Dentons announced today that Capital Markets partner Maria Livanos was named co-chair of the Firm's US WomenLEAD Committee, which focuses on supporting and building the success of its women lawyers. In this role, she joins Litigation partner Christina Carroll, who has served as co-chair since early 2017.

Dentons' WomenLEAD was created to foster an environment that attracts, develops, retains, promotes and inspires women business leaders and builds networks with clients and communities. Through targeted business development support, mentoring opportunities, networking events and client events, US WomenLEAD creates a platform for women to excel in legal practice and business leadership.

"We’re extremely fortunate to have two such dedicated visionaries to steer our innovative US WomenLEAD program," said US CEO Mike McNamara. "Christina and Maria are highly skilled lawyers and fierce advocates on behalf of women in the profession, and I'm confident that they will continue to drive innovation in advancing the goals of WomenLEAD."

Livanos recently co-chaired the Firm's New York WomenLEAD group, which organized events for women lawyers within Dentons and with clients. She serves as a facilitator for Dentons' Preparing for Rain program designed to hone rainmaking skills.

Dentons' enjoys a reputation for its industry-leading commitment to the advancement of women in the profession. These efforts have led to numerous initiatives and awards, including;

- The Courageous Counsel Leadership Institute, an annual professional leadership development event now in its fourth year. CCLI draws inspiration from Courageous Counsel: Conversations with Women General Counsel in the Fortune 500, a book co-authored by Dentons Insurance Regulatory partner and Global Board member Kara Baysinger and Michele Mayes, General Counsel for the New York Public Library.

- Preparing for Rain, Dentons' business development program that hones the rainmaking skills of female lawyers by eliminating the systemic and individual barriers to business development success they often face in the years immediately preceding and following promotion to partner.

- EMERGE, Dentons' formal sponsorship program, which utilizes the concept of sponsorship to advance high-potential diverse lawyers towards partnership. With the assistance of external consultants, the program undertakes individual and team assessments, sponsorship training, career planning and business development coaching for the protégés and sponsors included within the pilot.

- Signing on as one of the first law firms in the US to pilot the Diversity Lab's Mansfield Rule. The Mansfield Rule measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered women and attorneys of color—at minimum 30 percent of the candidate pool—for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions and lateral positions.

- Women in Law Empowerment's (WILEF) Gold Standard Certification, which Dentons has earned for five straight years.

Please visit our WomenLEAD webpage for more information.

About Dentons

Dentons is the world's largest law firm, delivering quality and value to clients around the globe. Dentons is a leader on the Acritas Global Elite Brand Index, a BTI Client Service 30 Award winner and recognized by prominent business and legal publications for its innovations in client service, including founding Nextlaw Labs and the Nextlaw Global Referral Network. Dentons' polycentric approach and world-class talent challenge the status quo to advance client interests in the communities in which we live and work. www.dentons.com