Akin Gump Receives Award for Sustained Commitment to Diversity
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(Washington, D.C.) - The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) has again selected Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld as a recipient of the Thomas L. Sager Award. The firm previously received the Award in both 1999 and 2001. The award was presented at the MCCA’s annual Diversity Dinner on June 13 in Washington.
The Sager Award was created as a tribute to DuPont Associate General Counsel Thomas L. Sager, who has demonstrated a relentless commitment to increasing diversity in the legal profession. Given to inspire others to lead by example and create meaningful solutions, the Sager Award recognizes leaders who have shown a sustained effort to improve the hiring, retention and promotion of minority attorneys.
Veta Richardson, MCCA’s executive director, commented, “Tom Sager typifies the kind of commitment MCCA wants to encourage - leadership by example and a deep, consistent sense of responsibility for creating results. The award will be given to those who carry on that spirit.”
R. Bruce McLean, Akin Gump’s chairman, said, “The recruitment and retention of minorities and women are two of our firm’s highest priorities. We are deeply honored that the Minority Corporate Counsel Association has recognized our ongoing commitment to develop and maintain a diverse work force of very talented attorneys.”
Akin Gump’s leadership - including founding partner Robert S. Strauss and Vernon E. Jordan Jr. - are strong advocates for diversity in the legal profession. As part of its commitment to enhance the status of minorities within the legal profession, Akin Gump actively recruits women and minority students from a broad cross-section of law schools throughout the country. The firm also participates in such recruiting events as minority road shows, mock interview programs and BLSA job fairs.
The results of Akin Gump’s efforts are evident in the diversity of the firm’s professional workforce. Today, Akin Gump employs more than 1,000 lawyers from diverse backgrounds. Of these, 287 are female, 38 are African-American, 35 are Hispanic, 35 are Asian and 3 are American Indian.
Founded in 1945, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P., a leading international law firm, numbers more than 1,000 lawyers with offices in Austin, Brussels, Dallas, Denver, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, Northern Virginia, Philadelphia, Riyadh (affiliate), San Antonio and Washington. The firm has a diversified practice and represents regional, national and international clients in a wide range of areas, including antitrust; banking and financial institutions; capital markets; communications; corporate and securities; employee benefits; energy, land use and environment; entertainment; estate planning, wealth transfer and probate; financial restructuring; government contracts; health; insurance; intellectual property; international; investment management; labor and employment; litigation; mergers and acquisitions; privatization; project development and finance; public law and policy; real estate and finance; taxation; and technology. For additional information, please visit our Web site at http://www.akingump.com.