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 our Dallas office. She directs our innovative, inclusive approach to people and positive, trendsetting culture, from exceptional employee development programs to an industry-leading diversity record that garners national recognition.

BAL’s commitment to making a positive difference in people’s lives begins with our own people, and Nicole champions that commitment. For example, 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.

In addition to overseeing employee development programs, Nicole leads diversity initiatives that have catapulted the firm to first place in multiple national rankings in recent years. BAL’s DE&I program promotes initiatives that increase engagement with minority communities and source talent for internships and jobs at BAL. Examples include outreach to local schools in targeted communities, a college recruitment program inviting students at historically Black colleges and universities in Texas, and a program to reach out to student groups, such as BALSA, LALSA and Lavender Law.

Before joining the firm, she held senior HR leadership roles with multiple Fortune 100 companies.