Bell Nunnally has been named a “Compass Award” winner by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) – an organization comprised of more than 350 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners dedicated to building a more open and diverse legal profession.
“The Compass Award is very meaningful for us as a firm because it recognizes that our membership with the LCLD isn’t a ‘box-checking’ exercise. Our goal is to align our diversity, equity and inclusion words with our actions, and this organization offers us both education and service opportunities,” said Christopher B. Trowbridge, managing partner of Bell Nunnally. “We’re grateful to LCLD for its leadership and vision on the important issue of diversity in the legal industry and are always looking for ways to further our support and expand our involvement.”
The Compass Award recognizes individuals and organizations that fulfill the following requirements in a single calendar year:
- Member attendance at the 2020 LCLD Annual Membership Meeting and/or Member attendance at a 2021 Leadership Summit and/or submission of a Leader’s Pledge.
- Participation in the LCLD Fellows and Pathfinder Programs.
- Participation in an LCLD Pipeline program (the 1L Scholars program or the Success in Law School Mentoring Program).
Bell Nunnally has been an active member of the LCLD since 2016. During this time, six firm “Fellows” have been nominated and 11 “Pathfinders” have been selected. For 2021, Associate Sydnie A. Shimkus is currently matriculating through the Pathfinders program.
A participant in this year’s LCLD “Leadership Summit,” Bell Nunnally has also provided mentors for LCLD’s “Success in Law School Mentoring Program.”
In addition to its active LCLD participation, Bell Nunnally has a longstanding and empowered Diversity and Inclusion Committee, dedicated to promoting a more diverse and inclusive culture, in which appreciation and respect for individual differences informs every aspect of the firm. The firm has signed the “Texas Competes” pledge and is in its fourth year as “Presenting Sponsor” for the Dallas Business Journal’s “Leaders in Diversity.”