(September 29, 2005, San Francisco, CA) – Reed Smith LLP, a top 25 global law firm, has been named winner of the 2005 Thomas L. Sager Award for the Western Region by the Minority Corporate Council Association (MCCA). The award is given annually to a law firm demonstrating a sustained commitment to improve the hiring, retention and promotion of minority attorneys.
“We’re exceptionally proud to be named as the 2005 Sager Award winner for the Western U.S. ,” said Greg Jordan , Reed Smith’s managing partner. “As a firm dedicated to creating a work environment that values and affirms differences, we view this honor not as the culmination of our diversity efforts, but as recognition that we are heading in the right direction in our many initiatives and programs focused achieving and sustaining diversity in the legal profession.”
The award will be presented September 28 at the MCCA Diversity Dinner Series in San Francisco.
MCCA originated the Sager Award in 1997 to honor of Thomas L. Sager, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of DuPont, who is a pioneer in promoting diversity in the legal profession. Each year, the MCCA Board presents the Sager Award to one law firm in each of five U. S. regions -- the West, Midwest, Southwest, Northeast, and Mid-East.
Reed Smith’s Director of Diversity Cathy Bissoon said, “This is a very prestigious award and we are delighted to be named as MCCA’s recipient in the West. It’s a reflection that our Diversity Committee has made and continues to make significant progress in broadening Reed Smith’s efforts to recruit diverse personnel - both laterally and at the entry level, to develop innovative ways to attract and retain diverse talent and to address issues unique to diverse attorneys, including providing an exceptional internal support system.”
The Sager Award criteria include recruitment of diverse lawyers; retention efforts; mentoring programs; promotion of minority lawyers and women ; collaborative efforts with the community, outreach efforts; and, innovative practices across all criteria.
Each recipient of the Sager Award is profiled in Diversity & the Bar magazine, the official magazine of MCCA published in conjunction with American Lawyer Media and distributed, on a quarterly basis, as an insert to Corporate Counsel Magazine to 30,000 members of the legal community nationwide.
Reed Smith LLP, a top-25 international law firm with 1,000 lawyers located in offices throughout the United States and Europe, represents Fortune 100 as well as mid-market and emerging companies. Clients include financial services firms, life sciences companies, health care providers, technology companies and entrepreneurs, power generators and suppliers, manufacturers, universities, non-profit organizations, real estate developers, and municipalities throughout the United States and in 40 countries. For more information, visit www.reedsmith.com.