Nimesh Patel is the Chief Inclusion Officer for Akin. In this role, he works closely with firm leadership and is responsible for leading the firm’s global Opportunity & Inclusion strategy and initiatives. This includes promoting a focus on the firm’s core values, including being diversity-minded and fostering a supportive environment and an inclusive approach. Nimesh has more than 20 years of experience advancing opportunity and inclusion issues in both the private sector and the federal government. Prior to joining Akin, he served as the head of diversity and inclusion at another prominent global law firm. During the Obama Administration, Nimesh also served as the first Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with 230,000 employees worldwide. Nimesh’s prior work experience also includes being an associate in the labor and employment practice at two large international law firms, with a specialty in corporate diversity counseling. He started his career as an Honor’s Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, where his experience included serving as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section and as an assistant general counsel for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Nimesh’s numerous leadership experiences include serving as the former President of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and the NAPABA Law Foundation, former board member of Asian Americans Advancing Justice: AAJC and former vice chair of the District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights.