Weldon H. Latham

Weldon H. Latham is a principal in the Washington, D.C. Region office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He is founder and leader of the Corporate Diversity Counseling practice group, leader of the firm’s internal Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, and has served as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors.

Weldon represents Fortune 200 companies, major government agencies, and other complex organizations in a variety of legal matters, including crisis management, corporate diversity counseling, employment law, internal investigations, and government relations.

Weldon advises clients in crisis management and diversity representation, complex civil rights reviews and employment law audits, as well as dispute resolution, investigations and defends class action lawsuits involving allegations of race, gender, and age discrimination and harassment law. He also directs confidential litigation assessments, corporate diversity compliance reviews, internal legal vulnerability assessments, and assists clients in developing "best practice," benchmarking, and diversity enhancement action plans.

Weldon has over 20 years of senior partner level direction of major crisis management, civil rights program reviews, and employment discrimination litigation. Weldon has a distinguished record of public service. He has served as assistant general counsel, White House Office of Management and Budget; general deputy assistant secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development; captain, secretary of the Air Force, General Counsel’s Honors Program; member of the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Procurement and Technical Data Rights; civilian aide to the secretary of the Army; member of the U.S. Small Business Administration National Advisory Council; served on the Board of the Maryland Stadium Authority; and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, as chair of the Legal Committee.

Weldon is a columnist for DiversityInc and regular contributor to Bloomberg Law Reports. In recent years, he has discussed diversity, civil rights and political issues on ABC News "Nightline," CNBC "Power Lunch," Bloomberg Business News, Court TV, The Washington Post, and other national media. He also serves as a keynote speaker to Boards of Directors, CEOs, and executive management teams of major corporations, as well as business and trade associations on the subject of diversity, and inclusion as a “business imperative,” “competitive advantage,” “legal vulnerability,” and the Washington political scene.

In 2016, Weldon was named by President Obama to be a member and the lead attorney for the Barack Obama Foundation Inclusion Council. He is a member of the American Employment Law Council, the National Employment Law Council, and the Economic Club of Washington. Among his other numerous professional and community activities, Weldon served as counsel to the PepsiCo Global Diversity and Inclusion Governance Council and the Omnicom Group Diversity Advisory Committee. He was previously the national co-chair, Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign; chair, legal committee, Metropolitan Washington Airports (Reagan National & Dulles) Authority; chair, Deloitte External Diversity Advisory Board; and Secretary, Greater Washington Board of Trade.

Weldon is a former adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center and a guest professor at both the University of Virginia and Howard University Schools of Law. He also served on the Board of Trustees (Visitors) of the Georgetown University Law Center, American University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and George Mason University.

Honors and Recognitions

• AMTRAK A. Philip Randolph Leadership Award
• Howard University Distinguished Alumni for Post Graduate Achievement in the Field of Law
• Legal 500 USA, "Recommended Attorney" (2017)
• Martindale-Hubbell®, "AV Preeminent® - Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence" (1991-present)
• National Action Network Excellence Award
• National Black MBA Association Ronald H. Brown Service Award
• Savoy Magazine, "Most Influential Black Lawyer"
• Small Business Administration Private Industry Advocate of the Year Award
• SmartCEO Magazine, "Legal Elite of Washington, D.C."
• Super Lawyers®, "Super Lawyer" (2014-2019)
• Washington Bar Association Hall of Fame Award
• Who’s Who Among African Americans
• Who’s Who in America
• Who’s Who in American Law

Published Works

• "INSIGHT: Corporate America Must Fill the D&I Leadership Gap,” Bloomberg Law (June 2020) [Author]
• "States are Leading the Charge to Corporate Boards: Diversify!" Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Compliance (May 2020) [Co-Author]
• "Capitol Hill's Diversity Efforts Are Rubbing Off On Wall Street" Law360 (January 2020) [Co-Author]
• “Diversity and Inclusion in the Financial Services Industry,” Illinois Banker (May 2019) [Author]
• "Diversity and Inclusion: What Does This Look Like for the Workforce of the Future?," Bloomberg Law (June 2017) [Author]
• "Silicon Valley Diversity Wake-Up Call: Turning Business Risk Into Competitive Advantage," Bloomberg Corporate Law and Accountability Report (November 2015) [Author]
• "Another Look at Diversity," Automotive News (July 2013) [Author]
• "GM Goal: 25 More Minority Stores," Automotive News (July 2013) [Author]
• "NBC News/WSJ Poll: Affirmative Action Support at Historic Low," NBCNews FirstRead (June 2013)
• "Supreme Court Reaffirms Affirmative Action in Public University Setting Requires Strict Scrutiny," Jacksonlewis.com (June 2013) [Author]
• "It's a Systemic World Out There," Corporate Counsel (April 2013) [Co-Author]
• "Business Risks That Keep CEOs Up at Night: Effective Diversity Programs Can Ease Some Tensions," Bloomberg Corporate Accountability Report (January 2013) [Author]
• "Business Risks That Keep CEOs Up at Night: Effective Diversity Programs Can Ease Some Tensions," Bloomberg BNA (January 11, 2013) [Author]
• "Workplace Diversity Programs: Debunking 3 Myths," Bloomberg Law Reports (August 2010) [Author]
• "Retaliation Claims Rising," DiversityInc (June 2010) [Author]
• "Is Affirmative Action on Life Support?" DiversityInc (February 2010) [Author]
• "Is Your Company Accommodating?" DiversityInc (November 2009) [Author]
• "ADA: Proposed Protections for Employees With Disabilities," DiversityInc (September 2009) [Author]
• "Layoffs Require Careful Analysis," GC New England (September 2009) [Author]
• "Supplier Diversity Is Good for Business," Minorities and Women in Business (Jan 2006) [Author]
• "When Bad Things Happen to Good Companies," Diversity Journal (October 2005) [Author]
• "Women and the Workforce," Profiles in Diversity Journal (December 2003) [Author]
• "Downsizing Workforce Without Downsizing Diversity," Profiles in Diversity (October 2003) [Author]
• "University of Michigan - Supreme Court Case," Profiles in Diversity Journal (August 2003) [Author]