Access to Trailblazers: Freddie Pitcher Teaches Young Lawyers and Companies How Pipeline Mentorship Builds More Diverse and Successful Places to Work

Senior Partner Freddie Pitcher’s view of diversity centers on creating an environment where people with different backgrounds and perspectives are welcomed and included. Throughout his career in private practice, on the bench and as the leader of Louisiana’s only HBCU law school, he’s opened many doors and shown law students and firms alike how to keep those doors open.

Promoting Diversity in the Courts and From the Bench

After graduating from Southern University Law Center, Freddie started his legal career in private practice, but soon set his sights on public service. As Freddie says, he wanted to be “where I could do a lot of good.” This path led him to the East Baton Rouge District Attorney's office, where he was the first African American assistant district attorney in the criminal court section. He also served the state of Louisiana as special counsel in the Office of the Attorney General.

Freddie put together a diverse coalition to campaign for Baton Rouge City Court in 1983. He won the election and became the first African American judge to sit on the city’s court. He made history again four years later, when Baton Rouge voters elected him as the first African American judge for the 19th Judicial District. He then ran unopposed for the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. During his tenure on the appeals court, he authored hundreds of opinions that helped guide the future of Louisiana law.

Answering the Call to Southern Law

After a distinguished career on the bench, Freddie joined Phelps. Recruited by Reuben Anderson and Alston Johnson, Freddie found a welcoming culture with lawyers from all walks and ethnic groups. Six years later, his fellow Southern alumni asked him to serve as Chancellor of the school’s Law Center. Again seeing a role where he could create positive change, Freddie agreed. Under his leadership, Southern Law grew to support the most diverse law school faculty and one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation.

His work at Phelps helped him prepare for this position, offering support and adding to the long list of varied experience that equipped him to relate to students as they prepared for legal practice. And Freddie said Phelps’ support continued after his transition to Southern. At the law center, he noticed that firms in Chicago and New York were very active in recruiting his students. Why weren’t Louisiana firms recruiting from Southern as much as these firms were? Freddie realized this problem was two-fold. He brought the issue to Phelps’ managing partner, connecting the firm to talented new attorneys and motivating Phelps to set up scholarships for Southern Law students.

Freddie also talked with students to see why they would rather head to New York or Chicago instead of staying in Louisiana. He found that students weren’t convinced that Louisiana companies were committed to hiring and supporting diverse candidates. So what can businesses do to establish an environment where diverse candidates can achieve their goals?

How Businesses Can Find and Keep Talented, Diverse Professionals

Finding and mentoring talent early on is important. As Freddie found in his students at Southern, “there are goldmines out there, but you have to mine for the gold.” Recruiting at HBCUs is a great way to boost diversity recruiting efforts. Stay active in your industry and community. Show that you’re genuinely interested in diverse candidates and that you care about their well-being and professional goals. When businesses display genuine care, their employees will follow suit.

Attracting talent is the first step, but you also need to invest in your professionals if you want them to stay at your company. Make sure new hires feel welcomed and supported by taking action to mentor them. Bring them into the room, whether that means including them on calls and meetings, or taking time to loop them in on projects. Put them in positions that show them they can achieve their goals, and they can do it at your company. Make your business a place where they want to realize their goals.

The experiences you give young professionals will shape their careers and open their minds to what they can become. . Taking on the costs of professional development and creating a culture of mentorship will give your professionals the tools to succeed, and your company will be better for it.

Freddie’s Tips for Success in Law School and Beyond

Now back at Phelps after 12 years as Southern Law’s Chancellor, Freddie remains committed to building an environment where diversity can thrive. And he still teaches at Southern. His advice to law students echoes the keys to his own success:

• Take all that you can from each experience, because it will prepare you for the next one.
• You’ll get as much out of the pipeline as you put into it.
• Learn your craft and work to be a good lawyer. And don’t ever let up on this pursuit, because your clients deserve your best every day.
• The more rigor and challenges you endure, the better you’ll be for it at the end of the day.

All companies can benefit from pipeline mentorship. No matter your industry or organization, when you welcome people from all different backgrounds to get involved, it leads to a better understanding of each other, a better appreciation of our differences and a better place to work. Invest in your talent and the rewards will follow.