Target Named Employer of Choice Award Winner

Target Named Employer of Choice by Minority Corporate Counsel Association

WASHINGTON – The Minority Corporate Counsel Association has named the Law and Employee and the Labor Relations teams of Target Corporation as its 2013 Employer of Choice Award winner for the Midwest Region. Target was selected from corporations across the Midwest for demonstrating a commitment to diversity and creating and maintaining an inclusive workplace. The company will be recognized at MCCA’s Diversity Honors Gala in September.

Diversity and inclusion is part of Target’s culture and is incorporated into every area of the company, including its attorney ranks. Target uses intentional development plans for its diverse legal talent, including having diverse attorneys serve as both mentors and mentees within the organization. In 2012, MCCA honored Target with a Diversity Innovator award for a scorecard process designed to recognize and reward outside counsel for actionable commitment to enhancing opportunities for diverse attorneys. Target also recently launched its 1L Diversity Mock Interview Program, in which over 30 diverse first-year law students from all four Minnesota law schools participated in a half-day of best practice training, feedback sessions and mock interviews at Target. In 2013, Target will launch its Target Diversity in Law Scholarship Program.

“Target seeks to view its business through the lens of diversity and inclusion,” said Joseph K. West, MCCA’s president and CEO. “This mindset impacts the ways Target recruits and mentors minority attorneys, how they conduct their daily work and how they select outside law firms. By living out a philosophy of diversity, they serve as a role model for the wider legal community. Target has truly earned the title of Employer of Choice.”

“At Target, our team is our greatest competitive advantage, and by fostering diversity and inclusion across our business, we benefit our team members, guests, shareholders and communities,” said Tim Baer, executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Target. “We’re honored to be recognized by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association for something that’s so key to our success.”

Target and four other regional winners will be honored at MCCA’s Diversity Honors Gala at the Lincoln Center in New York City on September 17. The evening will begin with a red-carpet reception followed by the awards program in the Starr Theater that combines honors with entertainment, ending with an elegant VIP Reception in Alice Tully Hall. MCCA will also present the George B. Vashon Innovator Award to corporate legal departments and law firms or legal associations that implement outstanding diversity programs. During the reception, one individual will be honored with MCCA’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

To learn more about MCCA’s Diversity Honors Gala and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.mcca.com or contact Jennifer Chen, Vice President – External Relations, at JenChen@mcca.com or 202-739-5902.

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., and also has a Southeast regional office in Atlanta, Ga. For more information, go to mcca.com.