RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) announced this week that a record 227 attorneys have been tapped for the 2016 class of Fellows, an honor reserved for selected, rising attorneys at LCLD member firms and corporate legal departments.
“We are incredibly excited about the number of diverse attorneys who are joining the LCLD Fellows program and about the quality of these individuals as well,” said Brad Smith, Chair of the LCLD Board and President of Microsoft Corp.
“There are now 1,027 Fellows in this ground-breaking program,” said Smith. “And each one of them benefits tremendously from this career development initiative. At the same time, they strengthen the profession itself, bringing fresh, dynamic perspectives to their own organizations.”
“The LCLD Fellows program provides a unique combination of career advancement, professional brand building, and the development of a national network of relationships that will serve Fellows throughout their careers,” said Robert J. Grey, Jr., President of LCLD.
“It is truly a great honor for them to be selected for the Fellows program,” he said. “It’s both a recognition of their value and a challenge to them to reach their full potential.”
Since its founding in 2009, LCLD has launched a series of innovative and interconnected programs. These include a national mentoring initiative serving more than 2,000 mentors and mentees, a 1L Scholars program involving more than 200 first- year law students, and a “Pathfinder” program (new in 2016) for associates and early-career attorneys in corporate legal departments.
The Fellows program was the first initiative to be created by LCLD. The Fellows’ year includes meetings at LCLD Member corporations for “Learning Experiences,” small-group “Leadership Lunches” with General Counsel, and training and networking events.
LCLD Fellows remain active beyond their initial year, through participation in the Fellows Alumni program.
The Fellows program is guided at the LCLD Board level by Deborah Majoras, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, Procter & Gamble; and by Gary Sasso, President and CEO, Carlton Fields Jorden Burt.
For more information on LCLD, contact LCLD Communications Director Don Belt at dbelt@lcldnet.org or visit: www.lcldnet.org.
