Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has selected Devjani H. Mishra (Shareholder, New York) and Nicole S. LeFave (Shareholder, Austin) to lead its 'Ohana affinity group and SOAR Program, respectively.
Mishra joins 'Ohana co-chairs Edward H. Chyun (Shareholder, Cleveland) and Judy M. Iriye (Shareholder, Honolulu), succeeding Danielle K. Herring (Shareholder, Houston), who is stepping down to focus on her active practice and other firm leadership responsibilities, including her positions on the firm’s Board of Directors and Inclusion, Equity & Diversity (IE&D) Council. Herring’s invaluable contributions and tenure to 'Ohana, in addition to her dedication and efforts, have been instrumental to the incredible growth and success of the group.
The firm’s 'Ohana affinity group is open to attorneys of Asian, Middle Eastern, North African and Pacific Islander descent and their allies. The group is focused on providing an inclusive community of support for attorneys from diverse backgrounds through professional development and mentorship initiatives, as well as offering a forum for members to connect on a personal level.
Filling a vacant slot, LeFave will help lead the SOAR Program alongside Joon Hwang (Shareholder, Tysons Corner), who has been influential in this program over the last three years. The firm’s SOAR Program aims to support newly hired associates, who have joined established affinity groups, in finding their footing and excelling professionally. Additionally, SOAR connects well-established attorney mentors with new attorney mentees to help them achieve their goals at Littler.
“Devjani and Nicole have been strong advocates for the advancement of IE&D through their involvement within the firm and in the legal profession,” said Erin Webber, Littler’s managing director and president, and Paul Bateman, chief inclusion, equity & diversity officer, in a joint statement. “We are excited for them to take on their new roles and look forward to their contributions as we continue to build on Littler’s various IE&D initiatives designed to promote career development and networking opportunities across the firm and the profession at large.”
Devjani Mishra is an experienced advisor and litigator with more 25 years of in-house and outside counsel experience, with a particular focus on workplace accommodations and equal employment opportunity policies. Mishra has supported IE&D efforts at Littler through her involvement with 'Ohana and is a frequent speaker on IE&D and EEO topics at national, state and local bar associations. Mishra earned her J.D, from Columbia University School of Law, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and her B.A., with distinction, from Yale University.
Nicole LeFave concentrates her practice on defending employers in complex wage and hour, class and collective action litigation, and counseling employers on all aspects of wage and hour compliance. As a liaison for Littler’s Women’s Leadership Initiative and an active member of 'Ohana, LeFave is a frequent advocate for the advancement of IE&D inside and outside the firm. She is a founding member of the League of Lady Lawyers, and also serves as a pro bono liaison – with the aim of increasing access to justice by advising local nonprofits on employment law matters. LeFave earned her J.D., with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law and her B.A., with honors, from the University of Texas, Austin.
For a comprehensive overview of Littler’s ongoing programming and initiatives, check out the firm’s 2023 Inclusion, Equity and Diversity Annual Report.
Original source can be found here.