Katie Kimbrell and Ian Burt Join LCLD Fellows and Pathfinder Programs

Katie Kimbrell, partner in the Birmingham office and a member of the Corporate & Commercial Practice, and Ian Burt, attorney in the Birmingham office and member of the Real Estate Practice will join the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) training programs, aimed to advance the next generation of legal industry leaders. 

Katie joins the Fellows Program, designed for diverse mid-career attorneys at LCLD member organizations who have shown outstanding potential within the legal sector. Founded in 2011, the year-long professional development program provides participants with leadership training, relationship-building resources and access to learn from top leaders in the legal profession, as well as experts in the fields of learning and development and executive coaching. 

Ian joins the Pathfinder Program, an initiative designed for diverse, high-potential, early-career attorneys at LCLD Member organizations. The goal of this seven-month program is to empower pathfinders with foundational leadership skills and relationship-building resources to facilitate career advancement both in-house and in law firm practice. 

Founded in 2009, LCLD is a growing organization of more than 400 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who are committed to creating a truly diverse U.S. legal profession. The organization’s action programs are designed to attract, inspire and nurture the talent in society and within law firms across the country, thereby helping a new and more diverse generation of attorneys ascend to positions of leadership. By producing tangible results, LCLD works to promote inclusiveness within law firms.

Katie’s diverse practice focuses on corporate, securities, and financial services. Katie counsels clients in all phases of business, including formation, due diligence, regulatory compliance, securities, and litigation. She regularly advises clients in a wide variety of complex transactions and in all aspects of mergers and acquisitions for public and private companies, as well as energy and public utility clients. Additionally, Katie has extensive experience providing counsel on compliance and regulatory issues in highly-regulated industries and self-regulatory organizations. 

Ian focuses his practice on all aspects of real estate transactions including acquisition, financing and development. He also advises clients throughout the lifecycle of a real estate project, including review and analysis of due diligence materials. His previous experience in the public sector gives him a unique perspective that allows him to better serve clients. 

Over the past two years, Balch’s David Duhè and Tashwanda Pinchback Dixon completed the LCLD Fellows program and Christina Nuñez and Irving Jones completed the Pathfinders program. In 2023, Balch was named a 2023 Compass Award recipient by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) for the second consecutive year, recognizing the firm’s unwavering commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity within the legal profession.