development and Diversity, Melissa Berry provides leadership and strategic direction for the firm’s professional development and diversity programs.  

Melissa oversees the design, implementation and monitoring of a wide variety of programs related to the professional development of the firm’s attorneys, increasing Lane Powell’s diversity, and fostering an inclusive work environment.

Melissa has an extensive background in legal education and law school student and career services, where she led efforts to help law students from all backgrounds succeed. Melissa began her career as a litigator before turning her focus to professional development, diversity and inclusion.  

Professional Experience

University of Washington School of Law

  • Assistant Dean for Student & Career Services (2017-2019)
  • Affiliate Instructor (2018-2019)
  • Director of Graduate Program & Alumni Coaching (2016-2017)
  • Lecturer (2000-2003)

Chapman University, Dale E. Fowler School of Law

  • Assistant Dean of Career Services (2014-2016)
  • Director, Environmental, Land Use & Real Estate Law Emphasis Program (2005-2008)
  • Associate Professor (2007-2008)
  • Assistant Professor (2003-2007)

University of Missouri School of Law, Visiting Associate Professor (2013-2014)

MBM Group LLC, Manager (2009-2013)

National Conference of Bar Examiners, Consultant (2005-2008)

Perkins Coie LLP

  • Associate Attorney (1996-2000)
  • Community Pro Bono Fellow, TeamChild (2000)

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Law Clerk to the Honorable David B. Sentelle (1995)

Latham & Watkins, Associate Attorney (1994-1996)

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Law Clerk to the Honorable Terence T. Evans (1993-1994)

Community Involvement

Seattle Area Legal Recruiting Association

  • President (2019)
  • Vice President (2018)

Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association, Seattle

  • Board Member (2019-Present)
  • Co-Chair, Mentorship Committee (2019-Present)

Board Member, Legal Employers Advancing Diversity of Washington (2017-2019)

National Association of Law Placement

  • Chair, Legal Master’s Programs Interest Group (2019-2020)
  • Co-Vice Chair, Professional Identity formation Work Group, Law Student Professional Development Section (2018-Present)
  • ABA Employment Outcomes Advisory Group (2018-2019)
  • Nominating Committee (2018-2019)
  • Conference Planning Committee (2017-2018)
  • Co-Chair, Pro Bono Work Group, Public Service Section (2016-2017)

Leadership Competency Working Group, Holloran Center Professional Identity Formation Project (2019-2020)

Co-Chair, National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals, Mentorship Committee

Association of American Law Schools

  • Vice Chair, Student Services Section (2019)
  • Executive Committee, Student Services Section  (2018-Present)
  • Program Committee, Academic Support Section (2018)

Program Committee, Association of Academic Support Educators (2018-2019)

Thought Leadership

  • January 13, 2021Event / CLE
    Lateral Lawyer Integration
    National Association for Law Placement | Virtual
  • January 11, 2021Publication
    Benevolent Stereotyping: Killing Careers with Kindness?
    National Association for Law Placement Bulletin
  • November 24, 2020News
    Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Recognizes Lane Powell as 2020 'Top Performer'
    Awards & Honors
  • March 3, 2020Publication
    A Primer on Professional Identity Formation
    The National Association for Law Placement Bulletin
  • January 21, 2020News
    Lane Powell Earns Top Marks in 2020 Corporate Equality Index for Fourth Consecutive Year
    Awards & Honors
  • January 5, 2020Event / CLE
    Post-Graduate Legal Education
    Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting | Washington, D.C.
  • January 4, 2020Event / CLE
    Student Services Panel
    Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting | Washington, D.C.
  • October 4, 2019 Event / CLE
    Putting First Gen First: Supporting First Generation Law Students through Academic Success
    Association of Academic Support Educators Bi-Annual Diversity Conference | Chicago
  • September 12, 2019News
    Berry Joins Lane Powell as Director of Professional Development and Diversity
    Firm Announcement
  • July 19, 2019Event / CLE
    A Coaching Toolkit for Leaders
    Women’s Leadership in Legal Academia Conference | Charlottesville, Virginia
  • July 11, 2019Event / CLE
    Teaching Associates to Manage Chaos and Thrive
    Professional Development Consortium Summer Conference | Nashville, Tennessee
  • June 13, 2019Event / CLE
    Fostering First Gen Success From Admissions to Alumni
    National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals Annual Conference | Washington, D.C.
  • March 29, 2019Event / CLE
    Lessons Learned: Career and Student Services
    Legal Master’s Programs Annual Conference | Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • January 5, 2019Event / CLE
    Hot Topics in Student Services
    Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting | New Orleans
  • January 3, 2019Event / CLE
    Fostering Growth Mindset Through UW Resilience Lab
    Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting | New Orleans
  • June 2018Event / CLE
    Gaining Grit: Helping Law Students Build Resilience
    National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals Annual Conference
  • May 2018Event / CLE
    A Coaching Toolkit for Academic Support Professionals: Helping Law Students Build Resilience
    Association of Academic Support Educators Annual Conference
  • March 3, 2018Event / CLE
    Failing Forward: Shifting the Mindset
    Tulane University’s Women Making Waves Conference | New Orleans
  • March 2018Event / CLE
    Integration Within the Law School and University
    Legal Master’s Programs Annual Conference
  • January 2, 2018Event / CLE
    Added Value: Programming for International LLM Professional Development
    Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting
  • January 1, 2018Event / CLE
    Coaching as a Differentiating Strategy
    Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting
  • June 2, 2017Event / CLE
    To Counsel or to Coach? Determining the Best Approach & Practices for Different Settings
    National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals Annual Conference
  • June 1, 2017Event / CLE
    Campus Climate for Non-JD Students: Strategies for Inclusion of Graduate Program & International Students
    National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals Annual Conference
  • March 2017Event / CLE
    Student Support & Campus Climate
    Legal Master’s Programs Annual Conference
  • June 1, 2016Event / CLE
    Professional Development: Whose Job Is It?
    Institute for Law Teaching & Learning Conference

Education

  • Northwestern University School of Law, J.D., cum laude
  • Newcomb College of Tulane University, B.A., Political Science and Latin American Studies, cum laude

Accreditation

Mental Health First Aid Certification (2019)

NALP Coaching 201 Training (2017)

NALP Coaching 101 Training (2016)

Admission

  • Washington

Before proceeding, please note:  If you are not a current client of Lane Powell PC, please do not include any information in this email that you or someone else considers to be confidential or secret in nature.  Prior to the establishment of a lawyer-client relationship, unsolicited emails from non-clients containing confidential or secret information cannot be protected from disclosure.

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