Barnes & Thornburg attorneys Oni N. Harton and A. Elizabeth Underwood have been selected to participate in two national programs of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD).
Harton, a partner in the firm’s Indianapolis office, has been named an LCLD Fellow, while Underwood, an associate in the Fort Wayne office, has been selected for the Pathfinders program.
LCLD is a national program that identifies and trains the next generation of diverse leaders. The Fellows program is a year-long structured training program designed to build relationships and leadership skills that involves peer-group projects and in-person training. The Pathfinders program gives early-career professionals the opportunity to learn about leadership, career development and how to build professional networks.
“We have a great deal of pride in seeing our teammates participate in these prestigious programs,” said Dawn R. Rosemond, Barnes & Thornburg partner and director of diversity, professional development and inclusion. “Positioning our talent to win is central to our mission. As such, we are excited about this investment because we know that Oni and Elizabeth will benefit greatly from this unique experience.”
Harton is a litigator who assists clients through virtually every stage of the litigation process, from pleadings, to trial, through appeal and in providing pre-litigation advice and risk assessments. Her litigation practice focuses on product liability defense as well as commercial litigation.
Underwood is also a litigator who has defended multinational companies and governmental entities at all stages of the litigation spectrum (including trial), in a broad range of commercial, personal injury, and product liability matters, including multidistrict litigations and coordinated proceedings in federal and state courts.
The LCLD Pathfinder Program is now in its fourth year as a full-scale program. It is an initiative that has expanded LCLD programming by targeting junior associates and the youngest members of corporate law departments.
The LCLD Fellows program, which has trained more than 1,000 mid-career attorneys since 2011, is one of LCLD’s most notable initiatives. The program aims to increase diversity at the leadership levels of the nation’s law firms and corporate legal departments.
With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from 14 offices in Atlanta, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.
