Firm Elevates Role to Chief Officer Position and Executive Team

Miles & Stockbridge, a leading business law firm with more than 230 lawyers in the mid-Atlantic region, announced today that José Bahamonde-González has joined the firm as its first chief diversity, inclusion & professional development officer. With the hiring of Bahamonde-González, Miles & Stockbridge has elevated this role from a director to a chief officer position and the firm’s executive team—a demonstration of the firm’s commitment to driving its diversity and inclusion efforts to an even higher level. He reports directly to Firm Chairman Nancy Greene, who leads the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee with Board Member Kraig Long and Principal Tom Petty.

A highly-regarded diversity and inclusion professional, Bahamonde-González has served as the associate dean for professional education at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law for the last five years and in other related associate dean positions during his 22-year career with the law school. He will continue to provide career counseling and the Professional Development Lecture Series to students in the Master of Science in Law (MSL) and the Master of Laws (LLM) programs, as well as promote pro bono opportunities to Juris Doctor (JD) students. Bahamonde-González is also a frequent speaker on topics related to the professional development of law students and lawyers, job search strategies, mid-career lateral transitions and strategies, as well as cultural, gender and LGBTQ intelligence.

“José has been a trailblazer for diversity and inclusion throughout his career,” said Miles & Stockbridge Chairman Nancy Greene. “He brings the kind of energy and experience that can accelerate our progress with the recruitment, promotion and retention of all of our lawyers in a meaningful way.”

Bahamonde-González was the inaugural chair of the Diversity Advisory Council for the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus and, throughout his entire career at the law school, served as advisor to the Latinox Law Student Association (LLSA) and the OUTLaw student groups. An active member of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) since 1992, he has served as vice president, among other roles, and currently serves as vice chair of the NALP Diversity Committee, LGBTQ Work Group. Bahamonde-González is a member of the Maryland Hispanic Bar Association (MHBA) and serves on its Judicial Endorsements Committee. He received the MHBA 2018 Outstanding Achievement Award for his work counseling and mentoring Latinox law students and lawyers.

“I have known Miles & Stockbridge lawyers for many years,” said Bahamonde-González. “To work with this extremely talented group of lawyers and bring new diversity, inclusion and professional development programs, trainings and action items here makes this new role an exciting opportunity! More importantly, to incorporate diversity and inclusion skills training into the professional development curriculum for all lawyers will provide Miles & Stockbridge a truly competitive advantage.”

Among the Miles & Stockbridge lawyers Bahamonde-González has known for a long time is Kraig Long, a principal, board member and co-chair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Bahamonde-González served as career counselor to Long in the late 1990s while he was a student at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and president of the Black Law Students Association.

“José is a true change agent as well as a diversity and inclusion champion,” said Long. “He is extremely talented at bringing diverse constituencies together, energizing them into action, and moving the diversity and inclusion agenda forward. As a Maryland Carey Law student, I greatly benefitted from his wise advice and compassionate counseling.”

About Miles & Stockbridge

Miles & Stockbridge strives every day to elevate diversity and inclusion from an initiative to a way of life for all firm colleagues. Among its efforts, the firm supports three active affinity groups led by its lawyers—one for women lawyers, one for minority lawyers,and one for our Jewish lawyers and colleagues. In addition, the firm is launching a fourth affinity group—the LGBTQ Alliance—this year.

To support professional growth and retention across the firm, a committee is building brand new mentoring and training programs from the ground up. The firm also regularly supports numerous diversity-related groups and events to strengthen its community and to advance “diversity pipeline” initiatives designed to encourage and equip minority students to pursue legal careers and thrive in law school.

In February 2018, Miles & Stockbridge’s principals elected Nancy Greene as chairman of the firm. Greene became the first woman and the first Gen Xer to lead the firm in its 86-year history.

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