Jackson Lewis Snares Nationally Recognized Diversity and Corporate Compliance Lawyer
DETROIT, MI (February 10, 2010) Jackson Lewis, one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing workplace law firms, announced that Rod Gillum has joined its Detroit office as Partner. Gillum most recently served as vice president of corporate responsibility and diversity for General Motors and chairman of the GM Foundation, where he helped shape GM into a global corporate social responsibility leader.
A prominent figure in the Detroit metro area and nationally recognized labor and employment attorney and leader in corporate compliance and diversity strategies, Gillum retired in October after more than 30 years with GM. He will play a key role in helping lead the expansion of the firm’s presence and client service capabilities in Detroit and beyond.
Maurice G. Jenkins, Managing Partner of the Detroit office, said, “As a former colleague and long time admirer of the positive impact he has had in Michigan and across America, I know first hand that Rod is one of the country’s leading authorities on strategic diversity planning, corporate governance, labor relations, and legal risk avoidance. We know he will be a tremendous asset to our clients as we continue to grow our Detroit office.”
Weldon Latham, a Partner in the firm’s Washington, DC Region office and Chair of the firm's Corporate Diversity Counseling practice group, is particularly pleased that Rod is joining Jackson Lewis. "Having worked with Rod while representing GM for 12 years, it is clear that he and GM, like Jackson Lewis, are committed to diversity in every aspect of their business. Rod joining Jackson Lewis further demonstrates the firm’s commitment to our clients' goal to retain law firms with demonstrable diversity performance."
Mr. Gillum joined GM in 1979 from the National Labor Relations Board, where he had been an attorney in its Detroit regional office. At GM, he served as the first vice president and general counsel of GM’s Saturn Corporation, where he led and coordinated all legal matters for the new GM subsidiary. Mr. Gillum also held a variety of leadership positions for the GM Legal Staff, where he ultimately served as Chief Personnel, Labor Relations and Benefits Attorney for the corporation before assuming the role of Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Diversity, in 1997. He also served as secretary to the GM board of directors.
Active in a variety of civic and community organizations, Mr. Gillum currently serves as chairman of the board for the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. He was appointed as Vice-Chair of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation by Mayor Dave Bing and is also a member of the board for Holcim, Inc. and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
One of the first attorneys to be elected by his peers as a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, as a Sloan Fellow, Mr. Gillum earned a Masters of Science in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, and a B.A. from Michigan State University. “The addition of an attorney with Rod’s strong reputation and successful track record on high-profile cases aligns with the firm’s ongoing strategy to deliver first-rate strategic employment and labor counseling services for all of its clients,” adds Patrick L. Vaccaro, firm-wide Managing Partner. “In addition, Mr. Gillum will be a wonderful addition to our Corporate Diversity Counseling practice and will provide valuable insights acquired over 30 years with one of the nation’s foremost corporations. We look forward to welcoming him to the Jackson Lewis family.”
About Jackson Lewis
Founded in 1958, Jackson Lewis is dedicated to representing management exclusively in workplace law with 600 attorneys practicing in 45 cities nationwide. Jackson Lewis has a wide-range of specialized practice areas, including: Affirmative Action and OFCCP Diversity Planning; Disability, Leave and Health Management; Employee Benefits, including Complex ERISA Litigation, Workplace Privacy and Executive Compensation; Global Immigration; Labor, including Preventive Practices; Litigation, including Class Actions, Complex Litigation and e-Discovery; Trade Secrets, Non-Competes and Workplace Technology; Wage and Hour Compliance; and Workplace Safety Compliance. In addition, Jackson Lewis provides advice nationally in other workplace law areas, including: Reductions in Force, WARN Act; Corporate Governance and Internal Investigations; Drug Testing and Substance Abuse Management; International Issues; Management Education, including e-Based Training; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Public Sector Issues; Government Relations; Corporate Diversity Counseling and College and University Employment Law and Compliance Issues.
Additional information about Jackson Lewis can be found at www.jacksonlewis.com
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For more information, please contact: Lara Hamm, Jackson Lewis T: (212) 545-4031, E: hamml@jacksonlewis.com