FOR PREMIUM SUBSCRIBERS: Senior Counsel Charlene Wandrisco and her colleague at American Airlines, Deputy General Counsel Bruce Wark, have been awarded co-recipients of this year’s competition for 2022 Corporate Counsel Awards Senior Counsel of the Year for large firms by the DFW Chapter of Association of Corporate Counsel and The Texas Lawbook.
Lawbook founder Mark Curriden had a chance to discuss with Wandrisco her standards for hiring outside counsel, the legal profession’s diversity problem and her best day ever at American Airlines.
Texas Lawbook: What has been your best day at American?
Charlene Wandrisco: My best day at American was when I volunteered at DFW during the ramp-up of travel I talked about earlier. Our front-line team does so much, and I loved being able to step in and help — even if it was just a minor contribution. I was able to appreciate what our front line does every day. About 99 percent of the customers were friendly and appreciated the help, but there was a good 1 percent of people who were not very nice — and perhaps understandably because something had not gone right. But I witnessed first-hand what our gate agents and staff take on a daily basis, and it made me grateful for what they do for the company, and I enjoyed getting out there and helping them out.
Lawbook: What do you look for in hiring outside counsel?
Wandrisco: Responsiveness. Our issues are often critical, and we need quick answers. I love our outside counsel because I do feel like they are invested in the airline. Because many of our outside counsel also personally know the business clients, I think we also get top notch service because they have to answer to our clients as well.
Lawbook: Are you involved in any pro bono or public service efforts.
Wandrisco: Yes! Every year since 2020, I have participated in our pro bono program and volunteer to provide free legal services in a partnership with our outside counsel, Jones Day. Each year we participate in an initiative led by the Dallas County district attorney’s office to provide legal help to Dallas-area residents, including human trafficking survivors, to have their records expunged. Also, we partnered with Sidley Austin in November 2022 to have a similar free legal clinic for veterans to have their records expunged as well.
For Mark Curriden’s full profile of Wandrisco click here. For details of her ACC honor click here.
Lawbook: I saw Priya [Aiyar, AA Chief Legal Officer] appointed you chair of the diversity, inclusion and equity committee. What exactly does this position require of you and what ways are you and the legal department tackling DEI?
Wandrisco: As chair, I lead the department’s efforts toward tackling DEI by getting reports from our firms each year on their diversity numbers. I also brought back our internship program in 2015 (it took a hiatus during the AA-US Airways merger) with a focus on diversity. In addition, our leaders have included a diversity goal which is tied to attorney comp, which we need to meet every year. Our committee works closely with the pro bono committee for the clinics such as the veteran’s clinic this year.
In addition to these efforts, I also have served on the State Bar of Texas – Texas Minority Counsel Program for 2021-present.
Lawbook: Regarding DEI, where do most law firms drop the ball? Why are law firm diversity numbers struggling to improve?
Wandrisco: Goodness, I don’t have an answer as to why law firm diversity numbers struggle to improve. I know it is important to recruit from “top tier” law schools, but I also think great talent can be found at other law schools which may not be ranked as high — such as South Texas College of Law or North Texas. And maybe I am biased but these schools still offer evening programs (like SMU used to when I started law school), so you are getting someone with more world experience and the ability to take on heavy workloads if the student is working full time and going to school at night.
Lawbook: Tell me a little more about the internship program that you have restarted. Is it still with SMU Law? Have you thought about expanding it?
Wandrisco: Yes, it is still with SMU Law and we also brought in Texas A&M and UT Austin. I love having the interns in the office during the summer. It brings a renewed energy to the office. I am amazed at these students and how bright they are and what they have already accomplished. We’ve had a few interns go on and work for some of our law firms, and that is the most fulfilling part to me. It’s also really cool to work with them again and see their development. I’ve recently handed off the intern coordinator duties to other colleagues, but I mentor at least one intern every summer. While we don’t hire straight out of law school at American, I think the internship really gives the students an advantage in their career. It certainly did in mine. It’s a unique glimpse into how a large corporation and its legal department operates, how we interact with outside counsel, and what we want from outside counsel. The experience is so valuable — particularly if a student is going to practice at a law firm, but they also get experience from a government relations standpoint. We’ve had a few interns who have ended up in the public sector as well. Our GC, Priya Aiyar, has really invigorated the internship program as well as our DEI and pro bono programs. We feel so fortunate to have a leader who advocates for these programs.