Atlanta (September 30, 2018) – Corporate Counsel magazine’s 2018 Women in Law competition is honoring Morris, Manning & Martin partner Seslee Smith. Smith is recognized in the Transformative Leadership category.
Smith helped transform MMM’s future by heading the firm’s Women’s Initiative, which she launched in 2011. The Initiative has succeeded in enhancing and strengthening the collegial bonds among the firm’s women attorneys, assisting and promoting their business development efforts, and sponsoring and involving more in leadership roles.
Recent measures of the program’s success include:
- Earning both Mansfield and Mansfield “Plus” certifications from Diversity Lab, which measure the representation of diverse lawyers considered for, and holding, positions in law firm leadership and governance.
- A ranking of #34 on the “A-List Women's Scorecard,” which measures the number of female partners in the nation’s 200 highest-revenue producing firms.
The initiative has helped the firm at large as well. As MMM saw the women in the program thrive, the firm’s leadership created a firm-wide Recruiting, Retention and Training Committee, offering all associates the tools to advance their careers.
Smith also serves on the board of MMMPact, the firm’s corporate social responsibility outreach, which gives her a voice in many other community and diversity issues. She is also on the board of Ahimsa House, a nonprofit that helps people and their pets escape domestic abuse.
A partner in the firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice, she has significant experience successfully litigating products liability actions, insurance coverage and healthcare-related matters in federal and state courts, including jury trials, as well as before regulatory agencies, in arbitration proceedings and courts of appeal. She has served as national counsel for several Fortune 500 companies in products liability multi-district, class action and mass tort litigation. Smith is also ranked in the 24th Edition of Best Lawyers in America©
She has served as MMM’s ethics counsel since 2013, making the tough calls that keep the firm in good standing with Bar Associations.
