Leadership Circle
Leadership Circle
J. Kim Wright
Honestly, Renaissance Lawyer Society would not exist but for the vision, determination, energy and tireless efforts of J. Kim Wright. Kim founded RLS and served on its Board from 2001 to 2006. She wrote and updated the majority of content for the website and has invested tens of thousands of hours in RLS and other ventures dedicated to transforming the legal profession. If you have read "The Tipping Point," you will recognize Kim as a quintessential Connector, Maven and Salesperson - the three personalities that are absolutely essential for a "good idea" to grow into a viable social movement. Most everyone who is on the frontlines of this movement has been touched and inspired by Kim Wright.
Kim has trained collaborative lawyers across North American and teaches Restorative Justice at Warren Wilson College. A consultant to law firms and court systems, she also coaches other attorneys, serves on several boards and committees, and is an active speaker, writer, trainer and advocate for law as a peacemaking profession. She also has has a private practice in North Carolina dedicated to innovative and healing approaches to law, Healers of Conflicts. She is in the process of launching a web portal, The Cutting Edge Law Magazine, which will contain articles, regular columns, blogs, discussion groups, a marketplace and directory, continuing education and other resources, a resource center with directory listings. Cutting Edge Law will work hand-in-hand with RLS to nurture and grow the movement. To learn more about Kim Wright and her many ventures, see www.jkimwright.com.
Executive Director
Moniqua Lane
Moniqua comes to RLS with an impressive background in law, writing and the non-profit sector. Moniqua is a 2004 graduate of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Upon graduation, Moniqua began her career in the estate and tax-planning group of Snell & Wilmer, a Phoenix, Arizona based, 400-person law firm, where she focused on structuring entities to take advantage of the tax laws. Moniqua quickly found the work/life balance in a large firm unacceptable, so she struck out on her own in December 2005. She currently maintains a small solo practice, specializing in non-profit law. Her clients range from traditional, charitable organizations to political action committees to educational institutions. Aside from practicing law, Moniqua along with a San Francisco-based freelancer, runs a writing firm, leading a team of freelance writers in drafting marketing collateral and business communications for professionals and small and mid-sized businesses.
Moniqua came aboard as RLS' Executive Director in the summer of 2007. She is eager to take on the challenges of moving RLS forward as she believes it is the only organization capable of connecting cutting edge academic programs, farsighted practitioners, curious newcomers and mainstream attorneys who don’t yet understand the manifold benefits of transforming the practice of law.
Chair of the Board of Advisors
Professor Susan Daicoff
Susan Daicoff, J.D. LLM, MS was an original member and advisor for RLS. Her work inspired much of the content of this site and has been the core of several articles written about the movement. Professor Susan Daicoff teaches at Florida Coastal School of Law. Professor Daicoff practiced corporate, securities, and tax law in Orlando and Tampa before joining legal academia in 1995. She graduated with honors from the University of Florida College of Law in 1983 and earned her LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law in 1985. She also holds a B.A. in mathematics from the University of Florida and an M.S. in clinical psychology from the University of Central Florida.
Professor Daicoff has been researching and writing about the legal profession, professionalism, lawyer personality, and lawyer satisfaction and well-being for the last decade. Her current research focuses on the new "comprehensive law" movement, which promises a psychologically better way of resolving legal matters. Her most recent writings include Law as a Healing Profession: The "Comprehensive Law Movement," 6 Pepp. Disp. Resol. L.J. 1 (2006) and Lawyer Know Thyself: A Psychological Analysis of Personality Strengths and Weaknesses (APA Books, 2004).
Board of Directors
Chairman of the Board and Immediate Past President
Maureen Holland
Maureen is a graduate of Vermont Law School, cum laude. Maureen is owner of Holland & Associates, PLLC, where she practices general civil litigation with an emphasis on holistic law. She co-hosted the "Legal Café", a call-in radio program on an AM Talk-Radio Station in Memphis, served as President of the Federal Bar Association Mid-South Chapter, during which time the Chapter received the Chapter Activity Award for outstanding programming and activities. She has lectured on Article 2, Sexual Harassment, and holistic legal practices, has been interviewed on radio for her holistic approach. Currently, she sits as Special Judge in General Sessions Court in Memphis on an as-needed basis, and is a certified Arbitrator for AUTOLINE and the Memphis Better Business Bureau. Maureen is President of RLS' first local chapter, in Memphis, Tennessee.
President
Jeanne M. Fahey
Jeanne M. Fahey is an attorney in private practice in Emeryville, California, where she represents individuals and small businesses in employment and other disputes. She was an early leader in the efforts to expand Collaborative Law from family to other disputes, organizing the first nationwide dialogues on the subject from 2004-2005. She has continued to work locally and nationally to make Collaborative Law and other cooperative negotiation processes a viable alternative for civil disputes. She received her B.A. in Sociology (highest honors and highest distinction) from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991 and her J.D. (cum laude and Order of the Coif) from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, in 1995.
Treasurer
Kevin Ginsberg
Kevin Ginsberg, J.D. is a Founding Board Member of Renaissance Lawyer Society. Kevin Ginsberg is a trial attorney with Lanier Law Group, focusing his practice on personal injury, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence and workers’ compensation. He is a 1994 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and a 2000 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law. After graduating from law school, Kevin clerked for the Honorable Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson of the North Carolina Supreme Court when she was a Judge with the North Carolina Court of Appeals, he ran a nonprofit organization for lawyers, and he worked for Kirschbaum, Nanney, Brown and Keenan before joining Lanier Law Group in 2003. Kevin lives in Durham with his wife, Andrea, and their two year old son, Dreizin. As hobbies, Kevin is an avid juggler, marathon runner and haiku writer.
Secretary
Debra Bruce
Before becoming a executive coach, Debra Bruce practiced law for 18 years in firms ranging from prestigious national mega-firms to her own entrepreneurial business. She specialized in business transactions, but on occasion acted as consultant to or assisted trial attorneys. Over the years, Debra’s interest in practicing law waned. Finally she made a courageous Leap of Faith to follow her heart elsewhere. Her desire to share her experience and encourage others to live a life they love ultimately led her to a new career in executive coaching. Today through coaching, writing, and conducting workshops, Debra helps her clients create fulfillment and success in their careers, businesses, relationships and lives. Her lengthy legal career gives her a special understanding of the unique issues that confront lawyers. Her clients are located across North America in places like Houston, Seattle, Dallas, Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Toronto. Debra received her B.S. in Psychology (summa cum laude) from the University of Houston and her J. D. (with Honors) from the University of Texas School of Law.
S. Leonard Scheff
S. Leonard Scheff is an AFT Board Member, a graduate of Boalt School of Law at UC Berkeley, and practicing attorney in Tucson, Arizona. He is a Zen Buddhist and has attended several of the public teachings by H.H. the Dalai Lama including the five day workshop in Tucson in 1993, and a more recent 2006 teaching. He has organized a "Letting Go of Anger" seminar with input by John Tarrant Roshi since 1993. While the seminar is based on Buddhism through the teachings of the Dalai Lama, he believes these same principles are universal in all spiritual traditions. For more information, see www.transforminganger.com. In addition, Mr. Scheff has attended and lead numerous Gestalt Workshops.
Kathryn Carter
Kathryn Carter, J.D., served as a judge for 17 years before becoming involved in alternative dispute resolution full time. She has worked, on and off the bench, to establish innovative court and community programs to address the needs that lead to conflict and judicial intervention in people’s lives. As part of that, she envisions mediation training for everyman and everywoman, and is working toward that goal.
The board of Renaissance Lawyer Society has openings! New board members generally take their seats in February or March. If you are interested in being a board member, contact Jeanne Fahey, President.
