Veteran legal industry diversity leader Ramla Farzad joins Nixon Peabody

In its continued commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across the legal profession, Nixon Peabody LLP has hired Ramla Farzad to lead the global law firm's DEI initiatives.

BOSTON, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In its continued commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across the legal profession, Nixon Peabody LLP has hired Ramla Farzad to lead the global law firm's DEI initiatives.

Ramla joins Nixon Peabody as senior director for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion with a wealth of DEI experience in the legal industry, including serving as a diversity director for several multinational law firms and as a consultant advising law firms on talent management practices. Ramla's commitment to helping advance DEI in the profession has been at the center of her career since her start in BigLaw as a litigation associate, where she served on the department's Diversity Committee.

"Diversity, equity, and inclusion are long-standing core values of our firm," said Nixon Peabody CEO and Managing Partner Stephen D. Zubiago. "By living out these values, we recruit and retain top talent, build better teams for our clients, and create more opportunities for our people to thrive. Ramla will be a key leader for us as we think boldly and creatively about increasing DEI in the legal profession."

"Ramla's talent-development skills, understanding of client needs, and demonstrated leadership in DEI make her well-equipped to capitalize on our momentum and help guide our vision as we continue to build toward the future," said Nixon Peabody Chief Talent Officer Stacie Collier. "Ramla's passion for DEI in the legal profession has been a driving force throughout her work."

Ramla will work directly with firm leadership and coordinate closely with Nixon Peabody's resource groups to develop and implement firmwide DEI strategy and initiatives. She will also work with outside partners, including affinity bar associations and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, to further strengthen the firm's position as a DEI leader in the broader legal community. In recent years, Nixon Peabody has taken meaningful actions to advance its DEI goals with a focus on its people, client relationships, service, and communities.

"Thoughtful, data-driven DEI initiatives have the ability to unlock the potential of our firm and our clients' businesses," said Ramla. "There are clear benefits to this work throughout the life cycle of an attorney, from first-year associate to equity partner. I'm excited to be joining a firm where the DEI commitment is woven into everything we do."

Representative of the firm's ongoing commitment to building a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession, Nixon Peabody has earned Mansfield Rule Certification Plus recognition from legal industry incubator Diversity Lab for six consecutive years. Nixon Peabody is one of only four law firms to be a founding member of the Move the Needle (MTN) program, a collaborative effort to create positive change throughout the legal profession. In addition, the firm has earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's 2023?2024 Corporate Equality Index for 17 consecutive years.

Ramla earned her JD from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and her BA from the University of California, Berkeley.

You can read more about Nixon Peabody's DEI initiatives here.

Media Contact

Nicholas Braude, Nixon Peabody LLP, 1 6178380727, [email protected], www.nixonpeabody.com

SOURCE Nixon Peabody LLP