About Us: Diversity

Events

Leading Programs that Focus on Diversity

McGuireWoods, Compass Group USA, Inc. and Bank of America partnered to sponsor a program by The Mecklenburg County Bar Association (MCB) and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) called “Diversity Initiatives for the Legal Profession in Charlotte.”

The event was held September 2009, at the Hilton Charlotte Center City. The program, open to all lawyers, had more than 220 registered attendees. Leaders from the MCCA and the MCB thanked McGuireWoods for its role and commented on the huge success of the event.  Click here to watch a summary.

Veta Richardson, executive director of the MCCA, spoke at the Diversity Initiatives for the Legal Profession in Charlotte, spoke on ways that large law firms can improve in attracting diverse lawyers.

Gordon Alphonso, McGuireWoods partner and chair of the Land Use and Environmental Department, led a panel discussion on how corporations use metrics to measure law firms in the area of diversity. In-house counsel from Bank of America, Compass, Duke Energy, DuPont, and Microsoft participated on the panel.

Chicago Office Hosts Minority High School Students

Richard Greenberg, a McGuireWoods partner in Chicago, speaks to a group of inner city high school students about reasons to consider a legal career. Greenberg, a member of McGuireWoods' Diversity Committee, also sits on board of directors of The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms.

McGuireWoods lawyers hosted 23 inner city minority high school students at the firm’s Chicago offices in February 2009. McGuireWoods lawyers Richard Greenberg, Kara Friedman, Gary Leung and Bell Pereira talked to the students about the practice of law, in hopes of encouraging them to consider legal careers.

Loyola’s School of Law facilitated the tour through its Street Law pipeline program. This program focuses on teaching diverse high school students more about civil law. This program is a national partnership between Street Law and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Chicago BLSA 2008 Gala

Brian Harris (NW 2L), Jackie Stone, Tamera Kennard (NW 1L), George Spatz.

In February 2008, McGuireWoods attorneys once again attended the Chicago Council of Black Law Students Association Third Annual Chicago Renaissance Gala at the Ritz Carlton. The 2008 Gala was held in honor of Mayor Harold Washington. As a gold level sponsor, McGuireWoods filled a table with attorneys, a distinguished client, and local law school students. After dining, the keynote speaker Richard Gordon Hatcher, former Mayor of Gary, Indiana and the first African-American elected mayor of a major city addressed the group. The evening was a great opportunity for the Chicago legal community to come together and support CCBLSA's efforts,