IL College of Law - A Discussion of Martin Luther King Jr. on Leadership

University of Illinois College of Law Leadership Project CLE

A Discussion of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership: Inspiration & Wisdom for Challenging Times

Tuesday, January 18th, 2022
12-1:30 P.M. (CST)
90-minute presentation (virtual event, no scheduled break)

The College of Law will apply for 1.50 hours of Illinois MCLE credit for this session.

Session Description:
This ninety-minute presentation discusses Donald T. Phillips’ "Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership: Inspiration & Wisdom for Challenging Times," a work that analyzes the leadership traits of Martin Luther King, Jr. Presenters will discuss Dr. King’s leadership style and how practicing attorneys can incorporate these lessons in their own practices. Key to the discussion will be issues related to professionalism, diversity and inclusion, and civility. This course is designed as a beginner to intermediate level course.

Presented by:
Brian Ellis received his undergraduate degree from Lake Forest College and his J.D. from University of Illinois College of Law. Brian joined Danaher as Senior Vice President and General Counsel in January 2016, bringing a wealth of experience leading and developing global legal teams and supporting business growth. He leads Danaher’s global legal organization and ensures a strong culture of integrity and compliance. His areas of responsibility including corporate governance, quality assurance and regulatory affairs, sustainability, intellectual property and risk management as well as the company’s environment, health and safety group.

Brian was most recently General Counsel of Medtronic’s Restorative Therapies Group. In previous roles, he served as Chief Compliance Officer, and later General Counsel of Monitoring Solutions and Services, at GE Healthcare. Early in his career, he was a partner in private law firms and an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Sam Mendenhall an undergraduate degree in accounting and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois. He is a top-ranked lawyer who has tried a number of cases in both state and federal court. He has been selected one of America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators (Illinois) for 2018 and 2019.

Prior to joining Winston & Strawn, Sam served in the United States Army, where he was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas and Camp Red Cloud, South Korea. From 2014-2018, Sam served as chair of the Winston & Strawn Foundation. He founded the Winston & Strawn/Dodge Academy Mentoring and Tutoring Program, which received the 2005 “Tutor/Mentor Program of the Year Award” from the Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Lend-A-Hand Program. He currently teaches law at Perspectives Charter School through the Constitutional Rights Foundation’s Lawyer-in-the-Classroom Program. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Just the Beginning Foundation, a pipeline organization that seeks to assist underserved individuals desiring to enter the legal profession.

Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Sam as a commissioner for the Chicago Housing Authority. Sam recently served on the board of directors of the Chicago Bar Foundation, where he was also the Treasurer. He is a past president of the board of visitors of the University of Illinois College of Law. He is the recipient of the 2008 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the College of Law and also is the recipient of its Outstanding Alumni Award for Community Service. Other activities include: fellow, Leadership Greater Chicago; past member, The Economic Club of Chicago; past member, Chicago Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee; past member, Board of Directors: Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago; and past member, Board of Directors, Kids Voting of Illinois. In addition to practicing law, Sam is a licensed ordained minister.

Greg Miarecki holds an undergraduate degree in Public Policy and a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago. Currently, he serves as the Executive Assistant Dean for Career Planning and Professional Development at the University of Illinois College of Law. He also serves as the Director of the College of Law’s Leadership Project, a new program designed to teach leadership skills to students and to promote debate and discussion about leadership in the legal profession. Prior to his academic roles, Greg was a partner at Winston & Strawn LLP in Chicago, where he focused on complex commercial and white-collar criminal litigation.

Session is free and open to the public, but registration is required to receive the Zoom link and/or Illinois MCLE credit.

REGISTER HERE

The session will be presented by Zoom, and the link will be sent to session registrants on Friday, January 14.