The UB Law Alumni Association in conjunction with the Bar Association of Erie County, the WNY Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of New York, and the Minority Bar Association of WNY invite you to a virtual presentation featuring Paulette Brown, the first woman of color to serve as President of the American Bar Association (2015-2016)

Brown is Senior Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of Locke Lord LLP. She was formerly the president of the National Bar Association.

A member of the labor & employment practice group of Locke Lord, she has held a number of positions, including in-house counsel to several Fortune 500 companies and as a Municipal Court Judge in N.J.

For the past 30 years, Brown has engaged in the private practice of law, focusing on all facets of labor and employment and commercial litigation. She has defended employers in cases involving discrimination on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual harassment, disability, race and national origin.

Among many articles and studies, she recently co-authored the 2020 American Bar Association (ABA) study "Left Out and Left Behind: The Hurdles, Hassles, and Heartaches of Achieving Long-Term Legal Careers for Women of Color." The study highlights specific challenges unique to the long-term legal careers of women of color because the layer of race compounds gender bias.

Her numerous accolades include recognition by The National Law Journal as one of "The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America." She has been listed as a Super Lawyer since its inception, and as one of the top 50 women lawyers and one of the top 100 lawyers. She has also repeatedly been named by US News as one of The Best Lawyers in America.

Brown was educated in Baltimore, where she attended segregated schools. She earned a B.A. from Howard University and a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law.