Squire Patton Boggs has announced its selection for the 2018 Class of Fellows and Pathfinders, who will participate in programs created by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). Miami partner Pedro H. Hernández has been named a Fellow, with New York associate Nikhita P. Godiwala and Washington DC associate Brandon C. Román chosen as Pathfinders. Los Angeles partner Helen H. Yang, who was a 2017 LCLD Fellow, will serve as the Pathfinder Facilitator.
The LCLD’s landmark Fellows Program works by identifying high-potential lawyers from diverse backgrounds and empowering them with the necessary relationship and networking skills to advance as the next generation of leaders in the legal profession. Mr. Hernández specializes in representing clients in public finance matters with particular emphasis on bond issues in the state of Florida and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Most recently, he was named to the 2017 Class of Rising Stars by leading bond industry publication The Bond Buyer, and has been recognized twice as “Dealmaker of the Year” by Florida’s legal publication Daily Business Review in 2012 and 2015.
Three years ago, the LCLD introduced its Pathfinder Program, which is designed to train early career lawyers in critical career development strategies, including leadership, the building of a professional network and an understanding of skills that can be applied to both in-house and law firm practice. Ms. Godiwala counsels clients on corporate transactions and matters of corporate governance. Her practice focuses on domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, securities matters, corporate governance, venture capital and private equity matters, and general business matters. Mr. Román advises a wide array of domestic and international clients, including banks, non-bank financial institutions, financial market utilities, trade associations and multinational corporations, on a variety of financial services and tax issues.
As a Pathfinder Facilitator, Ms. Yang will play an essential role to the 2018 Pathfinders and serve as a mentor and resource from a logistical, experiential and cultural perspective. Ms. Yang focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation in both state and federal courts. She handles an extensive variety of cases, including environmental toxic tort litigation, business contractual disputes, product liability, real estate and intellectual property matters. Since 2012, Ms. Yang has been selected as a Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star in a survey conducted by Thomson Reuters, a distinction honoring the top up-and-coming lawyers in the region.
Since 2013, Squire Patton Boggs has participated in LCLD’s leadership programs. The class of 2017 included Ms. Yang, Fellow; Miami associate Beatriz E. Jaramillo and Phoenix associate Andrew X. Yocopis, Pathfinders; and Columbus partner Traci L. Martinez, Pathfinder Facilitator.
Founded in 2009, LCLD is a growing organization of more than 285 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners, who are personally committed to creating a truly diverse legal profession. The LCLD Pathfinder Program is now in its third year as a full-scale program, having been piloted in 2015 among a select number of LCLD member law firms and corporations. It is an initiative that has filled a gap in LCLD programming, targeting junior associates and the youngest members of corporate law departments. For information, visit the LCLD website.
