Donise Brown, Corporate Counsel for Starbucks, to Keynote at National Black Pre-Law Conference

HOUSTON - Aug. 10, 2013 - PRLog -- The National Black Pre-Law Admissions & Preparation Conference and Law School Recruitment Fair is the nation’s premier information-sharing and networking empowerment event focused on encouraging the success of aspiring Black lawyers.  This comprehensive conference is designed to help Black pre-law students become more excellent, competitive and strategic law school applicants and law students.  Through workshop sessions and panel discussions, law school administrators, law students, lawyers, law professors and judges share critical information about what it really takes to get into law school, pay for law school and manage student loan debt, make the most of the entire law school experience, and compete for a job or create one’s own career opportunities after becoming a lawyer.  They also directly address the unique challenges faced by African Americans in law school and in the legal profession.

Just as importantly, another major component of the event is to provide real life positive role models of extremely accomplished African American lawyers who are willing to share their personal stories of how they have beaten the odds to achieve success.  These attorneys must also demonstrate a true desire to both increase the pipeline of minority lawyers and make a true impact in their communities.  In keeping with this goal, the conference is excited to announce that Attorney Donise E. Brown, a Director-Corporate Counsel for Starbucks Coffee Company, the world’s largest coffeehouse company, will serve as a featured keynote speaker at this year’s event.

As a Director-Corporate Counsel for the Company's Legal & Corporate Affairs Department (L&CA), Ms. Brown is responsible for providing legal support for all of Starbucks’ real estate matters in the Mid-Atlantic, Florida, and Southeast Regions. In addition to providing legal services for Starbucks, she served as a member and co-chair of the L&CA Diversity Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the surveying and review of its outside counsel annually to ensure that the firms retained by Starbucks reflect a commitment to diversity.  She is also a member of the Pro Bono Committee.

Prior to joining Starbucks Coffee Company, Attorney Brown served as Chief Counsel for Cell Siting and Land Use and Assistant Secretary for AT&T Wireless.  She has also worked as a Principal Attorney for Florida Power & Light Company, Corporate Counsel for The Greyhound Corporation, and as an associate for Winston & Strawn, LLP.

Some of her professional and community affiliations include the American Bar Association, National Bar Association, Arizona Bar Association, Florida Bar Association, Corporate Counsel Women of Color, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, Association of Corporate Counsel, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

Ms. Brown is a graduate of Howard University School of Law. She received her Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees, cum laude, from Tuskegee University.

Meet Attorney Brown at the Ninth Annual National Black Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair 2013, which will be held on Friday, November 15, 2013 to Saturday, November 16, 2013 at The Westin Houston, Memorial City in Houston, Texas.  Registration is now open for this groundbreaking “must attend” event.  High school students, college students, college graduates, working professionals, career changers, pre-law, career, and diversity/multicultural advisors, mentors, and parents are all encouraged to come out and take advantage of all of the wonderful opportunities this important and greatly-needed conference offers.  This world-class event is offered free of charge.

For more information, please visit the official conference website at www.BlackPreLawConference.com. You may also call 281-247-4026 or 281-944-LAW4, or send an e-mail to info@blackprelawconference.com.