Hunton Insurance Recovery Blog

Special counsel Lorelie (Lorie) Masters was recently appointed as the chair of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession. Established in 1987, the Commission was created to assess the status of women in the legal sector and remove barriers to their professional advancement. As chair, Lorie will lead a 12-member roster of commissioners, and a panel of special advisers, dedicated to ensuring equal participation and systemic equity for women lawyers across the justice system and pursuing various studies to identify issues uniquely facing women in the profession, including disparate treatment, training and recruitment, parenting, and other issues. Most recently, the Commission in late July 2026 issued a groundbreaking study about issues affecting the mental health and well-being of women lawyers.

A nationally recognized insurance coverage litigator and renowned author of Insurance Coverage Litigation and Liability Insurance in International Arbitration: The Bermuda Form, the seminal work on the issue of Bermuda Form arbitration, Lorie previously served as a commissioner on the Commission from 2009 to 2012, co-chairing its Women of Color Research Initiative. The Initiative under Lorie’s leadership issued its national survey and study entitled Visible Invisibility: Women of Color in Fortune 500 Legal Departments. Among her many roles supporting the legal community, Lorie served on the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association (ABA) and as the treasurer of the DC Bar Foundation, the largest funder of legal services in the DC area. She is very proud of her service in 2007 to 2008 as president of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia (WBA) and her role in the founding of the American College of Coverage Counsel, where she served as its second president in 2013 to 2014. In addition, Lorie served as national policyholder chair of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee of the ABA Section of Litigation from 2000 to 2003 and is currently a delegate to the ABA House of Delegates representing the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.

“Lorie has been a fearless advocate for women in the legal profession throughout her career, particularly for women and people of color,” said Hunton insurance coverage partner and national policyholder co-chair of the ABA Section of Litigation’s Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Latosha Ellis. “Her appointment is a natural fit and a testament to the leadership, integrity, and commitment to equality that she brings to everything she does. We are extremely proud of Lorie and her ongoing work in this important role.”