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In the decades before becoming Associate GC of the Boy Scouts of America, Elizabeth Ramirez-Washka went to law school, spent two early years of her career as a prosecutor with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, then worked eight years as a lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board and two years at the U.S. Postal Service.
In 2007, she went in-house for a decade, serving as senior counsel for labor and employment at Tenet Healthcare Corporation and then Dr Pepper Snapple Group. In 2017, the Irving-based BSA hired the El Paso native to be its associate general counsel and vice president of diversity and inclusion.
Lawbook Founder Mark Curriden discussed with her what she sees as her most formative personal experiences, as well as the criteria she looks for in evaluating outside counsel.
CLICK HERE to read Mark Curriden’s full feature profile of Elizabeth Ramirez-Washka
Texas Lawbook: Have you had any life changing experiences?
Elizabeth Ramirez-Washka: When my youngest daughter, Julianna, was 9 months, she suddenly contracted a virus that left her paralyzed from the neck down. I remember being at Children’s Medical Hospital and feeling so helpless while several tests and MRIs were done to try to determine what was wrong. Doctors could not identify what Julianna had other than that her symptoms mirrored Guillain-Barre syndrome; a rare disorder not common with infants where the body’s immune system attacks the body’s nerves leading to paralysis of the entire body. Two days later, Julianna regained her movement. The doctors could not medically explain how or why she recovered so quickly, but for me the answer was that my prayers had been answered and we had been blessed by a miracle. Throughout my life, my faith has seen me through the good and bad times, and this was one of those instances.
Texas Lawbook: What was your best day working at the Boy Scouts organization?
Elizabeth Ramirez-Washka: What I love about working at the Boy Scouts of America is that every day, I get the opportunity to work with employees and volunteers who are committed to preparing young people to live purposeful lives and serve their communities. I am fortunate because as Boy Scouts of America’s employment attorney, I am not only a legal advisor but also a teacher and mentor to thousands of Scouting professionals and volunteers across the nation. A best day? There are too many to count! I would say any day that I am meeting and working with our Scouts. The reason why I and others choose to work for Boy Scouts of America is because it gives us the opportunity to positively impact our youth to facilitate a brighter tomorrow for all. Those days are hard to beat, and they are truly my best days.
Texas Lawbook: How important is diversity in your selection of outside counsel?
Elizabeth Ramnirez-Washka: Diversity is always a priority consideration in recruitment, partnerships and providers. It is imperative to ensure we have the benefit of a broad range of perspectives, including ensuring that female attorneys and those of color are provided equal opportunities to be given work, and that we engage firms that represent the type of diversity we aspire to at Boy Scouts of America.
Texas Lawbook: Are there specific instances of discrimination you have faced that still stand out to you?
Elizabeth Ranirez-Washka: Yes, as a young Hispanic female attorney at the district attorney’s office, I remember being approached in the courtroom and asked, “Are you the clerk or assistant?” I calmly replied, “No, I am the attorney.” I am dating myself, but still 20 years later, even with more women and minorities in the legal space, I am still asked that. Every Hispanic female attorney I know has a similar story.
Despite this, I am a firm believer that you must be part of change to make a difference, so I move on and show them what I can do. This is a struggle that America is facing right now; the legal profession has made positive changes, thanks to minority and female attorneys who support and raise each other up.
Texas Lawbook: Did corporate law firms in Texas take the #MeToo movement seriously or did it skip over Texas?
Elizabeth Ramirez-Washka: I believe there were firms that did take the #MeToo movement seriously. However, as with any issue, it became a hot button topic, but only for so long. When people are incensed, they jump on board – until the next big news story. It is up to all of us to ensure issues of inequity, discrimination and bullying stay at the forefront and remain a permanent organizational priority to enable true change. With Covid, rampant issues of racism and discrimination and #MeToo, law firms are being forced to reexamine their efforts to hire and retain attorneys of color.
It is great to see general counsel positions being filled by women and minorities. However, I feel firms and corporations need to do a better job of working with midlevel attorneys to provide professional development, mentorship and promotional opportunities to create an inclusive environment. Law firms must also find a better way to create opportunities for attorneys of color, especially women, to succeed at their firms. The steps they have taken until now have not worked, as is evidence by the fact that the number of women of color at large law firms has not changed in the last 20 years. And it is not just a matter of surviving, but also thriving. Women of color are less likely to be promoted to equity partnership and they often have the lowest compensation among their colleagues. Institutional clients can bridge the gap by demanding that, in exchange for their business, law firms must appoint women of color to serve as the client relationship partner or other visible client-facing roles that will increase their ability to generate work for the firm and for themselves for which they will be rewarded. If we don’t take bold steps now, and unless law firms change their business models, we will be here in another 20 years bemoaning the lack of women of color in prominent roles in law firms.