Don Smith

A former practicing lawyer, Don brings almost 20 years of experience to his role as Chief Talent & Inclusion Officer. In his role, Don leads the firm’s talent management initiative, creating strategies and programs to maximize talent acquisition and development, improve diversity, and foster an equitable and inclusive work environment. Don oversees non-partner recruiting and professional development training and programming, including performance evaluations, non-partner compensation, and mentoring, sponsorship and coaching, ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion remain central to each of these efforts.

Don is a current member and past Chair of the Professional Development Consortium (PDC) Board of Directors and is an active member of the National Association of Law Placement (NALP) and the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP).

Speaking Engagements

• Recalibrating Your Inclusive Flexible Working Initiative to Strengthen Diversity, November 3, 2021
• Maintaining and Prioritizing Wellness Initiatives at Law Firms, PLI Insider, February 2021
• The Importance of Diversity for Successful Professional Development, PLI Insider Feature, April 2019
• The Many Faces of Talent Management, April 13, 2016, NALP Annual Conference, Boston, MA, co-presenters Sang Lee, Kay Nash, Paul Burton
• Recharging Mentoring with Mentoring Moments, July 9, 2015, Professional Development Consortium Summer Conference, Chicago, IL, co-presenters Werten Bellamy and Sheri Zachery
• The First 90 Days: Enhancing the OnBoarding and Integration of our Diverse Lawyers, April 24, 2015, NALP Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, co-presenters Melanie Priddy, Arin Reeves, Kristine McKinney,
• Taking the Soft Out of Soft Skills: Why Focusing on Core Skills Development Develops Better Lawyers, July 11, 2014, Professional Development Consortium Summer Conference, Montreal, Canada, co-presenters Laurie Vitali, Lewis Check, Claudia Freeman, Martinelle Cole, Paul Burton
• Tailor-made Mentoring: Two Law Firm’s Perspectives on Implementing, Refocusing and Sustaining Formal Programs, April 10, 2014, NALP Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, co-presenters Ida Abbott, David Axtell, Kari Jensen Thomas (Stinson Leonard)