Duane Morris LLP - Diversity Highlights

Diversity Highlights

Diversity Retreats Offer Diverse Associates Valuable Forum for Mentoring and Career Development

Diversity Retreat 2008 Each spring, minority associates from across the country attend the annual Duane Morris Diversity Retreat to learn from minority partners and firm leadership and share their experiences at the firm. Programming at this popular event includes roundtable discussions of retention issues, Diversity Retreat 2009 Nolan Atkinson and Mayor Michael Nutter Q&A sessions on matters that affect minority attorneys and panels on marketing and business development strategies. In 2010, guest speakers included Mayda Prego, Senior Counsel, Chevron Corporation's Global Downstream/Latin America & Caribbean Regional Unit, and Norma Romero-Mitchell, President of Benefits Plus Consulting Group, Inc. In 2009, our diverse attorneys and diversity committee members attended a dinner at Philadelphia City Hall, featuring speaker Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. In 2008, our guest speaker was Wendy Shiba, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of KB Home. In 2007, our guest speaker was Douglas Gaston, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Comcast Cable.

The attendees have responded with overwhelmingly positive feedback. These successful events have become a regular part of Duane Morris' diversity programming.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation Ranks Duane Morris in Top Category for Corporate Equality

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation's largest advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) Americans, gave Duane Morris a perfect score and rated it one of the top organizations in its 2010 Corporate Equality Index and Best Places to Work Survey. The survey rates businesses and firms on non-discrimination policies, gender identity and diversity training, domestic partner health insurance and other benefits for domestic partners. Receiving 100 points out of a possible 100 points, the firm achieved a five-point increase over its 2009 survey results.

In addition to its high marks for its policies, training and benefits, Duane Morris has been a major sponsor of the Equality Forum, a national nonprofit GLBT organization, and its annual International Equality Dinner for the past six years.

Nolan Atkinson and Leslie Carter Obtain Posthumous Admittance of George Vashon to Pennsylvania Bar

Nolan Atkinson and Leslie Carter Chief Diversity Officer Nolan Atkinson, Jr. and associate Leslie Carter played a major role in petitioning the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on behalf of the family of George B. Vashon, Atkinson's great-grandfather, to posthumously admit Vashon to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Vashon sought admission to practice law in Allegheny County in 1847 and 1868, but was rejected in both cases because of his race. He was the first black to graduate from Oberlin College, later became the first black lawyer in New York state and the first black professor at Howard University.

Cheryl Blackwell Bryson Receives 2010 Women of Excellence Award

Cheryl Blackwell Bryson, a partner in the Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group in Chicago, was awarded the 2010 Women of Excellence Award from The Chicago Defender. Bryson was honored for her reputation for excellence in the law as well as for her role as chair of the board of trustees at the DuSable Museum of African American History.

Cyndie Chang Accepted to Join Prestigious Leadership Academy

Cyndie Chang, an associate in the Los Angeles office, has been accepted to join the ABA's Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) Leadership Academy for the 2010-2011 bar year. TIPS is a highly competitive program for emerging leaders in the law. Chang previously was honored with the President's Award at the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCLA) banquet for outstanding service and commitment to SCCLA. In 2007, Chang chaired "Phoenix Rising," a full-day MCLE event. SCCLA is one of the largest and oldest minority bar organizations in Southern California. Chang is the treasurer of the organization.

Duane Morris Sponsors Diversity Event in Boston

Duane Morris' Boston office recently hosted the Asian-American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts' third annual Speed Mentoring Night. Twenty mentors and 42 mentees engaged in five rounds of 15-minute sessions during which law students, recent graduates and junior lawyers were paired with more-senior attorneys from various fields and affiliations. The event was featured in a spread in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.

Duane Morris Sponsors Diversity Event in Chicago

Neville Bilimoria Duane Morris hosted and sponsored an event for the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms. "Sweet Home Chicago," is an annual cocktail and networking gathering of the Committee showcasing diversity in large law firms to attorneys and law school students from around the country. Partner Neville Bilimoria helped to organize and support the event and partner Cheryl Blackwell Bryson spoke on "Maximizing Your Chances for a Successful Summer Experience" along with a panel of outside presenters. The firm's Chicago office held a reception for more than 350 attendees after the program.

Denyse Sabagh Named One of 30 "Stars of the Bar" by Washingtonian Magazine

Denyse Sabagh has been named as one of the 30 "Stars of the Bar" in Washingtonian magazine's listing of the "top guns of the profession" in Washington, D.C. The magazine said, "Sabagh's peers describe her as the immigration lawyer who can do it all."

Sabagh practices in the areas of immigration and nationality law and litigation and has more than 25 years of experience in representing diverse clients. She helps corporate clients manage both inbound and outbound employment immigration and is a recognized leader in developing strategic business immigration programs and policies.

Nolan Atkinson Honored With Inaugural Diversity Awards

Nolan Atkinson Nolan N. Atkinson, Jr., the firm's Chief Diversity Officer, received the inaugural 2009 American Bar Association Section of Litigation Diversity Leadership Award. The honor was bestowed to recognize Atkinson's commitment to promoting full and equal participation in the legal profession through the encouragement and inclusion of women, people of color, persons with disabilities and/or persons of differing sexual orientations and gender identities.

In another first, Atkinson was honored with the Philadelphia Bar Association's inaugural Chancellor's Diversity Award. That award was created to honor a law firm, legal organization or individual for advancing diversity in the legal profession. Atkinson was noted for his work to co-found the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group, an organization that promotes diversity in the practice of law and helps connect first-year minority law students with summer internships at firms and companies. Atkinson is also a recipient of the Philadelphia Business Journal's 2010 Minority Business Leader Award.

Atkinson Named to Mayor's Advisory Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform

Atkinson was named by Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter to serve on the Mayor's Advisory Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform. The Task Force provides a comprehensive evaluation of the city's public campaign financing ordinances, ethics board opinions and other ethics issues.

Duane Morris Partner Lida Rodriguez-Taseff Receives Diversity Award

Lida Rodriguez-Taseff has been awarded a Legacy Diversity Award from the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO). The award honors those who have demonstrated leadership in advancing opportunities for diversity in the legal profession. Rodriguez-Taseff was also selected to be honored by The Miami Workers Center, an organization that develops and supports community organizing campaigns and education programs. Rodriguez-Taseff was chosen for her work mobilizing thousands of Latinos in the area during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Rodriguez-Taseff, who practices in the firm's Miami office, focuses in the area of commercial litigation. She is a frequent television legal commentator and is a national Spanish media spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union. She is a member of Duane Morris' Diversity Committee.

CLEO promotes diversity through providing scholarships and support programs to minority, underrepresented and economically disadvantaged law students.

Duane Morris Partner Robert L. Archie, Jr. Named One of Philadelphia's Most Influential African Americans

The Philadelphia Tribune, the nation's oldest black newspaper, named corporate partner Robert L. Archie, Jr. one of "Philadelphia's Most Influential African Americans 2009: Movers and Shakers" for demonstrating leadership in the community. Archie serves on the boards of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, Universal Institute Charter School, Lincoln University (the first historically black university in the U.S.) and Universal Communities Homes, Inc. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter named Archie chairman of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, which runs the School District of Philadelphia.

Mehrin Masud-Elias Appointed to South Asian Bar Association Board

Mehrin Masud-Elias, an associate in the Philadelphia office, was recently appointed a board member of the South Asian Bar Association of Philadelphia, serving as Secretary for the organization. Masud-Elias is also on the planning committee for the 2009 National South Asian Bar Association Convention. She has presented nationally on topics including challenges facing South Asian women in law and navigating diversity in the workplace. She was recently appointed to the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Terrance Evans Selected for Stakeholder 100 Program

Duane Morris San Francisco associate Terrance Evans was selected as a member of the Stakeholder 100 Class of 2007. A team of senior in-house counsel and executives enlisted by Stakeholder 100, which invests in top performing associates of color, selected Evans from nominations around the country based on his application, nomination by partner Yvette Roland and overall excellent track record. Evans will receive ongoing formal career management training through the Stakeholder Academy, which will provide the tools and network to help maximize his value to the firm, his clients and the legal profession.