LOS ANGELES (October 13, 2016) – Reed Smith LLP today announced that John Iino, the firm’s Los Angeles Office Managing Partner, has been appointed to serve as the firm’s Global Chair, Diversity & Inclusion. In his new role, Iino will continue to build on the work of the late Deborah Broyles, who led the firm’s diversity initiatives until she passed away September 10, 2016.

“As our Global Chair, Diversity & Inclusion, John will represent the firm externally as our chief diversity officer, demonstrating our commitment to diversity and inclusion to the legal community and, even more importantly, to our clients,” said Reed Smith’s Global Managing Partner Sandy Thomas. “John will continue to push us forward, ensuring that we remain a leader in making our profession more diverse and inclusive.”

As Global Chair, Diversity & Inclusion, Iino will be a member of the firm’s Global Leadership Team and an ex-officio member of the firm’s Talent Committee of the Executive Committee. He previously served as global chair of the firm's Business & Finance Department, and chair of the Corporate & Securities Group. In 2010, Iino became the first Asian-American to serve on Reed Smith's Executive Committee and Senior Management Team. He has been recognized on The Power List, highlighting the most influential minority attorneys in the United States, for two consecutive years by Lawyers of Color (2014, 2015), and recently received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the Los Angeles Business Journal's Asian Business Awards (2016). Iino is a frequent speaker and panelist on matters involving corporate law, diversity, law firm management and cross-border transactions.

“I’m honored to carry on the outstanding work of Deborah Broyles,” said Iino. “While the legal profession has made great strides in being more diverse and inclusive, we still have much to do. I am inspired by a message of Dr. Arin Reeves, a leading researcher, author, and advisor in the fields of leadership and inclusion, who, at our last annual business meeting said, ‘Diversity is a statistic; inclusion is change in behavior.’”

About Reed Smith

Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,700 lawyers in 26 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute-resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, entertainment and media, shipping and transport, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, technology, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.

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