Mintz is pleased to announce that the firm’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Narges M. Kakalia, has been selected as a 2021 honoree in the DEI Champion – Law Firm category of Corporate Counsel’s Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards. The annual awards honor general counsel, in-house leaders, and law firm partners who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in law and promoting diversity in the legal industry. Ms. Kakalia will be profiled by Corporate Counsel and celebrated alongside fellow top women lawyers at an awards event in October.

As the firm’s first Director of DEI, Ms. Kakalia leads Mintz in developing and implementing its DEI strategy and goals. She is in charge of developing and implementing strategy towards fostering a culture that values and celebrates difference and ensures that every employee has an equal opportunity to succeed. In less than a year since assuming this newly-established position, Ms. Kakalia has developed a handful of DEI initiatives that have already made a great impact within the firm and the larger community, including introducing the opportunity for attorneys and staff to update bios and email signatures with preferred gender pronouns; educating annual performance evaluators on common implicit biases involved in the evaluation process; and holding open forums for discussion on topics such as the rise in anti-Asian violence and anti-Semitic violence, the conviction of Derek Chauvin, and more. In addition to her firm leadership, Ms. Kakalia is at the forefront of industry-wide discussions on DEI and is a frequent podcast guest and author. Most recently, she penned a piece in Law360 Pulse reflecting on her career transition last year from litigator to law firm DEI leader.

Prior to her current role, Ms. Kakalia was a Member in Mintz’s Litigation Practice, Vice-Chair of the Pro Bono Program, a leader of the Women’s Initiative, and a member of MIATTY, the firm’s affinity group for minority attorneys and senior professionals. In recognition of her career accomplishments and commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, Ms. Kakalia was named to Lawyers of Color's Nation’s Best 2020 and 2019 lists and was shortlisted for Diversity & Inclusion Lawyer of the Year by Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards: North America 2020. She was honored in ​​​​​​Crain's New York Business’ inaugural list of Leading Women Lawyers in New York City, which featured 100 “women who juggle both distinguished careers and exceptional civic and philanthropic activities.”

The DEI Champion category of Corporate Counsel’s Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards 2021 recognizes firm and in-house leaders that have taken an active role in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession. Through their efforts, these individuals have made a significant, measurable impact in their department, firm, or organization in driving real, lasting change. The full list of 2021 honorees is available here.

Learn more about Mintz’s dedication to diversity here.