The fourth and final installment of DRI’s Multi-Year Diversity Initiative took place during the 2025 DRI Asbestos Medicine Seminar, November 12-14, 2025, in Tampa.

As in previous years, I co-moderated a panel discussion with Mahsa Kashani Tippins of DCo LLC in Tampa. This year’s focus was on the LGBTQIA+ legal experience. In previous years, sessions have been devoted to the experiences, challenges and perspectives of attorneys in the Black, Asian, and Hispanic communities.

This year’s panel featured Michael Silverman of Goldberg Segalla in New York; Raymond Rushin of Cummins Inc. in Chicago; and Kerryann M. Cook of The Cook Group in New York. Together, they tackled a range of topics, such as being authentic in one’s identity while successfully navigating career; the role of mentorship; experiences with microaggressions; advice for younger LGBTQIA+ attorneys; and their vision of what a truly inclusive legal profession looks like — and how we get there.

I am very proud to have been a part of this initiative by DRI from the beginning, and I commend the organization for its commitment: to deepen its approach to diversity and inclusion. You can learn more about the origin of the series here.

This year’s panel was very well received. Afterwards, we had multiple requests to continue the series. Every year, the panelists report that it was a rewarding experience for them to share their stories, insights, and reflections.

I wish to thank all of the panelists over the years for having the courage to engage in these open conversations. I also am deeply grateful to Mahsa for joining me in this endeavor to create space for dialogue on sensitive subject matters. From our prep sessions designed to build trust across the panel, to the actual presentations, and our reflection after — it was a humbling, yet rewarding, experience to be a co-moderator.

As Mahsa said to conclude the series: “What we’ve learned is simple, but powerful: diversity is not policy, it’s a pulse. It’s the rhythm of people showing up as themselves, contributing their stories, their humor, their grit, and reminding us that every room is richer when it’s filled with different voices.”

KCIC was also a sponsor of the 2025 DRI Asbestos Medicine Seminar. Members of our team spoke on the opening panel about litigation filing trends and during a short standalone segment on leveraging data. I was so proud of the expertise we demonstrated and the information we shared — information, as always, intended to assist our partners in the legal profession. All of us at KCIC are very grateful for that partnership. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.