Foley & Lardner LLP Partner Daljit Doogal discusses his new role as firm chairman and CEO, as well as his vision for the firm’s future, in the Law360 Pulse article, “Foley & Lardner’s New Chair On Firm’s Future, Diversity Goals.” He also shared how he climbed the career ladder and how he plans to continue fostering Foley’s pipeline of diverse lawyers.
Doogal said he is focused on four things over the next few years, including being more client-driven, recruiting and retaining top talent, innovation, and leaning into our strengths in the energy, health care and life sciences, innovative technology, and manufacturing sectors.
When asked about the challenges he faced as a diverse lawyer moving up the ladder, Doogal said, “I think it’s a challenge for everybody just to work hard and prove themselves… But I think some of it comes with confidence… Also just picking the right mentors, people that you work with that support you and encourage you and build that confidence.” He continued, “As a minority, ascending to a position as a CEO of a law firm is an honor, but I couldn’t have done that without great mentors along the way and people that showed our firm’s commitment to diversity… It’s a real testament to Foley that over the years they’ve provided me as well as a number of minority attorneys within our firm … with leadership positions for them to advance in their careers.”
In terms of ensuring Foley’s diverse pipeline going forward, Doogal said, “We have been and we’re continuing to be more focused on monitoring that pipeline along with [our] recruiting efforts,” but “it’s also about retaining [diverse associates and business professionals] and providing those leadership opportunities and providing them leadership training.”
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