Law Firm Partners and Clients to be Honored for Attorney-Client Partnerships That Support Flexible Schedules
Diversity & Flexibility Alliance 2022 Flex Success® Awards to Be Presented Virtually on Nov. 3
Washington, DC (October 12, 2022) – Today the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance announced that its 2022 Flex Success® Award honorees will be: Sheehan Sullivan, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine and her client Carolyn Glenn, Senior Counsel, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan; and Sarah D. Rodriguez, Partner, Shutts & Bowen LLP, and her client Jamie Smith, Partner, MHP Management, LLC.
The Flex Success® Award recognizes partners at Diversity & Flexibility Alliance member law firms who have achieved success while working a reduced hours schedule along with a client who has been integral to making workplace flexibility so successful. The Awards will be presented on November 3 during the Alliance’s virtual annual conference, Cultivating a Holistic Work Culture: The Power of People, Purpose & Productivity, during which all honorees will be speaking. Registration is available here.
“These highly-respected law firm leaders are a true testament to the value that flexibility can bring to an organization,” said Manar Morales, President & CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. “With the support of their clients and firms, these exceptional partners have managed high-profile case loads, held leadership positions within their firms, mentored colleagues, and volunteered their time, while also devoting time to their personal commitments.” she added.
Sheehan Sullivan, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine and her client, Carolyn Glenn, Senior Counsel at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan.
Davis Wright Tremaine partner, Sheehan Sullivan is a nationally recognized employment litigator and valued member of her firm’s leadership, serving on the Executive Committee, as a founding member of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, on the DEI Client Engagement Committee, as current Chair of the Attorney Evaluation Committee, as the firm’s Reduced Hours Coordinator and as Chair of the Flexible Schedules Attorneys Affinity Group.
Sheehan began working at an 85% reduced hour schedule twelve years ago when her first child was 2 years old. Since then, she has developed a successful employment litigation practice and maintained a high-profile client list including Fortune 100 companies. Sheehan has served in the Wage and Hour Defense Institute and on the Editorial Board of the leading treatise on the FLSA (The Fair Labor Standards Act published by Bloomberg/BNA). She also volunteers in her kids’ classrooms and serves on the boards of Special Olympics of Washington and Seattle Arts and Lectures.
Her client, Carolyn Glenn, Senior Counsel at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, has been a longtime advocate for Sheehan and takes every opportunity to support Sheehan’s career and personal goals. Carolyn regularly refers her to colleagues and looks for opportunities to bring her in on Kaiser employment matters. Carolyn’s support of Sheehan has led to her becoming one of the Relationship Partners overseeing Kaiser work across the firm.
“I am honored to receive this recognition. Davis Wright Tremaine continues to be a leader in valuing and elevating attorneys with a flexible or reduced hours schedule,” said Sheehan Sullivan. “My relationship with Carolyn has been pivotal to my success – she is always championing me within Kaiser and with other clients. I am fortunate to have such a supportive environment at DWT and wonderful clients like Carolyn,” she added.
“As a single mom myself, I so appreciated having a reduced-hour schedule when my child was younger so I could combine the demands of my work as an employment litigator with raising a child on my own. During the 10 years I have worked with Sheehan, she has exemplified how to litigate at the highest, most sophisticated level with a flexible schedule that has enhanced the quality of her work product without sacrificing an iota of customer service,” said Carolyn Glenn. “I commend Sheehan and DWT for being role-models in our profession and for providing Kaiser with such an excellent strategic partner for our expanding employment law needs,” she added.
“I am thrilled to see Sheehan receive this very well-deserved recognition. Sheehan has championed Davis Wright Tremaine’s efforts to provide workplace flexibility for our lawyers. As noted above, Sheehan herself works on a reduced hours schedule, and has achieved tremendous success as a practicing attorney and as one of our firm’s outstanding lawyer leaders,” said Scott MacCormack, Firmwide Managing Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. “We are truly fortunate to have Sheehan as a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine,” he added.
Sarah D. Rodriguez, Partner, Shutts & Bowen LLP, and her client Jamie Smith, Partner, MHP Management, LLC.
Well-respected by her colleagues, clients and local community, Shutts & Bowen Partner, Sarah Rodriguez, has successfully tried complex cases, including a federal trial and multiple complex arbitrations while working a reduced hours schedule. Selected as a 2019 Super Lawyer, Rising Star, Sarah has maintained an active and intense caseload spanning construction litigation, construction contracting, and business litigation.
A mother of four young children, including two-year-old identical twins, Sarah has been working a reduced schedule since 2013 while managing family life, a thriving legal career and serving the local community as an active member of the Orange County Bar Association, Central Florida Association of Women Lawyers, mentoring organizations, and her church.
Sarah was a valuable contributor to the inaugural Attorney Development Committee for her firm, spearheading the firm’s formal mentorship program. She has dedicated countless hours to meeting with mentors and mentees, matching experienced attorneys with young mentees, and planning mentorship events, including social events and educational seminars. Sarah also serves as a Mentor for the Support Our Scholars (“SOS”) Scholarship and Mentoring Program, a non-profit that provides financial and emotional support to disadvantaged young women with extraordinary potential during their college journey.
Sarah’s client, Jamie Smith, Partner, MHP Management, LLC, is respectful of Sarah’s time restraints, especially given the legal successes she has achieved on their behalf. Over time, Jamie has developed a high level of trust and respect for Sarah and the quality of her work.
“Having a flexible schedule has meant the world to me. My reduced hours have allowed me to spend more time with my family while remaining fully devoted to my legal career. I’m truly grateful to have my clients’ support and to work for a firm that values inclusion, hard work, and flexibility in the workplace,” said Sarah Rodriguez, Esq.
“Raising four small children while providing excellent professional services is no small feat. Sarah Rodriguez is journeying through a season of life where she has significant demands on her time in the home and in the office. As clients, we value that she is able to maintain her priorities in her household with a flexible schedule while also providing excellent work during the hours that she is in office,” said Sarah’s client, Jamie Smith, Partner, MHP Management, LLC. “From one mother of four to another mother of four, well done!” she added.
“At Shutts & Bowen, we take pride in our flexibility options and the high-performance partners thriving in our program. Sarah is a testament to the success of the DFA program, and we applaud her dedication to her clients and her accomplishments,” said Jack McElroy, Shutts & Bowen LLP’s Firmwide Managing Partner.
The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance is a think tank that collaborates with organizations to develop non-stigmatized flexible work policies that promote inclusive work cultures for all and help to advance more women into leadership positions. The Alliance provides practical research-based solutions, training workshops, and strategic advisory services that increase organizational effectiveness through diversity and flexibility.
Contact: Manar Morales
manar@dfalliance.com
202-957-9650
