National Law Journal Names Two at Akin Gump to List of 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America
(Washington, D.C.) – Vernon E. Jordan Jr. and Prakash H. Mehta of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP have been named to The National Law Journal’s list of The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America.
In compiling its list, the NLJ sought out lawyers “who have had a national impact in their legal fields and beyond during the past five years.” Specifically, the publication looked for those “who have demonstrated the power to change the law, shape public affairs, launch industries and get big things done.”
Michael Moline, associate editor of The National Law Journal, commented, “There’s no question that the attorneys listed here truly represent important movers and shakers.”
Civil rights leader and presidential adviser Vernon Jordan Jr. was recognized by the NLJ for his tenure as president and CEO of the National Urban League and executive director of the United Negro College Fund and for his role as chairman of the 1992 Clinton Presidential Transition Team. “A well-known troubleshooter,” he has served on the boards of countless corporations, universities and foundations and as a member of James Baker’s bipartisan Iraq Study Group. In 2001 he received the NAACP’s highest honor, the Joel E. Spingarn medal, which recognizes distinguished merit and achievement among African Americans. A graduate of DePauw University and Howard University Law School, Mr. Jordan is the author of the highly acclaimed autobiography Vernon Can Read! A Memoir.
Described by the NLJ as “the rare practitioner who can take a fund from its inception through its various stages of growth,” Washington, D.C., partner Prakash Mehta was singled out for his representation of “some of the largest and most prominent hedge and private equity funds in the world” and for his ability “to spot complex investment trends as they emerge.” A graduate of Georgetown University and its Law Center, Mr. Mehta co-heads Akin Gump’s private equity practice group.
Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a leading international law firm, numbers more than 1,000 lawyers and advisors in the United States, Europe and Asia.
# # #