Grace Wadell (JD '19) and Alan Sims (JD '19) of Littler Mendelson, P.C. Selected for Diversity Leadership Programs

Pepperdine Caruso Law alumni Grace Wadell (JD '19) and Alan Sims (JD '19) of Littler Mendelson, P.C. have been selected for the 2023 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Pathfinders Program and the National Employment Law Council (NELC) Academy. Littler is an employment and labor law practice that represents management.

Wadell was selected as a 2023 LCLD Pathfinder. The LCLD has more than 400 members who serve as either general counsel of major corporations or managing partners of the nation's leading law firms. The goal of the LCLD Pathfinder Program is to provide diverse, high-potential, early-career attorneys with practical tools for developing and leveraging: internal professional networks through relationship-building skills, foundational leadership skills, and an understanding of career development strategies.

Sims was selected to serve as an academy fellow for the NELC. This will be his second year as an academy fellow. The NELC Academy provides advanced skills training and mentoring for minority employment defense lawyers with less than four years of experience practicing management-side labor and employment law. The purpose of the academy is to provide advanced skills training, expose participants to the NELC’s national network of experienced minority labor and employment attorneys, encourage mentoring relationships, promote the NELC to attorneys who will soon be eligible for membership, and to create a pipeline for future NELC leaders.

From the Littler announcement:

“Littler is well-represented through this exceptional group of attorneys and their participation in these enriching programs offered by the LCLD and the NELC,” said Erin Webber, Littler’s managing director and president, and Paul Bateman, Chief Inclusion, Equity & Diversity Officer, in a joint statement. “Our partnerships with these organizations are just one example of how we provide intentional and meaningful professional development opportunities as part of our continued goal to empower our attorneys to own and direct their careers at Littler.”