DLA Piper is pleased to announce that the firm has selected partner Poonam Kumar to participate in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity's (LCLD) 2020 Fellows Program and has selected associates Eric Ortiz and Priya Narahari to participate in the LCLD 2020 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. Kumar, a Corporate partner based in the firm’s Minneapolis office, advises clients in a wide variety of complex cross-border transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs, joint ventures and corporate restructurings.

“I am extremely thrilled to be selected as the 2020 Fellow. I look forward to the extraordinary opportunity this year will bring to build relationships and learn about transformational leadership,” said Kumar.

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. Ortiz focuses his practice on advising domestic and international businesses on employment and human resource matters, and he regularly represents employers in complex state and federal employment litigation.Narahari concentrates on patent prosecution and intellectual property due diligence and opinion work.

“I am excited to be part of such an impactful program and look forward to gaining valuable professional skills that will serve me throughout my legal career,” said Ortiz. “I’m thankful to DLA Piper for providing this wonderful opportunity.”

“I am thrilled to be part of the LCLD Pathfinders Program representing DLA Piper,” Narahari said. “This is a very exciting opportunity for me to network and build leadership skills with a diverse group of accomplished peers across the country.”

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Poonam, Eric and Priya to expand their networks and develop their leadership capabilities,” said Fenimore Fisher, DLA Piper’s chief diversity and inclusion officer. “We are proud that our lawyers are participating in this important initiative, which supports the advancement of attorneys who show strong potential for leadership and are committed to fostering diversity within their organizations. As a firm, we recognize the value of developing and retaining diverse and inclusive teams and are thrilled to share in LCLD’s goals.”

“The Fellows and Pathfinders programs will be incredibly valuable experiences for these three attorneys, who will have the chance to develop meaningful relationships and gain new skills that will serve them well throughout their careers,” said Stasia Kelly, the firm’s executive director – client relations and former US managing partner. “At DLA Piper, we believe that we have the responsibility to promote a more diverse and inclusive culture not just at our firm, but throughout the legal profession, and LCLD is continually striving toward that same goal through its many programs and initiatives.”

Founded in 2009, LCLD is a growing organization of more than 320 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who 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.