The College of Law has announced that Lily Yan Hughes has joined the college as assistant dean for career development. In this role, Hughes will lead the implementation of an innovative, comprehensive job placement and career development strategy for law students, including expanding the college’s national network of prospective placements and overseeing its robust externship program. Hughes begins in her position on July 26.
Lily Yan Hughes
“I am thrilled that Lily has joined the College of Law to guide our students toward extraordinary legal careers,” says Craig M. Boise, dean and professor of law. “As a seasoned global C-Suite executive with a track record of successfully hiring and developing legal leaders for more than three decades, Lily will be a tremendous resource for our students and will raise the bar for our Office of Career Services. I am confident that her vast network of colleagues in the field and the College of Law’s own extraordinary alumni will prove a powerful combination for our students.”
“I am excited to join Dean Boise’s team at the College of Law and to help him deliver on his vision for a modern, forward-looking, and effective career services operation for our students. The responsibilities of this position align with my deep experience in legal practice and professional development,” says Hughes. “Coaching lawyers is a passion for me, and I look forward to helping Syracuse Law students fulfill their career aspirations. Moreover, my family has deep roots in Upstate New York, so I am doubly excited to be here.”
As an executive expert in mergers and acquisitions, governance, corporate finance and securities, with experience working for highly regulated financial services companies and banks, real estate operating and development companies and global technology companies, and as a member of the Global Board of Directors of the Association of Corporate Counsel, Hughes brings to the Office of Career Services fresh and timely leadership and global perspectives.
Most recently, Hughes was senior vice president, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary for Arrow Electronics, Inc., a $29 billion, Fortune 150 company. At Arrow, she was a member of the Executive Committee and led the company’s global legal, trade risk, and compliance teams.
From 2015 to 2019, Hughes was senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Public Storage, an S&P 500 and FT Global 500 company. From 1997 to 2015, she served in roles of increasing responsibility, including her last role as vice president and associate general counsel, corporate, mergers and acquisitions and finance of Ingram Micro Inc., the world’s largest wholesale information technology and mobile devices distributor (and a former Fortune 100 company). Prior to that, Hughes was an associate director in the property management department of nationwide leader in cancer treatment and research City of Hope, and a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. She began her legal career as an associate at McKenna, Conner & Cuneo in Los Angeles.
Hughes received the National Diversity Council Power 50 (Women in the C-Suite) award in both 2021 and 2020. She also received American Law Media’s National Women in the Law award as General Counsel of the Year for 2018. Most recently, Agenda—The Financial Times publication focused on board and governance—named Hughes to its Diversity 100 list, a directory of 100 board-ready director candidates from groups historically underrepresented in the boardroom. Hughes also was invited to join the DirectWomen Board Institute program for 2019. She received her J.D. from the UC Berkeley School of Law and holds a B.A. in Political Science from UC Berkeley.
“I am grateful to Bond, Schoeneck & King’s Virginia C. Robbins for her outstanding service as Interim Assistant Dean of Career Services and for providing essential advice during our search. I’m excited to work closely with Lily and our new Director of Externships and Career Services Dafni Kiritsis ’97, who will report to Assistant Dean Hughes,” says Dean Boise.
