Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Page 3
Lawyer Joins Sheppard Mullin’s Office as ‘Talent’ Chief
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Robert Neufeld, former director of talent management at Blank Rome LLP in New York, has joined Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP’s Los Angeles office as its first-ever chief talent officer, the law firm has announced.
The firm said that Carol Ross-Burnett, a former principal of CRB Consulting in Los Angeles, will join Shepard Mullin as its first manager of diversity and inclusion.
Neufeld will lead all functions affecting the associate lifecycle, including recruiting, performance and development, diversity and inclusion, and direct practice group support, the firm said. He has a background in human resources and employee relations, having held executive level management positions at BearingPoint Inc., ChaseMellon Financial Group and Shearson Lehman Brothers.
Ross-Burnett will manage and support the firm’s existing diversity efforts, and develop new internal and external diversity initiatives. She provided diversity training and consulting services to the legal profession at CRB Consulting, and was also assistant dean for career services and multicultural affairs at Loyola Law School.
“The legal industry faces increasingly complex challenges, all of which are directly or indirectly related to its success in attracting and leading our people,” Neufeld said. “I’m delighted to join the firm’s leaders in that effort.”
Ross-Burnett agreed, saying that she was impressed with the firm’s commitment to diversity and that she looked forward to bring her experience with diversity issues in the legal profession, and in organizations at the local, state and national levels, to the firm.
Robert Beall, the firm’s administrative partner, noted that talent management and diversity are two of the firm’s top priorities.
“We need, and our clients demand, a team of attorneys that is the best of the brightest and is as diverse as the world in which we practice,” he said. “Bob’s background and success in talent management makes him an ideal choice for this leadership position.”
Founded in 1927, Sheppard Mullin is a full service firm with 500 attorneys in 10 offices located throughout California, and in New York, Washington, D.C. and Shanghai. Its California offices are located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Century City, Orange County, Del Mar Heights and San Diego.
The firm provides counsel to U.S. and international clients on a range of corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions.
Copyright 2007, Metropolitan News Company