February 14, 2019 — Associate M. Shams Billah has been selected to participate as a fellow in the New York City Bar Association's 2019 Associate Leadership Institute (the Institute), an initiative geared to assisting the advancement of diverse senior associates at major law firms.

The Institute was a recipient of the 2018 ABA Partnership Awards and is in its third year of operation; Billah, a member of the firm’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, will be the first HHR attorney to attend the Institute. 

The Institute brings together approximately 60 diverse mid-level and senior associates from New York City's most prestigious law firms for intensive career advancement and leadership training. The Institute takes place across several sessions in the spring, with a curriculum that features executive presence, effective communication skills, building a personal brand, leveraging professional relationships and business development. Leaders within participating law firms nominated fellows based on their leadership potential. 

HHR is a signatory to the New York City Bar Association's Statement on Diversity Principles and a sponsor of its Office for Diversity and Inclusion's ongoing work to achieve a diverse and inclusive profession. 

HHR's participation in the Institute and work with the New York City Bar Association's Office for Diversity and Inclusion would not be possible without the leadership of the firm's Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, co-headed by partners Diane Lifton, Patrice Jean, Aviva Wernick and Meaghan Gragg.