Seyfarth Shaw LLP Honored With Sager Award

Seyfarth Shaw LLP Honored With Sager Award from Minority Corporate Counsel Association

WASHINGTON – For demonstrating an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, Seyfarth Shaw LLP has received the prestigious Thomas L. Sager Award from The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA). The law firm was honored during MCCA’s annual Taste of MCCA Networking Series held at the Union League Club of Chicago on May 7, 2013. Accepting the award on behalf of Seyfarth Shaw LLP was Laura Maechtlen, Partner.

The event was attended by 75 people, who 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.

Seyfarth Shaw LLP received the award for its innovative Seyfarth Fellows Program. The selection is specialized, relying on input from law professors who identify outstanding students who have demonstrated a particular interest in the firm’s practice areas. Combined with the firm’s mentoring program, which uses a mentor-mentee-sponsor triad, Seyfarth hasn’t had trouble retaining diverse counsel. It has increased its number of women and minority attorneys every year for the past three years.

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

Schiff Hardin LLP was honored for its new formal coaching and mentoring program based on input from its diversity committee. The firm has increased its number of attorneys over the past three years while increasing diversity: 10.8 percent of its attorneys are diverse and 35 percent are women.

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. was recognized for its Diversity & Inclusion Checklist, an innovative way of communicating the importance of inclusion as a core value. The program helped the firm rank sixth for overall diversity and diversity for women in Vault’s 2013 ranking, and 44.9 percent of SHB’s attorneys are women or minorities.

“A select group of law firms really exemplify what it means to embrace diversity, and Seyfarth Shaw LLP is one of the best,” said Joseph K. West, MCCA President and CEO. “We at MCCA are inspired by their efforts, and hope that other firms will follow their example. We are proud to present them with this Sager Award.”

About MCCA
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. For more information, go to mcca.com.