April 8, 2009
Diane Nowak-Waring
Court Blatchford
410-626-0805
mediarelations@mcca.com
MCCA Brings Corporate Counsel, Law Firms and Top Athletes Together for
Education and Recreation Summit
Miami, Florida – The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) is holding its 6th Annual General Counsel Invitational Education & Recreation Summit (GCI) from Thursday, April 16th to Saturday, April 18th at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, Florida. For information on how to participate, contact Jennifer Chen at 202-739-5902 or email her at jenchen@mcca.com or visit www.mcca.com/golf.
Attendees to the GCI will include in-house counsel from Fortune 500 companies, lawyers from law firms around the country and some NBA and NFL guests. Sam Jones, former Boston Celtic and ten-time World Champion, has been a familiar face at the event for the last five years. This year, he will be joined by Penny Hardaway (former Orlando Magic & Miami Heat player), Artis Gilmore (former San Antonio Spurs star), Brian Mitchell (former Washington Redskins/ Philadelphia Eagles two-time Super Bowl Champion) and Ricky Ervins (former Washington Redskins and Super Bowl Champion).
The weekend includes CLE credited sessions each day, complimentary spa services, various golfing opportunities on Thursday and Friday, and on Saturday there is a golf tournament and awards reception. There will also be numerous networking events during the weekend.
The CLE sessions begin with a panel on Thursday, during which in-house corporate attorneys will discuss the roles, responsibilities and challenges facing in-house counsel today and how those roles have changed. Friday’s seminar, presented by Pfizer, will outline the 2009 best practices toward achieving diversity and focus on convergence programs. Saturday’s panel discussion will help lawyers of all ages decode the different communication styles that various generations bring to the legal workplace.
MCCA created the GCI as the signature event to help raise funds for its Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program. This Scholarship Program assists financially disadvantaged law students with scholarships to help defray their education expenses. MCCA presents several $10,000 scholarships to outstanding students who have overcome significant obstacles, are from underprivileged backgrounds, have been admitted to law school, and consistent with MCCA’s mission, have a commitment to diversity issues. The program’s mentoring component also exposes these law students to a group of legal leaders who can help to guide their entry into the profession.
The Minority Corporate Counsel Association advocates for the expanded hiring, retention, and promotion of minority attorneys in corporate legal departments and the law firms that serve them. Since its founding in 1997, MCCA has emerged as the legal profession’s knowledge leader on diversity issues and its expanded platform offers solutions to diversity management challenges involving women, physically challenged, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lawyers, in addition to attorneys of color (which remains its primary focus).
MCCA advances its mission by publishing innovative research, illuminating diversity best practices, honoring diversity leadership with its prestigious Employer of Choice and Thomas L. Sager awards, and assisting diverse law students through the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program. MCCA’s award-winning programs and services have been cited by several leading organizations, including the National Minority Business Council, Inc., the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National LGBT Bar Association, and the Association of Corporate Counsel.
MCCA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and also has a southeast regional office in Atlanta, Ga. For more information, go to mcca.com
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