Reed Smith LLP Honored with Sager Award

Reed Smith LLP Honored with Sager Award from Minority Corporate Counsel Association

WASHINGTON – For demonstrating an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, Reed Smith LLP has received the prestigious Thomas L. Sager Award from The Minority Corporate Counsel Association. The law firm was honored during MCCA’s annual Taste of MCCA Networking Series held at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, Calif., on March 5, 2013. Accepting the award on behalf of Reed Smith LLP was Tyree P. Jones, Jr., Partner and Director of Global Diversity & Inclusion.

The event was attended by 150 people, and was hosted by Mayer Brown LLP. Attendees enjoyed networking and a wine tasting. The event was attended by 150 people, and was hosted by Mayer Brown LLP.  Attendees enjoyed networking and a wine tasting.

Each year, MCCA awards the Thomas L. Sager Award to five law firms across the nation that exemplify diversity and inclusion by improving their hiring, retention, and promotion of minority attorneys. The award is named for MCCA board member and DuPont Company Senior Vice President and General Counsel Thomas L. Sager. It is presented at Taste of MCCA Networking Series around the country.

Reed Smith LLP received the award for its focus on recruitment and mentoring, including:

• The Diverse Scholars Program, a national program that recognizes first-year law students who exhibit a commitment to diversity and inclusion with $15,000 scholarships and positions in the firm’s summer program.
• The “CareeRS” mentoring program, which assigns a partner to every associate as a career advisor. The California offices of Reed Smith enhanced this program by pairing diverse associates with diverse partners as mentors.
• The “PipelineRS” program, which tracks the development and advancement of Reed Smith’s diverse and women attorneys.

“Although some law firms have scaled back their diversity effort in recent years,” said Joseph K. West, MCCA President and CEO, “Reed Smith has continued to provide opportunities for all of their talent to grow and thrive, thereby making their firm stronger and more competitive. We hope the entire legal industry will follow their example.”

Two other law firms were recognized as finalists during the event:

DLA Piper LLP was recognized for its Champions program. The program supports the firm’s goal to retain, develop, and advance diverse lawyers. It pairs diverse lawyers who demonstrate high potential with “champions”: senior level, influential partners who work to advance their protégés’ careers.

Gordon & Rees LLP was recognized for increasing diversity among its leadership ranks, recently hiring and promoting several diverse or women attorneys to manage its offices in Sacramento and San Francisco. The firm also realized that its recruiting efforts must be matched by retention initiatives; it instituted a mentorship/peer-to-peer program last year for all new attorneys regardless of background or experience level.

MCCA was founded in 1997 to advance the hiring, retention and promotion of diverse attorneys in legal departments and the law firms that serve them. MCCA accomplishes its mission through publishing, research and training, pipeline initiatives and networking. MCCA’s work has been recognized with awards from the National Minority Business Council, Inc., the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National LGBT Bar, 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.