Hispanic Bar Association Names Akin Gump as Recipient of Diversity Award

(Washington, D.C.) – The Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia (HBA-DC) has named Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as the recipient of its 2008 Employer Diversity Award.

Presented annually, the Employer Diversity Award recognizes the D.C. metro-area employer that has shown “a commitment and success rate in recruiting and retaining Hispanic professionals” and has served as “a role model for other legal employers who are looking to implement and improve diversity in the workplace.” The award recipient is selected based on the results of the HBA-D.C.’s diversity survey, which solicits information about employers’ diversity programs and practices and then evaluates each employer’s engagement in efforts to meet the needs of Hispanic attorneys.

In recognizing Akin Gump, the HBA-D.C. cited the firm’s “success in integrating Latino attorneys at all levels of leadership within the D.C. office,” as well as its overall diversity practices, including its diversity receptions for first-year law students, its development of diversity committees at both national and local levels to address day-to-day issues related to diversity, its consistent participation in minority recruitment fairs, and its involvement in activities from various minority bar associations, including the HBA-DC.

Dwayne Mason, chair of Akin Gump’s firmwide diversity committee, said, “Akin Gump has long been committed to diversity and inclusiveness at all levels. Our success in the global market, and our success in meeting internal objectives of excellence in mentoring, supervision and professional development, depends on ensuring that we achieve and maintain a critical mass of diversity in our partnership and in our associate population. We are very pleased that the Hispanic Bar Association has recognized our commitment.”

Founded in 1977, the HBA-DC is dedicated to advancing and developing Latinos in the legal profession; promoting equal justice and opportunity for all Hispanics; educating the Hispanic community about relevant legal issues; promoting the professional development of Hispanic lawyers and law students; encouraging Latinos to enter the legal profession; and promoting the appointment of Hispanics to leadership positions in federal, state and local governments, in the judiciary, and in other leadership positions.

Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a leading international law firm, numbers more than 900 lawyers in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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