Alston & Bird’s Los Angeles office hosted its 12th Annual “Women of Distinction” Awards celebrating women across Southern California who have demonstrated excellence, leadership and integrity in their fields and in the community and who have served as role models for other successful women.
The event took place March 24, 2016, and was attended by more than 65 clients, colleagues, friends and other guests.
“Women can't be what they don't see, which is why we celebrate women leaders and the inspiration they provide as role models to others,” said Thomas Wingard, Alston & Bird partner-in-charge of the firm’s Los Angeles office.
The awards are part of Alston & Bird’s Women’s Initiative, a firmwide program that supports women and helps them build strong networks, both within the firm and with the broader community. In 2015, Fortune magazine ranked Alston & Bird No. 4 among the country’s “Top 10 Best Companies for Women,” owing to the firm’s wide array of resources to enable and empower women to thrive in their careers.
The honorees for this year’s Women of Distinction Awards are:
- Melody Pickett, General Counsel and Vice President, Flatiron Construction Corp.: Pickett is responsible for advising Flatiron on all legal matters, project pursuits, ethics and compliance and company strategic initiatives, including new business ventures and acquisitions. She has more than 28 years of legal experience in the areas of real estate, construction and general corporate law. In addition to her roles at Flatiron, Pickett serves on the board of the international charitable organization Bridges to Prosperity and has supported the building of 40 footbridges in rural areas of the world so far in 2016 and will soon travel to Nicaragua to celebrate the 200th Bridges to Prosperity bridge.
- Janet S. Combs, Director and Managing Attorney, Southern California Edison: Combs has practiced regulatory litigation and transaction law at Southern California Edison for more than 13 years. In recognition of her achievements, she was honored with the company’s “Edison International Chairman’s Award” for outstanding performance in 2009. Combs has also been recognized for her extensive pro bono work, which includes serving as a board member for the Inner City Law Center, in addition to working with Public Counsel, Bet Tzedek and Disability Rights Legal Center, among others. In 2006, the State Bar of California awarded her the “Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services,” and in 2008, she received the “Angel Award” from California Lawyer magazine in recognition of her pro bono work.
- The Joyful Heart Foundation: Special recognition this year goes to Joyful Heart, a national organization whose mission is to “heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.” Since its inception in 2004, the foundation has raised more than $27 million in support of its mission and directly served more than 15,000 survivors.