Laurie Nicole Robinson Haden is an award-winning lawyer and agent of change who truly embodies the 21st-century businesswoman. She has succeeded as the founder, president, and CEO of Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC). This non-profit organization advances women of color attorneys and fosters diversity in the legal profession. Under her leadership, the organization’s membership has grown from 10 members to over 5,000 members.

Mrs. Robinson Haden is responsible for various roles in CCWC, including chief legal officer functions, strategic leadership, branding, publishing, business development, web development, marketing, sponsorships, and fundraising. She has also developed programming for diverse professional lawyers, such as the Annual Career Strategies Conferences and the International Career Strategies Symposiums, held in several cities worldwide. Additionally, she spearheaded the groundbreaking 2011 research report on the career progression of women of color attorneys entitled “Perspectives of Women of Color Attorneys in Corporate Legal Departments.”

In addition to her work with CCWC, Mrs. Robinson Haden has held roles of increasing responsibility at CBS Corporation, where she served as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of the litigation group. She has also worked at two New York City law firms, Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Epstein, Becker, and Green, P.C., where she represented management in labor and employment matters. Moreover, she served as a legal intern in the labor-management division of the National Football League. While at the NFL, Mrs. Robinson Haden wrote and published a legal comment in the Indiana Law Journal.

Mrs. Robinson Haden’s achievements have been recognized through numerous accolades and awards. She has been recognized by the Coca-Cola Company’s legal department and received the Women’s Venture Fund’s Highest Leaf Award, the Groundwork, Inc. Impact Award, the Black Women Lawyer’s Power of One Award, and the Black Women Lawyer’s Diversity Visionary Award. She has also been featured in Ebony Magazine, named to the Network Journal’s 40 Under Forty List, and listed as a “Power Broker” by Inside Counsel. She has received the M. Ashley Dickerson Award, the New York City Bar Association Diversity Champion Award, and the New York State Bar Association Diversity Trailblazer Award.

Mrs. Robinson Haden serves on the advisory boards of Sun E Mates, Work Tribe Dynamics, and Kapdec: An Academy for e-Learning. Mrs. Robinson Haden also serves on the board of visitors of her alma mater — Indiana University at Bloomington Mauer School of Law — and North Carolina Central University School of Law, where she chairs the board of visitors. Robinson Haden served on the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. board of directors for seven years.