The International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) has presented its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Award for 2024 to Melanie Margolin, the Chief Legal Officer at leading global information services provider Clarivate.
Ms. Margolin accepted the award this month at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the IADC, which is the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests.
Created by the IADC’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee, the DEIB Award recognizes persons and organizations that have championed and taken purposeful, tangible actions yielding positive outcomes in achieving diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the legal profession. The award is intended to raise awareness of the value of and need for a diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession.
“The IADC is very pleased to honor Melanie Margolin as the recipient of its 2024 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Award,” said IADC President Donna Lamontagne, who is a founding partner at Lamontagne, Spaulding & Hayes, LLP in Cranston, Rhode Island. “Melanie’s accomplishments and personal journey are inspiring and reflect her deep understanding of the importance of diversity on executive teams. Her belief that diversity is both the right thing to do and a driver of organization success underscores the IADC’s own efforts to continue to raise awareness and inspire others to work to achieve diversity and inclusiveness in the legal profession.”
Ms. Margolin has more than 25 years of experience overseeing legal, risk mitigation, corporate governance and compliance for global publicly listed companies and always provides business-first legal advice when sitting on executive committees. A member of the IADC since 2019, Ms. Margolin has been a trailblazer in promoting diversity and inclusion throughout her career.
While serving as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Wabash National, Inc., an industrial manufacturing and transportation company, Ms. Margolin created a panel of lawyers led by many women and people from diverse backgrounds whom she urged to work collaboratively across multiple firms – demonstrating her commitment to hiring, retaining, and advancing a broad and diverse range of legal professionals internally and externally.
As Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at the venture backed, leading local services marketplace Thumbtack, Inc., Ms. Margolin mentored senior leaders and high-potential employees from under-represented communities across the business. She created a comprehensive leadership development series and a mentorship program that left an indelible mark on the organization. Overall, as a leader in legal practice, her efforts to engage outside law firms committed to diversity and adding directors from marginalized groups to the boards she served to inject new perspectives, illustrate her commitment to driving transformative change.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Ms. Margolin has been heavily involved with professional organizations and nonprofit boards and has contributed significant time and resources to LGBTQ+ organizations. She also is a frequent speaker on diversity, equity, and inclusion at organizations that have included Lesbians Who Tech, DirectWomen, and the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms. She received DRI’s Massaron Award for the Advancement of Women in the Legal Profession for her work fostering positive mentoring relationships and advocating for women in the legal profession.
On behalf of the IADC, Ms. Margolin has been a frequent speaker on DEIB and corporate counsel topics. In addition, she serves on the IADC committees for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging; Corporate Counsel; and In-House and Law Firm Management.
In her current role with Clarivate, Ms. Margolin leads teams that manage the company’s global legal affairs, risk, compliance and sustainability operations. She also is the Executive Sponsor of the Pride Alliance Colleague Resource Group.
About the International Association of Defense Counsel
Based in Chicago, the IADC is the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests. Founded in 1920, the IADC has members who hail from six continents, 47 countries and territories, and all 50 U.S. states. The core purposes of the IADC are to enhance the development of skills, promote professionalism, and facilitate camaraderie among its members and their clients, as well as the broader civil justice community. For more information, visit www.iadclaw.org.