The American Lawyer Names Boston, Stoldt to Inaugural List of 'Northeast Trailblazers'

The American Lawyer named Arnold & Porter partners Sheila Boston and Derek Stoldt to its inaugural list of “Northeast Trailblazers.” The special supplement profiles individuals in the Northeast region who have "moved the needle in the legal industry."

Boston, a partner in the firm’s Product Liability Litigation practice, told The American Lawyer she does her best to “serve as a consistent presence and mentor to diverse attorneys at the firm.” In addition to being the creator of an inaugural Black affinity group in the firm’s New York office and one of the founders of the firm’s Diversity Committees, most recently, Boston became the first woman of color installed as president of the 150-year-old New York City Bar Association. She also established a firm ombuds program and continues to serve as an ombudsperson. She hopes to be a positive influence on the legal profession through her “attempts to demonstrate Black excellence and to develop, mentor, and support attorneys of color” coming into the profession behind her.

Stoldt, co-chair of the firm's Corporate and Finance group, told The American Lawyer that he was “humbled and grateful” to assist his clients in “paradigm-breaking work” dealing with unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stoldt and his team helped several life sciences clients create COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics and establish worldwide commercial distribution networks “under tremendous time-pressure,” given that there were “no precedents for the sorts of arrangements” the team put into place. Though many experts predicted that vaccine development and creating relevant supply chains would take many years, Stoldt credits the “tremendous expertise and good faith” of those involved for their swift work mitigating the pandemic’s ramifications. Stoldt is also involved in the firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts. He is a sponsor in Arnold & Porter’s pilot sponsorship program, which pairs senior partners with Black associates. He is also an active member of the Black Attorney Retention and Advancement Task Force.