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Naila Townes Ahmed

Naila Townes Ahmed

Director of Legal Talent Management

Overview

Naila Ahmed oversees attracting, hiring, training, evaluating, and promoting legal talent in all office locations and manages a professional staff of four to ensure a consistent recruitment and talent development process. She is charged with effectively linking the firm’s attorney recruitment, talent development, diversity, and retention efforts to overall firm strategic goals and objectives. Naila works closely with the chairs of the firm’s Hiring, Associate Relations, Talent Development, Shareholder Selection, Retention, Pro Bono, and Diversity committees.

A key component to Naila's role is to be aware of recruiting and hiring emerging trends and best practices to ensure the firm is effective in recruiting and retaining world-class lawyers for the benefit of our clients. She is responsible for managing firmwide summer associate and lateral attorney recruitment including devising search strategies, managing relationships with legal search firms and law schools, pre-screening resumes and overseeing the coordination of interviews and offers. She collaborates with and supports shareholders engaged in the lateral recruitment process to develop and implement strategic approaches. Naila oversees all attorney orientation and integration processes.

In addition to recruiting activities, she oversees all aspects of training and development for the firm’s legal talent. This includes developing numerous training and continuing legal education courses offered in-house. She also is responsible for the associate review and compensation process as well as the firm’s annual shareholder selection process. Naila oversees the firm’s associate mentor programs and targeted associate coaching.

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Recognition

  • AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • League Leadership Award, Metropolitan Business League
  • Virginia's Legal Elite, Virginia Business
  • Chairman's Challenge Award, Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council
  • Outstanding Women Award - Law and Government," YWCA of Richmond

Professional & Community Involvement

  • ​American Bar Association
  • Professional Development Consortium
  • Virginia State Bar
  • Leadership Metro Richmond, Graduate

Credentials

Education
  • University of Virginia School of Law (J.D., 1991)
    • Notes Editor and Member of Managing Board, Virginia Law Review
    • Raven Society, UVA's oldest and most prestigious honor society
    • Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society
  • University of Virginia (MBA, 1991)
  • Hampton University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1974)
    • Beta Kappa Chi, a national mathematics honor society
Bar Admissions
  • Virginia

Background

  • Director of Talent Management, Williams Mullen, Richmond, VA (2006-2013)
  • Corporate Partner, Williams Mullen, Richmond, VA (2000-2006)
  • Corporate Associate, Williams Mullen, Richmond, VA (1991-1998)
  • Corporate Partner, McCandlish Holton, Richmond, VA (1998-2000)
  • Assistant Actuarial Consultant, Buck Consultants, New York, NY (1975-1986)

Disclaimer

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