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By the time Modern Counsel spoke with Lisa M. Kpor, litigation counsel at United Airlines, the attorney had already been on two separate networking calls that morning, advocating for the professionals she mentors and reaching back to those following in her footsteps. Such discussions aren’t new to her. Kpor has been filled with the desire to provide guidance, mentorship, and advice to the next generation of lawyers since the very beginning of her career.
“Giving back has never seemed like an option to me,” Kpor says. She describes how her humble upbringing and unconventional path to a rewarding legal career ignited her spark to give back and mentor others across the nation. The litigation expert personally understands the challenges that can confront law students and young lawyers who are not born into or surrounded by a network of professionals at an early age.
Kpor grew up in Newport News, Virginia, in a part of the city that was plagued with poverty, gun violence, and gangs. She was raised by a single mother in low-income housing, and, as a child, she yearned for the chance to become a successful attorney. Mentorship, pipeline programs, her supportive family, and unending hard work helped Kpor’s childhood dream become a reality.
Her first glimpse into the world of business professionals came when Kpor served as a summer intern during high school at the Newport News Department of Social Services. Her internship was a part of a federally funded program under the Workforce Investment Act. Kpor has fond memories of learning office etiquette, alphabetizing disheveled files, and donning fashionable hand-me-downs from a family friend during that internship.
After graduating from high school, Kpor took a leap from the East Coast to the Midwest by attending Oberlin College where she majored in Politics and German. It was at Oberlin College that she became a Sidley Pre-Law Scholar, which made LSAT prep classes and law school applications much more affordable for her. Years later, while studying at the University of Illinois College of Law, Kpor secured a summer associate position at Holland & Knight through the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity’s 1L Scholars program.
Kpor ultimately went on to practice litigation and entertainment law for nearly nine years at Holland & Knight, representing Fortune 500 companies, Grammy Award-winning musicians, closely held businesses, financial institutions, and pro bono clients. During her time in private practice, Kpor was mentored by attorneys from coast to coast, and she currently has a mentor at United. Although Kpor is confident that she would have been an attorney without the benefit of pipeline programs and a sea of mentors, she expresses immense gratitude for those who helped her along the way by paying it forward.
“We are in a unique position to have a transformative impact on the next generation of people who will practice law.”
Lisa M. Kpor
Kpor is a member of the Chicago Leadership Council for The Posse Foundation, a nonprofit organization that identifies students with extraordinary potential and pairs them with full-tuition leadership scholarships. She also mentors law students and young lawyers through the Federal Bar Association’s Lift Up Leaders Mentorship program, and she previously mentored students through The Posse Foundation and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Mentoring program.
In addition to mentoring people through formal channels, Kpor informally mentors young lawyers and students of all ages who reach out to her seeking insight about career transitions, the practice of law generally, and ways to enhance their job searches.
Kpor says she has provided feedback on so many résumés that she has long lost count. She’s helped mentees prepare for interviews, maximize their usage of LinkedIn, and navigate career transitions from private practice to in-house counsel roles. She even recently signed up to mentor one of United Airlines’ summer interns. Kpor manages to serve as a mentor and role model to an incalculable number of aspiring lawyers, all while overseeing numerous legal disputes for one of the world’s largest airlines.
So, what would she say to encourage other legal practitioners to offer this kind of guidance and mentorship? Kpor closes her eyes when posed this question, searching deeply for an effective, impactful response.
“Every lawyer in our profession has the privilege to practice law,” Kpor says. “We are in a unique position to have a transformative impact on the next generation of people who will practice law. Whether we take the opportunity or forfeit it is based on decisions we will encounter on a daily basis. We are all busy, but I encourage lawyers to start with thirty minutes a month. Act as a mentor to a law student or young lawyer. Sign up to participate in a mentorship program. Collectively, there is so much we can do to help move our industry forward.”
With such a generous heart and commitment to mentor others, it’s no wonder that Kpor landed at United Airlines, where “Good Leads the Way.”
“Lisa brings years of invaluable experience to her role at United Airlines, providing a fresh perspective to complex issues. She is dedicated, thoughtful and creative in her approach, and our team looks forward to working with her.”
–Telly Andrews, Partner
