HOUSTON – The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) will honor three of the nation’s leading corporate legal departments and spotlight one law firm with diversity awards at its South/Southwest Region Diversity Dialogue and Awards Program on February 18, 2010, at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Receiving MCCA’s Employer of Choice Award this year are the legal departments of AT&T, Citgo Petroleum and Shell Oil. They were chosen for demonstrating a commitment to diversity and creating and maintaining an inclusive workplace. Accepting the awards on behalf of their legal departments will be Wayne Watts, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel, AT&T; Dean Hasseman, General Counsel, CITGO Petroleum Corporation; and William C. Lowrey, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Shell Oil Company.
Two law firms, Baker Botts L.L.P. and Sutin Thayer & Browne, were selected to receive the Thomas L. Sager Award, named in honor of Thomas L. Sager, MCCA Board member and Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the DuPont Company. This award is given to law firms that demonstrate sustained commitment to improving the hiring, retention and promotion of minority attorneys. Accepting the award for Baker Botts will be Managing Partner Walter Smith; and receiving it for Sutin Thayer & Browne will be Recruiting Director Sarita Nair, joined by firm President and CEO, Jay Rosenblum.
Recipients will receive the awards during the Diversity Dialogue and Awards program, which will also include a panel discussion of diversity best practices with the 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.
The Houston event is part of an annual series of five programs designed to address issues of diversity in corporate law departments. MCCA Diversity Dialogue and Awards programs are also held in Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York City and Los Angeles.
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 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
Sutin, Thayer & Browne is one of the state’s largest law firms with offices in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, providing exceptional service to New Mexico since 1946.