Background
Raised in Kansas City, MO, Lee spent time up and down the eastern coast of the US before settling in Miami in 2007. Now a partner at Hunton & Williams, Lee grew up in a family that stressed the importance of community service and earned the rank of Eagle Scout within the Boy Scout organization. “My parents were always invested in the community, serving as active members in their church, and mentoring kids and young adults,” says Lee. “The value of community service was further solidified in high school when I attended an all-boys Jesuit school where we were taught to be ‘Men for Others.’” Building on that foundation, Lee currently serves as President of the Board of Trustees for AMIkids Miami-Dade as well as chair elect of the LCLD Fellows Alumni Executive Council.
About AMIkids Miami-Dade
A national, non-profit leader in providing kids with a troubled past the guidance and support they need to discover their potential, strengthen their community, and make a lasting impact on generations to come, AMIkids’ unique combination of education, behavior modification, and treatment in a family atmosphere help children with a troubled past turn their lives around to become productive citizens. Lee became involved with the organization in 2010, after his wife attended a fundraiser and encouraged Lee to visit the campus. “After meeting the kids, and seeing the work the organization was doing, I was hooked,” he says. “For many kids, they have never had anyone invested in their academic, social, or professional success. Once the kids see how much potential they have, they make personal investments to maximize their potential and become outstanding citizens.”
An Investment in the Future
Not just set on providing immediate assistance to the children in their program, AMIkids follows through to make sure their kids stay on the right path, even providing assistance to for college to those who complete the program. In addition to the caring and dedicated staff, Lee says volunteers are a key element to ensuring success. “The kids really grow and prosper when they have mentors that help them explore educational and career interests,” says Lee. “And the BOD is always looking for new members that are interested in helping the program prosper for years to come.”
The Push for Diversity
Along with his work on the Board of AMIkids, Lee uses his career success to encourage others to join the legal profession. As chair elect of the LCLD Fellows Alumni Executive Council, Lee works to ensure that the LCLD supports the alumni as they progress in their careers and that the alumni encourage diverse attorneys to pursue careers in law. “Unfortunately, the legal profession has lagged behind other fields in terms of diversity,” he says. “While there have been many attempts to solve this problem, I think that LCLD has done something unique by creating its Fellows program. Fellows are selected by member organizations’ managing partners or general counsels, so you have a group of high-potential attorneys from diverse backgrounds that are being given the tools to place them on the path to leadership of their organizations.”
AMIkids (amikids.org)
Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (lcdnet.org)