Xerox Becomes First Corporate Sponsor of MCCA Mentoring Program

Xerox Becomes First Corporate Sponsor of MCCA Mentoring Program

Washington, D.C. (April 14, 2009) – The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) today announced that the Xerox Corporation Office of General Counsel (OGC) has become the first corporate sponsor of MCCA’s new KAN-Do! Mentoring Program.

KAN-Do! Mentoring, which was launched in late 2008, stands for Knowledge Access Networks, is a mentoring program designed to advance diversity in the practice of law.   MCCA launched its KAN-Do! Mentoring program by beginning to sign up attorneys who agree to be mentors.  The program will open up for mentee registration later this spring.  MCCA developed this web-based approach to mentoring to empower seasoned lawyers in its network to connect with up and coming diverse lawyers. As Veta Richardson, Executive Director of MCCA states, “For lawyers from historically underrepresented groups, including women, racial/ethnic minorities, LGBT lawyers and lawyers with disabilities, mentoring can be an instrumental element in advancing their careers and helping them break through the glass ceiling.”

In becoming a corporate sponsor, Xerox has committed to adopting the program as an official community service project for its legal department and will encourage all of the U.S. based lawyers to sign up as mentors.  Xerox is the first corporate sponsor of MCCA’s KAN-Do Mentoring Program.

“I appreciate the mentors that I have had and the opportunities to mentor others during my legal career,” said Mr. Don H. Liu, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Xerox Corporation and MCCA Chairman of the Board.  “Mentoring can provide the hands-on training, experience, and personal support systems required to develop, retain and advance talented attorneys. This online program makes it much easier for diverse attorneys to develop mentoring relationships across geographical boundaries and time zones.”

Three key aspects to the KAN-Do program are:

• Knowledge. Through research and education efforts, MCCA focuses on increasing knowledge of diversity issues and strives to be a trusted knowledge center on diversity issues for the entire legal profession.
• Access. MCCA’s diversity best practices and programs, such as the CLE Expo, its Pathways to Diversity® Conferences and “Hot Jobs” emails are designed to provide greater access to opportunities for diverse lawyers.
• Networks. Participants in MCCA face-to-face and online events consistently rate these events highly for the networking opportunities they make available. It’s MCCA’s goal to offer people who are committed to advancing diversity a variety of ways to connect with one another and to build their professional and personal networks.

For more information about this program, visit the MCCA website, click on “Career Center” and go to the section on “Mentoring Program.” If you, your corporate law department or law firm are interested in becoming involved with the MCCA KAN-Do! Mentoring program contact Peter Chin at MCCA (202)739-5901 or email him at peterchin@mcca.com.

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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