PHILADELPHIA, April 9, 2024—Duane Morris LLP was presented with the David Cunningham Corporate Community Service Award at the 47th Annual California Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) Conference in Sacramento. The firm was recognized for its efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession, and for bringing awareness to implicit bias and access to justice issues in the state of California. The David Cunningham Corporate Community Service Award is the highest award that a company or law firm can receive from CABL.
Partner and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Joseph K. West accepted the award on behalf of Duane Morris. Additionally, partner Terrance J. Evans was recognized as a co-author of an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding affirmative action.
Duane Morris has been at the forefront on advancing issues that impact marginalized and under-served diverse communities. The firm supports a number of minority bar associations in California, including the National Bar Association, the Charles Houston Bar Association and CABL. In 2023, the firm hosted the Bar Association of San Francisco’s 11th annual Citywide Diversity and Inclusion Program.
Duane Morris collaborates with organizations in creating and sustaining programs to maximize the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion. The firm offers a wide range of services related to designing and implementing DEI, EEOC, cultural competencies and other training programs. Duane Morris attorneys also assist with ongoing monitoring and training on the ever-expanding regulatory landscape for both optional and mandatory diversity and inclusion related requirements, as well as with implicit bias training and its long-term impact on organizations.
Joseph K. West is a partner in the firm’s Trial Practice Group and practices in the area of complex litigation, handling a variety of matters in areas including, but not limited to, class actions, insurance litigation, commercial litigation, zoning and land use, catastrophic injury, products liability that includes automotive, and labor and employment. Mr. West is also a member of the firm’s Partners Board and serves as the firm’s Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, in which capacity he manages Duane Morris’ comprehensive firm-wide Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program and he chairs the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consulting Practice. Mr. West advises domestic and global companies on a wide array of legal issues, and also represents, trains and advises numerous associations and companies, including publicly traded companies and their boards and CEOs, on issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion and the compliance, risk management and corporate strategies associated with these issues. He helped establish the first of its kind law firm diversity, equity and inclusion consulting practice at the firm, which has been cited for its innovative approach to crafting sustainable diversity, equity and inclusion programs and solutions for corporate entities. His clients range from startups to Fortune 500 companies and currently include Walmart Stores, Inc., Exxon Mobil, The Carolina Panthers, the Dubai-based Al Ahli Holding Group, Mercedes Benz-USA, Altria, Discover Financial Services, Inc. and Jabil Circuit, Inc. He is the inaugural recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Equity and Inclusion from Chambers & Partners.
Terrance J. Evans is a partner in the San Francisco and Los Angeles offices of Duane Morris LLP, where he serves as the co-leader of the firm’s Banking and Financial Services Practice. Mr. Evans is also the co-chair of the Duane Morris San Francisco Diversity and Inclusion Committee. His practice is focused on representing clients in federal and state trial and appellate courts across the United States including the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Evans has won several defense judgments in multimillion dollar cases in both federal and state courts. Mr. Evans regularly counsels clients regarding racial justice and diversity and inclusion issues. He has led more than 180 diversity trainings for judges, lawyers, law students and members of the community around the United States. Mr. Evans is Director of Region IX of the National Bar Association, and oversees all Black Bar Associations and Black Judicial Associations in the Western United States. Mr. Evans is also the past president of the Charles Houston Bar Association, the oldest Black Bar Association in California. He is the vice chair of the California Lawyers Association (CLA), the largest voluntary state bar association in the United States; co-founder and co-chair of the (CLA) Racial Justice Committee; past chair of the Litigation Section of the CLA; and co-chair of the American Bar Association ICLC Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Mr. Evans founded a scholarship program to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession and has raised more than $500,000 for scholarships for underprivileged students. Mr. Evans has been recognized by the American Lawyer and the Los Angeles Times as one of the most influential leaders in California on DEI issues. His clients include JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., FM Global, Great American Insurance Company, and many others.
For Further Information
For more information, please contact Umica Anderson-Howard, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager at UAHoward@duanemorris.com.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP provides innovative solutions to today’s multifaceted legal and business challenges through the collegial and collaborative culture of its more than 900 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries. Duane Morris has been recognized by BTI Consulting as both a client service leader and a highly recommended law firm.
