(February 8, 2019) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has selected Shareholders Margaret Parnell Hogan (Denver) and Jennifer Youpa (Dallas) as the new co-chairs of the firm’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), succeeding founding members Linda Headley (Houston) and Dionysia Johnson-Massie, (Atlanta) who will continue to focus on their full-time practices. Littler’s WLI was formed in 2008 to focus on the development and retention of women leaders at every level of the firm.

“Margaret and Jennifer have a passion for enhancing the opportunities the firm provides to its women attorneys, and we are excited for them to lead the efforts of the WLI,” said Tom Bender and Jeremy Roth, co-managing directors of Littler, in a joint statement. “As the original WLI leaders, Linda and Dionysia built a successful program that has benefitted numerous female attorneys and helped position Littler as one of the top firms for women attorneys. We thank them for their leadership and collective contributions, and look forward to their continued service as ad hoc members of the Steering Committee.”

Hogan is a current and founding member of the WLI Steering Committee – which works closely with the co-chairs to help form the strategy and initiatives of the WLI on an annual basis – and Youpa has served in a variety of leadership roles within the firm, including as a WLI Steering Committee member and as the Management Committee liaison to the WLI.

Additionally, Shareholders Kristy Peters (Phoenix), Holly Robbins (Minneapolis) and Kim Yates (St. Louis) and Associates Kelly Chu (Los Angeles) and Alexa Laborda Nelson (Philadelphia) were named as the newest members to the WLI Steering Committee.

Over the past year, Littler has garnered several notable awards and recognitions for its diversity initiatives and inclusive culture – such as being ranked on The American Lawyer’s Diversity Scorecard and named one of the Best Firms for Women and Minority Attorneys by Law360 in its Glass Ceiling report. Additionally, Littler was named a 2018 Top Ten Female Friendly Firm by Yale Law Women, certified as a "Gold Standard Firm" by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum and ranked a top law firm by Working Mother magazine and Vault.

About Littler

With more than 1,500 labor and employment attorneys in offices around the world, Littler provides workplace solutions that are local, everywhere. Our diverse team and proprietary technology foster a culture that celebrates original thinking, delivering groundbreaking innovation that prepares employers for what’s happening today and what’s likely to happen tomorrow.