Virginia G. Essandoh, J.D.

Virginia G. Essandoh serves as the firm's Chief Diversity Officer. In this role as a senior firm administrator, she sits on the firmwide Management Committee and is responsible for overseeing, implementing, and providing strategic leadership to Ballard Spahr's diversity initiatives. She also provides strategic guidance and tactical support to the Ballard Women affinity group, helping the group develop business and encourage the development and advancement of female lawyers.

Working closely with the Diversity Council, Ms. Essandoh advises firm constituencies on best practices for ensuring diversity among lawyers and staff. This ranges from high-level strategic development of diversity-related recruitment, retention, and advancement strategies to tactical implementation and execution of such strategies for lawyers at all levels.

Ms. Essandoh meets regularly with diverse attorneys to discuss development and advancement strategies and remains aware of issues that affect diverse attorneys. She serves as the public voice for Ballard's diversity-related outreach efforts, coordinates the firm's participation in external diversity events, and is a liaison to clients and other external constituencies regarding diversity initiatives.

Before joining the firm, Ms. Essandoh was senior consultant at Altman Weil, Inc. In this capacity, she assisted in developing and implementing diversity and gender initiatives and strategies in private law firms and corporate legal departments; advised on organizational and management structures for law firms and corporate legal departments; and facilitated law firm strategic planning, client satisfaction, strategic marketing, and management structure analysis for her clients.

Professional Activities

State Bar of Wisconsin

Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals

Barristers' Association of Philadelphia

LEADERSHIP Philadelphia Class of 2008

Ballard Spahr's Diversity Council

Philadelphia Diversity Law Group

Publications

"Eyes to the Future: Working with Constitution High School To Boost Civics Education as well as Diversity in the Legal Profession," The Philadelphia Lawyer, Winter 2013

"Friends in High Places: The Rainmaker Mentor Program," The Legal Intelligencer, August 13, 2012

"Generation Y and the Law," Profiles in Diversity Journal, November 2011

"When Generations Collide: Recruitment, Retention and Advancement of Generation Y in Today's Firms," New Jersey Law Journal, May 30, 2011

"Changes in Legal Profession Create New Mentorship Needs," The Legal Intelligencer, February 2010

"Law Firm Affinity Groups: A Valuable Resource," Colorado Diversity Newsletter, May 2009

Speaking Engagements

"How To Find and Effectively Utilize Women- and Minority-Owned Law Firms," Federal Home Loan Bank Counsel Committee Spring Meeting, Washington, D.C., May 2012

National Symposium on Diversity in the Legal Profession, Philadelphia Bar Association CLE, November 2011

"Minding the Gap: Individualized Positioning for Diversity and Inclusiveness," Denver Diversity and Inclusiveness Summit, March 2011

"Diversity Hiring in a Down Market," Special Counsel, Philadelphia, December 2010

"When Generations Collide: Understanding Motivations, Expectations and Behavior of the Latest Crop of Lawyers," CLE Program, Philadelphia, December 2010

"Diversity Management in Multiple Offices," Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals Conference, New York, November 2010

Board Memberships

Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, Trustee, Executive Committee Vice President

John Marshall Law School (J.D. 1999)

Wilberforce University (B.A. 1994, cum laude)

Supreme Court of Wisconsin

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin