Deborah Alley Smith, managing partner, Ken Simon and Mike Vercher attended the annual LCLD (Leadership Council on Legal Diversity) annual meeting in Washington D.C. on September 14-16, 2011. The theme for this year’s meeting was BUILD.
The LCLD was founded in 2009 and has been working to lay the foundation for the programs and initiatives now being launched.
- The LCLD Fellows program, in which more than a hundred diverse mid-level attorneys from Member organizations engage in intensive training and mentorship to prepare them for leadership careers in the law. Mike Vercher is a 2011 LCLD Fellow.
- The 1L Scholars program designed to support diverse, high-potential students during the critical transition from university to law school and beyond.
- Programs designed to improve inclusion levels and retention rates at higher echelons of the profession.
- An analysis of the profession that will add depth to our understanding of what the diversity statistics really mean in the fast-changing world of global corporations and law firms.
The keynote address featured Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey and John Pepper, former CEO at Procter & Gamble, current Chairman of the Walt Disney Company and CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati.
Christian & Small is the only Alabama LCLD firm. Deborah Alley Smith serves on the Talent Development Committee.
