Vedder Price is pleased to announce that Shareholder Candice Zee has been named to the 2023 class of Fellows of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). 

The Fellows Program is designed to help attract, inspire and nurture talent within organizations to help a new and more diverse generation of attorneys ascend to positions of leadership. The class of Fellows actively participates in a landmark program to identify, train and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession. 

Former Vedder Price LCLD Fellows include Benjamin O. Williams, Venu V. Talanki, Jeanah Park, David M. Hernandez and Andrew Torre. 

“I am truly honored to represent Vedder Price after so many other talented and worthy colleagues before me have done as well,” said Zee. “I look forward to ongoing collaborations and engagements over the next year and carrying forward the firm’s continued participation in this outstanding program.” 

In addition, Nusra Ismail and Shalyn McKitt were selected to be members of the LCLD’s 2023 class of Pathfinders. This marks the fifth year Vedder Price is participating in the LCLD Pathfinders Program.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Candice, Nusra and Shalyn representing the firm in the LCLD Fellows and Pathfinder Programs this year,” added Andrew Torre, Chair of Vedder Price’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “The firm continues to be strongly committed to proactively pursuing and engaging in D&I efforts, and this is yet another strong example of that.”

This marks the firm’s sixth year partnering with the LCLD, and Vedder Price remains committed to fostering an inclusive environment across every area of the firm.

Founded in 2009, the LCLD has grown to an organization of more than 400 members who serve as either general counsel of major corporations or managing partners of the nation’s leading law firms. United by a spirit of activism and personal commitment, LCLD members participate widely in the programs they’ve created—leading by example, taking action and challenging the legal profession to prepare future generations of diverse talent for the highest positions of leadership. The LCLD Pathfinder Program is designed for diverse, high-potential, early career attorneys at LCLD member organizations. This program aims to provide Pathfinders with practical tools for developing and leveraging internal professional networks, foundational leadership skills and career development strategies applicable to in-house and law firm practice. The program is designed to supplement training initiatives at LCLD member organizations.

The Vedder Price Diversity & Inclusion Committee ensures that efforts to promote and enhance diversity and a culture of inclusiveness remain a priority at Vedder Price. Our Diversity & Inclusion Committee is charged with ensuring our firm reflects the rich diversity of the communities and clients we serve. Vedder Price recognizes that the strength of its commitment to diversity and inclusion is a vital component of a better work environment and the success of our firm. Diversity is one of our core values and is integral to the way we run our firm. We promote and support diversity and inclusion within our firm by recruiting, hiring, retaining, training, developing and advancing a diverse group of attorneys and professional staff based on demonstrated merit and performance. Our commitment manifests itself in developing policies and best practices to promote diversity and inclusion and engage everyone in that endeavor.

To learn more about LCLD or the firm’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, please click here.