The law firm of Adams and Reese has been named a recipient of the Corporate Counsel Women of Color® Diversity Award of Excellence, an inaugural award given by the CCWC as a recognition of the firm’s initiatives, outstanding achievement in commitment to diversity and advancement of women attorneys of color.
The CCWC is an international organization of women of color attorneys who work primarily for Fortune 1000 and Forbes 2000 companies, and work to foster diversity in the legal profession.
Adams and Reese is one of four companies to receive the award, along with the law firm of Hughes Hubbard & Reed, and two corporations, Southern California Edison and American Airlines.
Award presentations will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 6th during the luncheon at the CCWC’s 7th Annual Career Strategies Conference in Beverly Hills, California.
The CCWC Award measured actual diversity numbers at the firms and companies, career development and exposure, mentoring, affinity groups, recruitment efforts, diversity of outside counsel, and monitoring and tracking of billable hours.
“It is an honor to be considered a leader in our commitment to diversity and to be recognized by the Corporate Counsel Women of Color for this esteemed and prestigious award,” said Debbie Rouen, Adams and Reese Partner and Chair of the Diversity Committee.
Rouen adds: “Diversity is an opportunity — an opportunity to create a better firm for everyone, and an opportunity to better serve the needs of our clients. Our objective is to foster a working environment of inclusion, understanding, respect and opportunity for all with whom we work and live.”
For well over a decade, Adams and Reese has sought to embrace diversity principles as an integral part of its strategic plan and has implemented many effective related initiatives both within the firm and out in the community.
Adams and Reese’s diversity committee is comprised of firm leaders from many of its 13 offices throughout the Southern United States and Washington, DC.
With the assistance of a minority attorney sub-committee whose focus is upon marketing efforts in the communities in which its offices are located, the firm has successfully hosted numerous social and networking events to coincide with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Bayou Classic Event, the Essence Music Festival, as well as sponsorships including the Urban League, Corporate Counsel Women of Color Annual Conferences, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, Diversity Summits, Black Business Networks, Minority Bar Association events and the National Minority AIDS Council.
An in-house Mentoring and Marketing Seminar is hosted annually for all minority attorneys to commune, build relationships, hone legal skills, and share ideas. Within the firm, awareness and inclusion are promoted through its in-house communications network that disseminates its Diversity Awareness campaign.“Our commitment to diversity runs deep,” said Charles P. Adams, Managing Partner of Adams and Reese. “Through dedication, creativity, hard work and leadership of many culturally diverse individuals coming together throughout our firm, our diversity momentum grows stronger every year.”
In addition to the CCWC award, Adams and Reese has been honored with several awards, including the Commendation of Diversity Principles by the Louisiana State Bar Association; the Encouraging Diversity Award, three consecutive years by the Birmingham Business Journal; and the Lighthouse Award for fostering diversity in the legal profession by the International Paper Legal Department.
For four consecutive years, Adams and Reese has been named among the “Top 200 Law Firms in Diversity” by the Minority Law Journal, and the firm has been previously ranked among the “Nation’s Best Law Firms for Women,” by American Lawyer Magazine.
In 2008, MultiCultural Law Magazine named Adams and Reese among the “Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity,” and Women 3.0 Magazine named Adams and Reese among the “Top 100 Law Firms for Women.”
“Our diversity initiatives, many honors, and national recognitions underscore our commitment to diversity,” said Rouen. “As we continue to be proud of our past efforts, we also humbly look forward to the challenges ahead and dedicate ourselves to work toward a more diverse, inclusive environment for the legal profession as a whole.”
Adams and Reese is a multidisciplinary law firm with offices strategically located throughout the southern United States and Washington, DC. American Lawyer includes Adams and Reese on its distinguished list of the nation's top law firms - "The Am Law 200.” The National Law Journal also includes the firm on the "NLJ 250" list of the nation's largest law firms.