Haynes Boone Partner Kit Addleman, co-founder of the Dallas chapter of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA), recently sat down with Attorney at Law Magazine to discuss the organization’s growth and goals for the future. Read an excerpt of the conversation below:
AALM: You helped co-found the Dallas chapter of the WWCDA in 2013. Tell us about the launch and why it was important to bring WWCDA to Dallas.
KA: A friend and former colleague from the Securities and Exchange Commission reached out to tell three of us in Dallas, ultimately the co-founders, about the great work being done in the WWCDA chapters on the East Coast. We saw the impact WWCDA was having to build women’s business and work referrals in white collar cases and government investigations in other cities. In Dallas, I wanted women to be a bigger part of collaboration discussions and referral networks, both for building my own practice and for helping other women grow theirs.
AALM: What do you believe are some of the main priorities of WWCDA? What are some practical ways you help to promote those goals?
KA: A priority for the Dallas chapter is professional and business development. In government defense matters, both investigations and litigation, an attorney often needs to get separate representation for officers, directors or employees. Making sure that women are a part of the network for referrals is critical. One way our chapter does that is by including men in networking and in discussions at events. With my two other chapter leaders, Paige Montgomery and Sarah Wirskye, we make consistent efforts to highlight our women members in attorney rankings, programs and conference panels. One effort involves speaking with the Global attorney ranking program Chambers about exceptional women. We advocate for equitable and updated rankings based on experience and talent, rather than just listing the same men because they have “always been ranked.”
AALM: This year marks the 25th anniversary of the WWCDA. How has the organization evolved over the last quarter century? How has the Dallas Chapter grown in the last decade?
KA: In 25 years, WWCDA grew from a small group of women enjoying time together to now 50 chapters globally with structure around the missions of supporting women in various kinds of white collar, civil and criminal, investigation and litigation defense practices. The international reach aids all of us as we look for support and for counsel in other countries to support our client needs. Over the 10 years since we founded the Dallas chapter, we grew from a dozen women to now 165 members with defense practices in healthcare, antitrust, securities, AML, cybersecurity, cryptocurrency and many others.
