January 20, 2015, USA – Reed Smith LLP today announced Philadelphia senior associate Nipun J. Patel as its 2015 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow.

“As a co-founder of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Reed Smith is proud to have Nipun represent us in the 2015 LCLD Fellowship cadre,” said Sandy Thomas, the firm’s Global Managing Partner. “I am confident that this opportunity will be transformative, affording him close contact with some of the most capable and diverse leaders in our profession. With hundreds of outstanding alumni, the LCLD Fellowship is a proven path to high performance and future leadership. We are confident that Nipun will have a memorable and amazing year ahead.”

Founded in 2011, the LCLD Fellows Program is a structured mentoring initiative designed to increase diversity at the leadership levels in law firms and corporate legal departments in the United States. Each year, participating law firms and corporations select high-potential attorneys from diverse backgrounds and connect them to mentors who can guide the fellows’ development of leadership skills. Fellows are selected by firms’ managing partners or in-house general counsel, who are members of the LCLD.

“I am delighted, humbled, and gratified to be chosen as a 2015 Fellow,” said Patel. “With a deep respect for and commitment to LCLD’s mission of building a more diverse legal profession, I look forward to my participation in the fellows’ program activities of the year ahead as one way to contribute to the achievement of this mission.”

During the one-year LCLD Fellowship, Patel will participate in an intensive schedule that includes in-person conferences, virtual training on the fine points of legal practice, peer-group projects to foster collaboration and build relationships, and extensive contact with LCLD’s top leadership. He and other Fellows will also meet with managing partners and general counsel who will share their professional experiences and setbacks at Program Learning Experiences and Leadership Lunches.

A 2008 graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, Patel has a broad business litigation practice, with an emphasis on employment, financial services, antitrust and commercial contract disputes. He practices extensively before federal and state courts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and other jurisdictions, doing both trial and appellate work, with experience that encompasses first and second chair trial responsibility, oral argument on dispositive and discovery motions, drafting appellate briefs, arguing appeals, negotiating settlements, taking and defending discovery/expert depositions, and preparing witnesses for trial testimony.

Patel’s pro bono practice is likewise active and robust, including regularly volunteering with Philadelphia VIP. Not only was he named to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas’ Pro Bono Roll of Honor, his work on behalf of indigent clients garnered him “Unsung Hero” recognition from The Legal Intelligencer. He was also recently named a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by the Intelligencer.

He has assumed leadership roles with initiatives to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession. Patel is the Philadelphia office’s associate liaison to the firm-wide diversity committee and actively participates in the recruitment of diverse summer associates. He also was instrumental in establishing the Philadelphia Diversity Initiative, the local associate diversity group that is active in promoting diversity efforts within the Philadelphia Reed Smith office and the community.

His community service includes membership on the Boards of Directors of Legacy Youth Tennis and Education and the South Asian Bar Association of Philadelphia.

About Reed Smith

Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,800 lawyers in 25 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, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.

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