Nicole Dawson

“I am passionate about immigration law because it enables greater cultural diversity within our society. Specifically, I am proud of BAL’s role in creating an exceptional experience for families throughout the immigration journey. BAL empowers our clients with a unique opportunity to promote inclusivity and celebrate the contributions of people from diverse backgrounds. This leads to a broader understanding of the interconnectedness of our world.”

Nicole is BAL’s Chief People and Culture Officer, based in the Dallas office. She directs BAL’s innovative, inclusive approach to people and positive, trendsetting culture, from exceptional employee development programs to an industry-leading diversity record that garners national recognition.

Nicole champions BAL’s commitment to making a positive difference in people’s lives, beginning with our own people. Under her leadership, the firm moved beyond traditional performance evaluations to its Elite Performance Transformation program. EPT comprises four components: weekly one-to-one meetings between staff and managers, an emphasis on specific core behaviors, time and resources to pursue both work and personal goals and regular feedback from managers and colleagues alike.

BAL’s Explorers program allows all employees to shadow people in a role they are interested in, try it out for six months and even transfer permanently to another team. This program provides additional support and coaching in new roles and helps BAL discover unrecognized talent from unexpected places within the firm.

Before joining BAL, Nicole held senior HR leadership roles with multiple Fortune 100 companies.