November 21, 2023
Kim A. Walker, Willkie’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, partner and member of the Executive Committee, was featured in a recent Q&A profile in Corporate Counsel in recognition of her Law Firm Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion Award, presented at the annual Women, Influence & Power in Law conference and awards.
The Law Firm Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion Award honors women leaders who have taken active roles in fostering DEI in the industry through significant, measurable impact in their firms. The profile discusses Kim’s route to the top, including her longstanding work as a mentor and leader at the firm, and passion for furthering diversity and inclusion in the law.
“Diversity work is incredibly challenging but can be equally gratifying. I am fortunate to have the full support of Willkie’s leadership,” she said.
Kim has been integral to Willkie’s success in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion and its growth as an industry leader. The firm was awarded Mansfield Certification Plus for the past two years for building a diverse leadership – Willkie’s Executive Committee is 46% women or diverse – and continued to be recognized in 2023 by The American Lawyer and Law360 as a top firm for diversity.
Kim has long been a champion and mentor to the underrepresented, and notes that the challenges she faced growing up taught her valuable lessons in leadership she uses today.
“Always stay true to yourself. Success means nothing if you lose yourself in the process. I am in many ways still that resilient foster kid (who just happens to sit on the Executive Committee of an elite international law firm) and I am perfectly fine with that.”
The Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards honors top women lawyers who have made a remarkable difference in the legal profession -- whether in shaping the law, achieving outsized results for their clients, being an outstanding jurist or assisting those in need of legal services.
View Kim’s 2023 “Law Firm Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion” profile here (subscription may be required).
