DLA Piper names lawyers to Leadership Council on Legal Diversity 2021 Fellows and Pathfinders programs
DLA Piper is pleased to announce that the firm has selected partner Jamila Willis to participate in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (LCLD) 2021 Fellows Program and has selected associates Mary Hagedorn and Sarah Thompson Schick to participate in the LCLD 2021 Pathfinders Program.
The Fellows Program aims to identify, train and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession, offering a year-long, in-depth program devoted to relationship-building, in-person training and peer-group projects. Willis, a Restructuring partner and co-chair of the firm’s Consumer Goods and Retail subsector who is based in the New York office, focuses her practice in the area of financial and corporate restructuring and has extensive experience in complex restructurings across a number of industries.
“I am honored to be selected as DLA Piper’s LCLD Fellow for 2021 and excited to be included in LCLD’s transformational programming on leadership within the legal profession,” said Willis. “I’m looking forward to representing the firm within the LCLD community.”
The Pathfinders Program is designed to train high-performing, early-career attorneys in critical career development strategies, including leadership and the building of professional networks. In her practice, Hagedorn handles a wide range of real estate matters, including acquisitions, dispositions, financings and leasing of commercial properties. Thompson Schick advises clients on regulatory matters impacting the life sciences and healthcare industries.
“I am thrilled to be a part of the 2021 LCLD Pathfinders Program. I am grateful to have the opportunity to develop my professional and relationship-building skills with a diverse group of attorneys from across the country,” said Hagedorn.
“I am honored to be selected by DLA Piper for participation in the LCLD Pathfinder Program,” Thompson Schick said. “I look forward to having the opportunity to engage with and learn from peers with various professional backgrounds and experience, in addition to participating in the professional development and leadership programming that will be valuable to my continued growth as a legal professional.”
“Participating in the LCLD Fellows and Pathfinders programs will be an excellent experience for Jamila, Mary and Sarah, who will have the chance to leverage their leadership potential and engage in meaningful personal and professional development,” said Jackie Park, DLA Piper’s co-US managing partner. “We are thrilled to see another fantastic group of diverse DLA Piper lawyers join in this initiative, which offers invaluable leadership training and peer networking opportunities, and we are always proud to support LCLD’s mission of boosting diversity and inclusion in law firms and in-house legal departments.”
Founded in 2009, LCLD is a growing organization of more than 350 members, who serve as either general counsel of major corporations or managing partners of the nation's leading law firms and are personally committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession. The Fellows Program has trained more than 1,600 mid-career attorneys since 2011. The Pathfinder Program has trained nearly 700 early-career attorneys since 2015, catering to junior lawyers in law firms and corporate legal departments who have demonstrated potential to become future leaders in the legal profession.
