Michelle Banks is a Strategic Advisor at BarkerGilmore specializing in providing executive leadership coaching to women general counsel. For ten years, Michelle was Executive Vice President, Global General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer of apparel retailer Gap Inc. Before joining Gap, she worked as legal counsel for the Golden State Warriors NBA team and in Tokyo as American counsel for Itochu Corporation. Her prior law firm practices with Sheppard Mullin and Morrison & Foerster in California and New York focused on corporate finance and international commercial transactions. 

Michelle co-founded UCLA Law Women LEAD, a network of more than 4,500 women law students and alumnae from her alma mater supporting their leadership, empowerment, advancement, and distinction. She also co-founded Ms. JD’s award-winning LaddHer Up retreat, which pairs women general counsel with women law firm associates for inspiring professional development and mentorship. Michelle served as a Commissioner on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession and she has continued to support their gender equity initiatives since then. 

Michelle has been recognized widely for her professional accomplishments and her dedication to enhancing the careers of other women, including receiving the American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Woman Lawyer of Achievement Award. Michelle co-authored a best-selling anthology Women in Law Discovering the True Meaning of Success chronicling the career journeys of 23 women lawyers and is intended to inspire people to define their own pathways to success in their lives. Proceeds are donated to Ms. JD.