The First 100 Days: A Discussion on DEI with Dear Colleagues

Dwight Draughon is a Partner at Steptoe LLP. He defends corporations and individuals in white-collar criminal cases and government investigations, focusing on matters related to public corruption, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and fraud. He also assists companies in internal investigations and has experience working with clients in the higher education and K–12 industries. In addition to representing clients in white-collar defense and government investigations matters, Dwight helps clients navigate civil litigation cases, particularly those headed to trial. 

Dwight brings a confident and creative approach to his practice, skillfully conducting depositions, client interviews, and meetings with government officials. Clients benefit from his impressive trial experience gained during his four-year tenure as an Assistant US Attorney for the District of Maryland.  

While serving as an Assistant US Attorney, Dwight tried five jury trials, including a seven-day trial with more than 30 witnesses, and secured verdicts in each of them. He also was responsible for investigating and prosecuting cases involving wire, bank, and procurement fraud, public corruption, hate crimes, firearm trafficking, and numerous other federal offenses. He also acted as the US Attorney’s Office civil rights coordinator, investigating criminal violations of civil rights. 

Additionally, Dwight is highly active in pro bono work and serves the firm in various leadership roles, including Hiring Partner and Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee. 

In 2023, Dwight was selected as a member of the National Bar Association’s “40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocate” list. 

Lauren Schoenthaler is Chief General Counsel at University of the Pacific where she oversees the legal affairs of the university in support of its missions and values. She is a direct report to the President and a member of his leadership cabinet. As Pacific’s chief legal officer, she engages collaboratively to move the institution forward fueled by innovation, determination and entrepreneurial thinking. 

Schoenthaler arrived at Pacific in October 2023, after a 22-year career at Stanford University. Over the course of her career at Stanford, she was the lead institutional lawyer for risk management and litigation, copyright, compliance, privacy, student affairs, international issues, libraries and archives and police matters. Schoenthaler was also the inaugural Senior Associate Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Access at Stanford overseeing the civil rights offices of the university and a staff of more than 20.  

Schoenthaler is active in the legal community and speaks regularly on university legal matters ranging from Title IX to copyright. Early in her career, Schoenthaler clerked on both the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Court, Central District for Judge A. Wallace Tashima. She was an associate attorney at (now) Pillsbury Winthrop, and a Deputy District Attorney in Santa Clara County, California. She is a graduate of the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco (JD, magna cum laude), and Northwestern University (BA). A devout college athletics fan, she is excited to cheer on the Pacific Tigers.