Bell Nunnally Announces 2021 LCLD Fellow, Pathfinders

Bell Nunnally Senior Associate Arianna G. Goodman has been selected to the 2021 “Fellows Program” class for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) – an organization comprised of more than 350 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners dedicated to building a more open and diverse legal profession. In addition, Bell Nunnally Associate Sydnie A. Shimkus was selected to the LCLD’s 2021 “Pathfinder Program.”

“We’re proud to support the LCLD and its mission to foster diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the legal industry – goals we are committed to at a firm level,” said Chris Trowbridge, managing partner of Bell Nunnally. “This is our sixth year of partnership with the LCLD and it’s an important component in our internal DEI efforts – which also include empowered internal committees dedicated to championing diversity and rooting out discrimination, and support of national and community-based groups dedicated to advancing racial equity.”

Goodman is a member of the firm’s litigation department where she focuses her practice on white collar criminal defense. She represents corporations and professionals from the initial phases of an investigation through trial. Goodman defends individuals and companies in government and internal investigations, state and federal grand jury matters and regulatory proceedings, including SEC enforcement actions. Active in the community, she contributes pro bono hours to the Buried Alive Project – a non-profit organization which fights to free people serving life without parole for sentences handed down under outdated federal drug laws. Named to The Best Lawyers in America’s “Ones to Watch” list for 2021, Goodman is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2014) and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (B.A., High Honors, 2010).

Shimkus is a member of the firm’s litigation department where she focuses her practice on commercial litigation and labor and employment matters. Shimkus’ broad experience covers cases involving general business disputes, contract disputes, misappropriation of trade secrets, covenants not to compete, fraud, landlord-tenant disputes, and construction litigation. Shimkus also works with business managers, in-house legal departments, and human resources managers to ensure compliance with a wide array of federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Family Medical Leave Act. Shimkus has experience defending employers against claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation before the Texas Workforce Commission, United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and in both state and federal court. Shimkus contributes pro bono hours to the Human Rights Initiative, an organization dedicated to assisting individuals seeking asylum in the United States because of past persecution or fear of future persecution in their home countries. Named to The Best Lawyers in America’s “Ones to Watch” list for 2021, she is a graduate of Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2016). While at SMU Law, Shimkus served as Case Note and Comment Editor for its International Law Review and successfully competed on two national mock trial teams. She earned her undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School (B.A., cum laude, 2013).