Brad Smith, executive vice president and general counsel of Microsoft Corp., has been named chair-elect of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). Founded in 2009, the organization—which boasts a membership of about 200 corporate legal officers and law firm managing partners—focuses on developing strategies to increase diversity in the legal profession.
In addition to Smith’s appointment as chair-elect, Wally Martinez, managing partner at Hunton & Williams, will become the LCLD’s chair. He assumes the role from General Mills GC Rick Palmore, who has been leading the organization since it was founded three years ago.
"I am excited about assuming the role as chair of this very dynamic organization," Martinez said in a statement. “Even though it's only three years old, LCLD has accomplished a lot already. I'm eager to work with the other members of the board of directors to keep up this momentum."
Additionally, the LCLD announced it was launching a new Strategy & Innovation Committee, in which Smith will serve as chair. "The new Strategy & Innovation Committee will be responsible for scanning the horizon, both for identifying challenging issues to confront and for encouraging practices to replicate," the organization’s executive director Robert J. Grey Jr. said in a statement.
Read more about the LCLD’s latest announcements on CNBC.
To find more information about increasing diversity in the legal profession, visit InsideCounsel’s Transformative Leadership site.
