MCCA Announces 2012 Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Recipients
MCCA is pleased to announce its fifth class of fellows and scholars under the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program. The program awards fellowships and scholarships to aspiring attorneys with strong academic records who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and have a passion for diversity issues. MCCA’s goal is to help produce a diverse group of young lawyers who are prepared to lead and reshape the legal profession.
Developed by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and its supporters in 2005, the Scholarship Program currently is supported by some of America’s most admired companies and law firms. The Scholarship Program is named for Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr., the attorney whose visionary leadership was behind the formation of MCCA.
Through the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program, MCCA has committed more than $270,000 to its fifth class of students, and in excess of $1.425M over the duration of the program. Five Fellows will receive $10,000 per year for each of their three years of law school, and twelve students will receive a scholarship award of $10,000 for their first year. All seventeen students making up this year’s list of awardees will receive ongoing professional development support, including the opportunity to participate in a paid internship in a leading corporate law department.
These students—along with the companies and law firms that sponsor them—embody the diverse perspectives and experiences that MCCA advocates in the legal profession. Please join us in congratulating these award recipients. We also sincerely thank each of the sponsoring organizations listed, as well as our scholarship selection committee who selected these fi ne students. DB
Fellows
McGuireWoods LLP Fellow
Demi S. Williams, University of California, Berkeley School of Law
Microsoft Corporation Fellows
Alemayehu Ayanaw, Washington University School of Law Nila Bala, Yale Law School Edwin G. Lindo, University of Washington School of Law
Walmart Stores, Inc. Fellow
Alejandro G. Callirgos, University of California, Hastings College of the Law
Scholars
Arnold & Porter LLP Scholar
Jennifer Castillo, Boston College Law School
Baker & McKenzie LLP Scholar
Kelvan P. Howard, University of California, Berkeley School of Law
Walmart Stores, Inc. Fellow
Alejandro G. Callirgos, University of California, Hastings College of the Law
Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP Scholar
William J. Moon, Yale Law School
Crowell & Moring LLP Scholar
Kendri M. Cesar, Harvard Law School
Day Pitney LLP Scholar
Diane Rish, University of Virginia School of Law
Groom Law Group, Chartered Scholar
Timothy D. Wong, Northwestern University School of Law
John Deere Company Scholar
Peter W. Chin, University of Maryland School of Law
Kilpatrick Stockton LLP Scholar
Freddie D. Stokes, Thomas M. Cooley Law School
King & Spalding LLP Scholar
Karla T. Turner, Vanderbilt University Law School
Nixon Peabody LLP Scholar
Elio Gonzalez, UCLA Law School
Robert Half Legal Scholar
William D. Perry, New York University School of Law
Walmart Stores, Inc. Scholar
Bejide` A. Davis, Emory University School of Law
MCCA Board Member Hinton J. Lucas Honored for Diversity Leadership Abroad
The MCCA network extends its congratulations to board member Hinton J. Lucas, DuPont Company’s vice president and assistant general counsel, upon being recognized by A Call to Action Canada for his leadership and advocacy to advance diversity efforts in law firms outside the U.S. The group has established an annual award that is named in his honor, and the inaugural awards were presented to both Mr. Lucas and Kevin Derbyshire, general counsel of DuPont Canada.
In 2009, Mr. Lucas and MCCA general counsel Brandon Fitzgerald traveled to Ontario to speak at a diversity summit organized by a group of Canadian lawyers who wished to launch their own equivalent to the Call to Action, which was set in motion in 2004 by senior corporate legal officers in the United States. Its mission is to encourage and support in-hhouse counsel in taking a leadership role in advancing diversity and inclusiveness in the legal profession. Signatories insist that their outside law firms demonstrate a true commitment to the full participation and advancement of women and minority lawyers within law firms. They also limit or terminate relationships with firms that demonstrate a lack of interest in being diverse and inclusive.
These efforts have been ongoing; so far, three corporations have signed A Call to Action Canada—DuPont Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, and Accenture LLP. For more information, visit www.acalltoactioncanada.com. DB
From the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Diversity & The Bar®