Fourteenth Annual Leadership Forum

Chicago Chapter will be meeting in-person at Seyfarth (The Willis Tower) - 233 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 8000 Chicago, IL 60606

NY Chapter will be meeting in-person at a "watch party" held at Hogen Lovells - 390 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017

DC Chapter will be meeting in-person at a "watch party" held at Gibson Dunn - 1050 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036

Michelle Banks is a Senior Advisor at BarkerGilmore specializing in providing executive coaching to women general counsel. She also leads professional development workshops, and gives keynote speeches. Michelle co-founded UCLA Law Women LEAD, a network of more than 3,800 women law students and alumnae at her alma mater. Michelle serves as a member of the board of directors of DirectWomen, a nonprofit whose mission is to increase the representation of women lawyers on the boards of directors of major companies. She also sits on the women’s leadership board at Orrick law firm, and annually chairs the LaddHer Up retreat for Ms.JD.

For ten years, Michelle was Executive Vice President, Global General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer of apparel retailer Gap Inc. (Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta). During her 17 year tenure at Gap Inc., Michelle led the Company’s global equity, foundation, franchise services, governance, government affairs & public policy, integrity, legal, privacy, and sustainability functions. Before joining Gap Inc., Michelle worked as legal counsel for the Golden State Warriors NBA team and in Tokyo as American counsel for Itochu Corporation, one of the largest Japanese trading companies. Her prior law firm practice with Sheppard Mullin and Morrison & Foerster in California and New York focused on corporate finance and international commercial transactions.

Michelle has been recognized as a Legend in Law by the Burton Foundation, a Distinguished General Counsel by the Directors Roundtable, a Top General Counsel to Watch by Corporate Board Member, a Corporate Counsel Innovator by the Financial Times, an Influential Woman in Bay Area Business and a Corporate Counsel Diversity Champion by the San Francisco Business Times, a Most Powerful and Influential Woman by California Diversity Council, and a Woman of Achievement by Legal Momentum. Santa Clara University Law School presented her with their Social Justice and Human Rights award in 2014 and UCLA Law School named her 2016 Alumni of the Year for Professional Achievement. In 2019, Michelle received the American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Woman Lawyer of Achievement award for her professional accomplishments and her dedication to enhancing the careers of other women lawyers.

In 2022, Michelle co-authored a best-selling anthology Women in Law Discovering the True Meaning of Success, which is available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, bookshop.org, and other book sellers. Women in Law chronicles the career journeys of 23 women lawyers and is intended to inspire and empower people to define their own pathways to success in their lives. Proceeds are being donated to nonprofit Ms. JD.