Jackson Walker is pleased to announce the selection of Shari Y. Mao, Maggie Lu, and Devanshi Somaya to participate in training programs offered by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD).

Shari will participate in the Fellows Program, a year-long professional development program for high-potential attorneys from diverse backgrounds to gain leadership experience and build relationships. The program gives participants the opportunity to learn from top leaders in the legal profession as well as experts in the fields of learning and development and executive coaching. The program consists of two class meetings, regional meetings, learning experiences, leadership lunches, virtual in-house and law firm sessions, and meetings with accountability partners.

Maggie and Devanshi will participate in the Pathfinder Program, a seven-month professional development program providing early-career, diverse attorneys with foundational leadership skills, career development strategies, and tips on building professional networks and relationships. Throughout the program, Pathfinders will attend two class meetings, regional and virtual learning sessions, and e-learning modules. In addition to full-class programming, participants are placed in small groups led by a Program Facilitator who serves as a mentor to help each Pathfinder connect what they learn to the organization at which they work.

Formed in 2009, the LCLD is an organization of more than 400 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners dedicated to creating a truly diverse legal profession. The LCLD’s action programs, which span the journey from law school to partnership, are designed to attract, inspire, and nurture talent in society and within its organizations, thereby helping a new and more diverse generation of attorneys rise to positions of leadership.

Shari, Maggie, and Devanshi join an ever-growing list of Jackson Walker attorneys who have participated in the LCLD Fellows and Pathfinder programs, including:

• Fellows: Minoo S. Blaesche (2023), Sang M. Shin (2022), Jesse S. Lotay (2021), Jamila Brinson (2020), Marisela Peña Gonzalez (2019), Dawn Holiday (2018), Jorge Padilla (2018), Nathaniel St. Clair, II (2017), Suzan Kedron (2014), and Christopher Mugica (2013)
• Pathfinders: Paisley Park (2023), Brian D. Pettis (2023), Gracie Garcia (2022), Josué Galván (2021), Amanda Crouch (2020), Jeremy Sheng (2020), Shelisa Brock (2019), Lindsey Moorhead (2018), Shari Mao (2017), James McFall (2016)

Jackson Walker is proud to continue to support and participate in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. To explore the Firm’s commitment to partnering with organizations like LCLD, visit the Diversity & Inclusion page.

Meet Shari

San Antonio partner Shari Y. Mao represents entrepreneurs and privately held clients in a variety of corporate matters. As one of the only Mandarin-speaking attorneys in the city of San Antonio, Shari regularly serves as counsel in mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring and restructuring, and succession planning for multi-generational family-owned businesses. In 2017, she was selected to participate in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Pathfinder Program.

Shari obtained her B.A., magna cum laude, from Duke University and her J.D., magna cum laude, from St. Mary’s University School of Law.

Meet Maggie

Maggie Lu is a real estate attorney with experience representing banks, mortgage companies, and brokers in the preparation and review of lending documents for real estate loans, commercial real estate acquisitions, commercial lines of credit, and construction loans.

Maggie received her B.A. from the University of Houston and her J.D., summa cum laude, from South Texas College of Law Houston.

Meet Devanshi

Devanshi Somaya has experience handling a variety of litigation matters, including contract disputes, personal injury claims, commercial lease disputes, media law, trademark and copyright infringement claims, and business tort actions involving negligence, fraud, theft of trade secrets, and breach of fiduciary duty.

Devanshi obtained her B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin and her J.D., cum laude, from SMU Dedman School of Law.