As Buchanan’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Lloyd Freeman is responsible for advancing and expanding diversity throughout the firm and across the legal industry as a whole. Lloyd develops and drives the firm’s diversity initiatives related to attorney hiring, retention and advancement. He oversees the firm’s affinity groups and promotes mentorship and sponsorship as key retention initiatives. Additionally, he collaborates with Buchanan’s clients to meet and advance their diversity and inclusion goals and coordinates partnerships for mutually-beneficial programs such as internships, thought leadership, speaking engagements and more. Lloyd is also involved in nurturing key partnerships to drive strategic diversity and inclusion marketing, as well as business development initiatives.
Lloyd has been a champion of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession throughout his career, including in his roles as a litigation partner and a Chief Diversity Officer at his previous firm. He is a sought-after speaker and has published articles on various diversity-related topics, including the impact of stigma and discrimination, implicit bias, allyship and imposter syndrome, among others.
Outside of the firm, Lloyd has served as president of the Garden State Bar Association (GSBA) and under his leadership, the GSBA raised nearly $100,000 and awarded scholarships to a record number of diverse law students. He also worked tirelessly in this role to increase diversity in the judiciary by endorsing scores of attorneys of color to be appointed to the bench.
He is chairman of the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region (BBBS) – the fourth largest agency in the nation, providing mentors to nearly 4,000 children in the Philadelphia and South Jersey area. On behalf of the agency, Lloyd has made numerous television appearances to promote BBBS programs and events while raising awareness of its mission and need for more mentors. Specifically, Lloyd has inspired dozens of black men to volunteer as mentors, a demographic that is in dire need. Further, Lloyd has donated hundreds of pro bono hours in legal services over the years to the agency.
Lloyd founded, and has chaired for a decade now, the Burlington Camden Achievement Foundation, which runs the Beautillion program—a scholarship and mentoring program designed to prepare high school males of color for college and subsequent life. To date, over 120 young men have completed the program; they’ve been accepted to over 650 colleges around the country and Freeman’s foundation has awarded them over $155,000 in scholarships.
In 2019, he was named Diverse Attorney of the Year by the New Jersey Law Journal and received the Minority Business Leader Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal. In 2018, he was listed as one of the Most Influential Black Lawyers in America by Savoy Magazine and was named “South Jersey’s Man of the Year” by South Jersey Magazine.
An avid traveler, Lloyd enjoys international vacations and cuisine—including traditional French classes at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Stateside, he enjoys summers in Martha’s Vineyard, perfecting his Kansas City barbeque skills and competitive cycling. Lloyd resides in Medford, New Jersey with his wife, Ebony, and children, Ailey and Beau.
