The Lewis Brisbois Women’s Initiative was founded in 2009. Its purpose has been to augment the firm’s longstanding commitment to inclusion by identifying, elevating and thereby retaining female talent. We add our firm’s collective voice on women’s workplace issues to the voices of our clients, prospective clients, and communities-at-large in which we work and live.
The mission of the Initiative is to provide a collaborative environment by which unique professional opportunities are identified and pursued. The Initiative offers workshops, events, mentoring programs, and a foundational approach to open, productive communication with both women and men, all of which is dedicated to developing and providing professional and leadership opportunities for our female attorneys and staff. As a result, an increasing number of our female attorneys are at the forefront of the firm’s presence within the legal community nationwide, as well as the firm’s management.
The success of the Initiative’s efforts to cultivate and foster the growth and development of our female attorneys and staff is evidenced both by the number of female partners within the firm, and the number of women holding management and C-suite positions, including those as General Counsel, Management Committee members, Managing and Administrative Partners, Executive Marketing Committee Chairs, Chief Business Officer and Chief Administrative Officer.
Lewis Brisbois Celebrates Women's History Month 2025
Meet Our 2025 Women’s Initiative Co-Chairs!
Lewis Brisbois is pleased to announce our 2025 Women’s Initiative co-Chairs.
New York Partner Cristina Yannucci and Providence Managing Partner Lauren Motola-Davis will return for another term as the co-Chairs of the Women’s Initiative. In addition, the Women’s Initiative is delighted to introduce its newly appointed co-Chair, Northwest Indiana Managing Partner Renee J. Mortimer.
Both returning co-Chairs expressed their passion and enthusiasm to continue their work.
In discussing the renewal of her co-Chair role and upcoming plans for the Women’s Initiative, Cristina Yannucci commented, “Heading into my second year as co-Chair of our Women’s Initiative, I am inspired by and grateful for the work we have done together. I am motivated by our achievements of 2024 and have eagerly started implementing our plans for 2025—growing our mentoring program, developing new and robust initiatives, and broadening our reach. Together, we lift as we rise, standing strong upon our growing platform to support women across the firm.”
“Being a co-Chair for the Women’s Initiative has been a very fulfilling experience, and I am grateful to be able to continue serving in this role,” said Lauren. “As a dedicated yoga practitioner, I am reminded of the importance of balance, persistence, and mindfulness—principles that also guide our efforts in the Women’s Initiative. I am eager to work alongside Cristina and Renee to foster an environment where women attorneys feel empowered, supported, and equipped to reach their full potential.”
Additionally, Renee Mortimer conveyed her excitement regarding her new role and responsibilities.
“I am incredibly honored to serve as the new Women’s Initiative co-Chair alongside Cristina and Lauren. It truly is a privilege to build upon the significant work of my predecessors and to contribute to this strong, inspiring group of women attorneys,” declared Renee. “Cristina, Lauren, and I have already begun discussing the improvement of our current initiatives and the implementation for our future programming. We're committed to creating a community that actively embraces and embodies our firm's culture of inclusion and respect.”
Renee Mortimer is the managing partner of the Northwest Indiana and Indianapolis offices of Lewis Brisbois, a vice-chair of the General Liability Practice, and a member of the Transportation Practice. She defends clients against large and excess personal injury and property damage claims in state and federal courts in Indiana and Illinois. As a member of our 24/7 Rapid Response Team, she handles matters concerning major trucking accidents, including managing incidents on-scene. Ms. Mortimer has tried these types of cases to verdict in both Illinois and Indiana.
Lauren Motola-Davis is the managing partner of the Providence office of Lewis Brisbois and a co-Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Practice. Lauren has decades of trial practice and civil litigation experience representing insurance companies, insureds, and self-insureds in a broad range of subject matters including admiralty, employment discrimination, personal injury, and workers’ compensation matters. She has handled hundreds of trials and depositions of expert witnesses in workers’ compensation matters, and she has argued successfully before the Rhode Island Supreme Court several times.
Cristina Yannucci is a national co-Chair of Lewis Brisbois' Professional Liability Practice. Her practice focuses on complex, high-profile professional liability litigation, including claims against attorneys, accountants, appraisers, real estate agents and brokers, title companies, real estate managers, insurance agents and brokers, and directors and officers. She also represents public entities and their employees in high-exposure professional liability litigation. Cristina serves as National Coordinating Counsel for several major insurer clients and directs the assignment of hundreds of professional liability matters nationwide. Her litigation management and client service have made Cristina a leader at our firm.
Lewis Brisbois' Women’s Initiative Mentoring Program
Since its commencement in May 2024, the formal establishment of the Women’s Initiative Mentoring Program elicited an exceptional response from its participants. Following a comprehensive survey, the new initiative garnered an impressive enrollment of over 135 attorneys, encompassing roles as mentees, mentors, or both.
Under the leadership of the Mentoring subcommittee—comprised of Meghan Cavalieri, Heather Jensen, Florence McClain, Meredith Stoma, Christine Tenley, and Cristina Yannucci—mentors and mentees were paired in alignment with the feedback gleaned from the survey. In mid-May of 2024, the Mentoring Program hosted its first introductory call with program participants. This call showcased the enthusiasm and commitment of our participants, providing a solid foundation for the success that this program has since achieved.
Today, the Women’s Initiative’s commitment to this program remains strong, as we prioritize the provision of continuous support and engagement. As a baseline, the Women’s Initiative offers quarterly check-ins, a 6 month-mark survey, and various webinars. The quarterly check-ins are scheduled meetings for mentees and mentors, and they allow for participants to openly discuss their experiences and share advice in a safe environment. At the sixth-month mark, the Women’s Initiative releases a survey through which individuals will have the opportunity to provide feedback. In addition, the Women’s Initiative Committee hosts multiple webinars throughout the year.
As one of its core values, the Women’s Initiative Mentoring Program will always provide ample support, opportunities, and a safe community for all members of our firm. Mentor-mentee matches are made on a rolling, ongoing basis, so Lewis Brisbois attorneys should reach out to the Mentoring Subcommittee if interested.