FordHarrison LLP, one of the country’s largest management-side labor and employment law firms, is pleased to announce that Patrick L. Ryan has been selected as a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (LCLD) 2018 class of Fellows, a landmark program created by LCLD to identify, train, and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession.
According to LCLD President Robert J. Grey, Jr., the LCLD Fellows Program offers participants “a year-long, in-depth program devoted to relationship-building, in-person training, peer-group projects, and extensive contact with LCLD’s top leadership and the best teachers in the business.”
“Pat will be a great addition to this year’s class of Fellows,” said Dawn Siler-Nixon, FordHarrison’s Diversity and Inclusion Partner. “This is a unique opportunity for him to connect with peers in house and with outside law firms who share the firm’s commitment to diversity and growing a new generation of leaders.”
Pat is a member of FordHarrison's wage and hour practice group and concentrates his practice on class action litigation, arbitration, counseling, and government investigations. Pat has extensive experience in handling litigation brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws and regulations. He has litigated a wide-array of employment matters, from single plaintiff actions to nationwide class and collective action cases with more than 1,800 opt-in plaintiffs. Pat also represents employers in wage and hour investigations brought by the U.S. Department of Labor, including conducting internal investigations, defending "on-site" visits, and advising clients on effective resolution. Additionally, he advises employers to ensure proactive compliance with federal and state law. He has conducted numerous wage and hour audits, including exemption, independent contractor, pay practice and time keeping reviews, for clients in various industries—such as technology, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, education, and health care. Pat also routinely handles other issues confronting employers, such as advising clients on background check policies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and applicable state law, as well as defending employers against discrimination and retaliation claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“I’m grateful to have been chosen to be a part of LCLD. I look forward to working with this year’s class and taking advantage of all the opportunities this amazing organization has to offer,” said Pat.
Founded in 2009, LCLD is a growing organization of more than 285 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who are personally committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession. The LCLD Fellows Program, which has trained more than a thousand mid-career attorneys since 2011, is one of LCLD’s most important initiatives. For more information, visit www.lcldnet.org.