(WASHINGTON, D.C., August 14, 2014)—Three Reed Smith associates—Monica Choi Arredondo in Los Angeles, Maria E. Jones in San Francisco and Jenai H. St. Hill in Philadelphia—are honored in the second annual 2014 Lawyers of Color Hot List.

The Hot List, published annually by Lawyers of Color Inc., specifically recognizes early- to mid-career minority attorneys under the age of 40 for their noteworthy accomplishments and activism in legal pipeline initiatives.

“We commend Maria, Monica and Jenai for this outstanding achievement,” said Global Managing Partner Sandy Thomas. “These three incredibly talented attorneys have provided high quality legal service to our firm and our clients, and they are emerging voices for equality and inclusion in their communities.”

Among those featured on the 2014 Eastern Region Hot List is:

• Jenai H. St. Hill, a Philadelphia-based member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Group, who defends clients in a wide-range of civil litigation matters, with an emphasis on financial services litigation, in the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Jenai’s dedication to her community is exemplified through her pro bono work; she is currently involved in a capital conviction case defending a man on death row in Pennsylvania. She also has successfully defended an institutional nonprofit client in a breach of contract suit that resulted in dismissal of the action in favor of the client.

Among those featured on the 2014 Western Region LOC Hot List are:

• Maria E. Jones, a San Francisco-based member of Reed Smith’s Financial Industries Group, who defends clients in both complex commercial and financial services litigation matters. Maria is from Montana and is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Indian Nation. She is also a member of the National Native American Bar Association, an Assembly Representative in the ABA Young Lawyers Division, Programming Chair of the Black Women Lawyers Association of Northern California, and a member of Lambda Legal, San Francisco Leadership Committee.
• Monica Choi Arredondo, a Los Angeles-based member of the Commercial Litigation Group, with experience in product liability and business litigation. Monica's practice currently focuses on the defense of major pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in a wide range of litigation matters in both federal and state courts. She was born and raised in Recife, Brazil.

“We are proud of these young leaders in Diversity and Inclusion initiatives,” said said Tyree P. Jones, Jr., Chair of Global Diversity and Inclusion at Reed Smith. “At Reed Smith, we work continuously to foster a diverse, inclusive and gender-balanced environment that supports the growth and development of all of our people, and by extension, our firm.”

As with last year, when four Reed Smith attorneys were included in the 2013 Hot List, the 2014 honorees were chosen by a selection committee that spent months reviewing nominations, bar publications and legal blogs in order to identify promising candidates. The Lawyers of Color Hot List is among the leading indicators of today’s top diverse attorneys recognized by the American Bar Association, National Black Law Students Association and National Association of Black Journalists.

About Reed Smith

Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,800 lawyers in 25 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.

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