Haynes Boone has announced its selections for the 2020 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Class of Fellows and Pathfinders. Austin Partner Raghav Bajaj has been named a Fellow, and Dallas Associates Neil Issar and Robin Ladd are participating in the Pathfinder Program.
The trio will take part in LCLD programs designed to prepare diverse young lawyers for leadership roles in the profession.“For years, Haynes Boone partners and associates have benefitted from participating in LCLD programs,” said Director of Diversity and Inclusion Jennifer Reddien. “As future leaders of the firm, we know Raghav, Neil and Robin will also gain valuable skills through these programs. We are proud they are carrying on a tradition of diversity leadership at Haynes Boone.”
As an LCLD Fellow, Bajaj will take part in a yearlong, in-depth program devoted to relationship-building, in-person training, peer-group projects and other activities to develop legal and leadership skills.
Bajaj is a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. His practice focuses on patent office trials before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), including inter partes review (IPR) and covered business method (CBM) review proceedings, representing both petitioners and patent owners. He handles all phases of patent office trials, including petition drafting, discovery, briefing, and oral argument, and has served as counsel in more than 40 proceedings.
Issar and Ladd are in the 2020 class of the LCLD Pathfinder Program, which is designed for high-potential, early-career attorneys. The program provides tools for developing and leveraging internal professional networks, foundational leadership skills, and an understanding of career development strategies applicable to both in-house and law firm practice.
Issar is an associate in the Litigation Practice Group, and Ladd is an associate in the Finance Practice Group. Issar’s practice focuses on government investigations, white collar defense, fraud and abuse laws, navigation of regulatory and compliance issues involving the healthcare industry, and the defense of healthcare and other clients in litigation. Ladd’s practice focuses on subscription secured finance, acquisition financing, and syndicated credit facilities. She has represented both borrowers and lenders in a variety of transactions.
Since its founding more than a decade ago, LCLD has grown to include more than 300 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who are committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession. This includes Haynes Boone Managing Partner Tim Powers, who joined LCLD in 2012.
Haynes Boone is an international corporate law firm with offices in Texas, New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City and Shanghai, providing a full spectrum of legal services in energy, technology, financial services and private equity. With more than 575 lawyers, Haynes Boone is ranked among the largest U.S.-based firms by The National Law Journal, The American Lawyer and The Lawyer. It also ranks among the nation’s most recommended law firms by general counsel, according to BTI Consulting Group’s “Most Recommended Law Firms 2019” report.