MAAG Spotlight: J.T. Wilson

Dinsmore has been an active member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) since 2011. Their mission focuses on the promotion of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession through training, development, and mentoring opportunities. In January, we announced Chicago partner J.T. Wilson was named the latest LCLD Fellow. J.T. is one of about 200 attorneys in the 2020 fellow class.

LCLD places diverse attorneys on paths to building relationships and leadership skills, what most excites you about participating in the Fellows program?

I am most excited about the intentional development process.  Generally, in the legal profession, attorneys are advanced for their exceptional technical skills or business development acumen.  However, the advancement may not include formal leadership training.  So, I am excited to obtain additional exposure to a curriculum that focuses on the enhancement of essential relationship and leadership skills.

In recent years, the conversation around diversity and inclusion in the legal profession has grown louder. In your opinion, what stands out to you with how Dinsmore is progressing in this space?

Dinsmore’s decision to deploy two new Equity and Inclusion officers Tammy Bennett and Michael Bronson to collaborate with our Diversity Committee Chair Marty Dunn to further invest in the most diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all employees of the firm is an avant-garde approach and strong demonstration of Dinsmore’s commitment to not only engage in the discussion but to lead by action.

What advice do you have for minority law students or recent graduates beginning their practice?

Embrace the truths we have more in common than we have in distinction, and our differences, properly leveraged, make us exponentially stronger when we work collaboratively.  We can truly accomplish more when we model the positive change we want to see in world, including the legal profession and the environments within which we practice.

Dinsmore is proud of our participation with LCLD and has been recognized as a top performer three times in the last five years. Our recognition as a top performer comes from our work as an active participant in LCLD programs, including the 1L scholars program, mentoring program, and Fellows program. Since 2012, we have hosted a number of 1L scholars through LCLD, many of whom were given offers and accepted positions at the firm. Other Dinsmore LCLD fellows from previous classes include Allan Daily, Alicia Bond-Lewis, Javier Flores, and Christian Gonzalez.