Kelley Drye Names Kelli Ortega and Nithaya Damodharan as 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow and Pathfinder

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP is pleased to announce its 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow is Kelli Ortega, special counsel in its Intellectual Property practice and our Pathfinder is Nithaya Damodharan, associate in its Litigation practice.

Launched in 2011, the Fellows Program was created by LCLD to provide high-potential attorneys with relationship-building, leadership, and professional development opportunities and skills. Designed to train high-performing early-career attorneys in critical career development strategies, the Pathfinders Program includes leadership skill-building and guidance on growing professional networks.

“Kelley Drye is proud to name Kelli and Nithaya as our 2024 LCLD Fellow and Pathfinder, and we are honored to participate in these inspired programs once again,” said Denise Smith, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Kelley Drye. ​“The Fellows and Pathfinders programs provide valuable opportunities for Kelli and Nithaya to continue to develop their leadership skills and form relationships with influential industry leaders.”

Kelli focuses her practice on trademark and copyright prosecution and enforcement and trade dress. She collaborates with her clients to clear, manage, and enforce their global IP portfolios. She has recovered dozens of domain names through demand letters and UDRP proceedings in the Trademark Clearinghouse. She negotiates and prepares coexistence agreements, settlement agreements, license agreements, and related IP agreements. Her experience also includes the successful advocacy and resolution of inter partes proceedings before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Nithya focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation matters, including breach of contract, fraud, and joint venture disputes, among other contested matters. She also has experience in international arbitration, including disputes involving renewable energy projects.

Founded in 2009, LCLD is a growing organization of more than 400 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who are personally committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession. The LCLD programs have trained thousands of attorneys since its inception. For more information, visit www​.lcld​net​.org.