K&L Gates' commitment to intergenerational excellence is the foundation of Ms. Fried's responsibilities.
As the firm's Chief Officer for Recruitment & Development, Ms. Fried leads K&L Gates' efforts to identify, recruit, diversify, hire, develop, retain and evaluate lawyers of the highest caliber to sustain the firm's culture and provide the highest level of counsel and service to its clients. Ms. Fried is supported in this work by the firm's Director of Legal Recruitment and Legal Personnel, Director of Diversity (U.S.), and Director of HR, Recruitment, Development (U.K.).
In the professional development area, Ms. Fried works with management at a strategic level to design professional development programs and opportunities for all lawyers worldwide. Together with members of the firm's Professional Development Department, Ms. Fried creates appropriate curricula, oversees the firm's Mentoring Program, counsels associates regarding practice management, and monitors CLE compliance. In addition, Ms. Fried works with Practice Group Coordinators to ensure that the firm's associates are well-utilized.
In Ms. Fried's work in the areas of Legal Recruiting and Legal Personnel, she collaborates with both the Hiring and Associate Committee Chairs of the firm's offices worldwide to ensure that the firm's recruiting efforts are efficient and effective and that the firm's associate review process is thorough and developmentally oriented. She also works closely with the Management Committee on matters pertaining to associate compensation. Together with the IS department and HR Systems, Ms. Fried also organizes and administers a lawyer information and management database.
Ms. Fried works closely with the firm's Director of Diversity (U.S.) to expand recruiting activities, promote the firm and its pioneering initiatives among diverse constituencies and in the community, and enhance the Mentoring Program to ensure that all lawyers have the support to succeed at every level.
Ms. Fried is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Professional Development Consortium, an association of professional development specialists at major law firms in the United States, Canada and England. As one of the country's first professional development professionals, she created and filled the role of Director of Professional Development at Palmer & Dodge LLP in Boston from 1990 to 1999. Ms. Fried practiced law at Palmer & Dodge from 1985 to 1990, as a business law associate, counseling private and public companies on transactions and general corporate matters in the high tech, biotech and financial services industries. Ms. Fried was also a business law associate with Cooley Godward LLP in San Francisco, California from 1983 to 1985.