South African Human Rights Lawyer Partners with Morgan Lewis in Fortune–State Department Mentoring Program

NEW YORK, May 16, 2022: For the seventh year, Morgan Lewis and Firm Chair Jami McKeon have been selected to host an international lawyer through the Fortune–US Department of State Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership. The exclusive program between Fortune, the US Department of State, and Vital Voices Global Partnership pairs participants with one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Leaders to gain critical business and leadership skills and the inspiration to pay it forward, accelerating positive change in their home communities. Jessica Lawrence, head of the Lawyers for Human Rights’ Johannesburg Law Clinic, will have the opportunity to meet with multiple lawyers and professional staff in the Morgan Lewis network over the course of two weeks.

“Through this extraordinary program, I’ve had the privilege of meeting amazing women from around the world, many of whom I am still in contact with, and who continue to inspire me with their determination to make a positive impact on their communities,” Ms. McKeon said. “At Morgan Lewis, we make a deliberate effort to create a culture where we learn from each other. It is a privilege to be able to exchange meaningful perspectives and insight in how we can work together as an industry to improve the diversity of the legal profession around the world.”

Jessica is an advocate for social justice, focusing on refugee and migrant rights, business and human rights, and public interest litigation. As head of the Lawyers for Human Rights’ Johannesburg Law Clinic, which employs a holistic approach to social justice and human rights enforcement, Jessica prepares litigation strategies for individual refugees and develops advocacy strategies for policy development related to migrant rights and gender empowerment.

Ms. McKeon and Morgan Lewis have maintained longstanding relationships with the participants in the program, who have hailed from El Salvador, Vietnam, Ghana, Kenya, Guatemala, and South Africa.