Donatella leads all aspects of the human resources function for Lowenstein Sandler, which include recruiting, benefits, training and development, compliance, employee relations, and retention. She oversees the firm's talent management initiatives and serves as a strategic partner to firm leadership. Working closely with firm leadership, Donatella develops and implements strategies, programs and processes that support the recruitment, development and advancement of professionals at all levels.
Appointed Chief Human Resources Officer in 2016, Donatella previously served as the firm's Director of Human Resources. As a leader in the firm's strategic planning process, Donatella plays a pivotal role in organizational initiatives that connect individual, team, and business needs. She also builds upon the firm's strong commitment to diversity and works on many fronts to ensure that individuals and employee resources groups, such as the Lowenstein Sandler Women’s Initiative Network and Women’s Enrichment Initiative, the LGBTQ Alliance, and many more, continue to thrive.
Donatella has over 15 years of experience in human resources. She began her career at Lowenstein working with the firm's former employment law practice Chair, where she gained valuable insights into HR policy and procedure. After a short stint establishing the HR function at a local New Jersey firm, she returned to Lowenstein's human resources department. Donatella is an active speaker and member of the Association of Legal Administrators, NY Chapter and the National Association of Legal and the National Association of Law Placement (NALP) and a member of the Society for Human Resource Management’s Executive level group. She holds a B.A. in English from Montclair State University, and multiple HR-related certifications as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (HRCI) and Senior Certified Professional (SHRM), as well as a certification from Harvard’s Law School Executive Education Program in Leadership in Law Firms and certifications in Secondary Education and Paralegal Studies.
AFFILIATIONS
> Member, National Association for Law Placement
> Co-Chair (2022-2024) to the National Association for Law Placement, Inc. (NALP) Legal Employer Chief Interest Group
> Member, Association of Legal Administrators, NYC Chapter
> Member, Thomson Reuters Institute - Chief Talent Officer Insights Council
NEWS & INSIGHTS
Firm News
> October 25, 2021
"Lowenstein Pioneers the Workplace of the Future, With Innovations in Benefits, Wellness, Diversity Initiatives, and Office Design"
> August 23, 2021
"Lowenstein Sandler Named to Crain’s List of Best Places to Work in New York City for Fourth Year in a Row"
> June 23, 2021
"For Tenth Consecutive Year, NJBIZ Names Lowenstein a Best Place to Work in New Jersey"
> October 5, 2020
"Lowenstein Sandler Named to Crain’s List of 2020 Best Places to Work in New York City"
> September 8, 2020
"Working Mother Names Lowenstein Sandler One of the “Best Law Firms for Women” for Eighth Time"
> March 2, 2020
"Lowenstein Named an NJBIZ 2020 Best Place to Work in New Jersey for Ninth Year in a Row"
> January 21, 2020
"For the Fourth Year in a Row, Lowenstein Sandler Earns 100 Percent on Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 18th Annual Scorecard on LGBTQ Workplace Equality "
> December 9, 2019
"Lowenstein Sandler Named to Crain’s List of 2019 Best Places to Work in New York City"
> October 1, 2019
"Lowenstein Joins ABA Pledge to Improve Lawyers’ Mental Health and Well-Being"
> July 16, 2019
"Working Mother Again Honors Lowenstein Sandler as One of the 'Best Law Firms for Women'"
In the Media
> November 8, 2021
Law360 describes Lowenstein’s expanded benefits package, which now extends coverage for fertility, adoption, and surrogacy services to a wider group of employees. "We'd like people to be able to access all of these benefits equally," says Donatella Verrico, Chief Human Resources Officer. "We're trying to attract and retain talent at whatever point they are in their lives.” In addition to being central to the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, enhanced benefits “are just once piece about how we've been thinking of bringing people back to the office," she says, noting the firm’s new employee resource groups and office renovations to maximize comfort and air circulation. (subscription required to access article)
> March 26, 2018
Thomson Reuters’s Legal Executive Institute engages in a Q&A with Donatella Verrico, Lowenstein’s Chief Human Resources Officer, on creating and implementing a law firm talent strategy that aligns with a firm’s immediate and long-term business goals.
> January 24, 2017
In SHRM, Chief Human Resources Officer Donatella Verrico discusses generational differences in the workplace, noting: “Having a baseline knowledge of the generalities presented by the different generations is helpful… HR professionals [should] use knowledge of the characteristics ascribed to each generation to meet each worker halfway."
> May 12, 2017
Lowenstein’s Chief Human Resources Officer Donatella Verrico comments on offering attorneys flextime in Law.com, saying: “The bigger the firm, it's almost like you have to. It's about staying competitive."
> July 7, 2017
Donatella Verrico, the firm’s Chief Human Resources Officer, talks to Law.com about rising salaries for summer associates. She says that in a changing legal market, “summer recruiting remains an effective way for firms to approach the challenging task of attracting what [we] see as the top of the class.”
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