McGuireWoods partner Rakesh Gopalan has received a 2021 North Carolina Lawyers Weekly Diversity & Inclusion Award for advancing diversity in the legal profession and the community.
Based in the firm’s Charlotte office, Gopalan represents leading banks and financial institutions in corporate transactions, including securities issuances, mergers and acquisitions, and technology and outsourcing deals. He co-chairs the firm’s nationally recognized fintech practice, which counsels financial institutions and fintech vendors. He also serves on the Law360 banking editorial board. Gopalan, a tireless advocate for diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, is a founding member and current board member of the Charlotte Asian Pacific American Bar Association and he chairs McGuireWoods’ Asian Pacific Lawyers Network.
“Rakesh is a shining example of McGuireWoods’ commitment to reflect the diversity of the clients and communities we serve,” said Ava Lias-Booker, chair of McGuireWoods’ Diversity & Inclusion Committee. “We want to continue to celebrate leaders who champion diversity and inclusion in both word and deed.”
Gopalan is the incoming chair of the board of Girls on the Run International, an organization that uses running to inspire young girls to build confidence and other important life skills, and he is the board’s liaison to the organization’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Committee. He is a former member of the board of directors for the Community Building Initiative, an organization of government and civic leaders who work to achieve racial and ethnic inclusion in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. He also co-chaired the Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship program, which focuses on improving diversity in the Mecklenburg County Bar, and served on the bar’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. He participated in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellows Program, served on the LCLD Fellows Board, and has served as a Pathfinder Program facilitator for several years.
“I am honored to be recognized for my work on diversity and inclusion initiatives and am fortunate to be part of a firm that makes D&I a top priority,” Gopalan said.
The North Carolina Lawyers Weekly Diversity & Inclusion Award honorees will be celebrated at an online awards ceremony on April 29.