October 19, 2009
Diane Nowak-Waring
Court Blatchford
410-626-0805
mediarelations@mcca.com
MCCA to Honor Diversity Initiatives of Legal Departments, Law Firm
WASHINGTON – The Minority Corporate Counsel Association Inc. (MCCA) will honor two of the nation’s leading corporate legal departments and spotlight a law firm with diversity awards at its Northeast Region Diversity Dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on November 11, 2009. The event will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m.
Receiving MCCA’s Employer of Choice Award this year are the legal departments of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Xerox Corporation. They were chosen for demonstrating a commitment to diversity and creating and maintaining an inclusive workplace. Accepting the award for Bristol-Myers Squibb will be Sandra Leung, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Accepting for Xerox will be Don H. Liu, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.
The international law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf will be honored for the second consecutive year as recipient of the Thomas L. Sager Award, named for MCCA board member and DuPont Company Senior Vice President and General Counsel Thomas L. Sager. This award is given to law firms that demonstrate sustained commitment to improving the hiring, retention and promotion of minority attorneys. Steven H. Davis, Chairman of Dewey & LeBoeuf, will accept the award on behalf of the firm.
Co-hosting the Northeast Region Diversity Dinner will be Steven E. Zipperstein, Vice President, Legal & External Affairs and General Counsel for Verizon Wireless; and Robert A. Marchman, Executive Vice President, Division of Enforcement & Risk Group, for NYSE Regulation.
To attend the dinner, contact Jennifer Chen at MCCA, 202-739-5902 or jenchen@mcca.com.
From 4:00-5:30 p.m., MCCA will also host the Diversity Dialogue, a panel discussion of diversity best practices featuring the evening’s award winners. The Diversity Dialogue is part of a professional development series that gives attendees information about award-winning diversity initiatives in their local areas, as well as practical information they can take back to their companies or law firms.
The New York dinner is part of an annual series of five dinners designed to address issues of diversity in corporate law departments. MCCA Diversity Dinners are also held in Dallas, Washington, D.C., Chicago and San Francisco.
The Minority Corporate Counsel Association advocates for the expanded hiring, promotion, and retention of minority attorneys in corporate legal departments and the law firms that serve them. MCCA furthers its mission by publishing research on achieving diversity and best practices in the legal profession, honoring innovative diversity programs with its Employer of Choice and Thomas L. Sager awards, and assisting diverse law students through the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program. MCCA’s work has been recognized with awards from the National Minority Business Council, Inc., the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Gay and Lesbian Law Association, and the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Founded in 1997, MCCA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and also has a Southeast regional office in Atlanta, Ga. For more information, go to mcca.com