B&D Again Wins Minority Corporate Counsel Association George B. Vashon Innovator Award for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
At the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA)’s annual conference in October, B&D received the 2022 George B. Vashon Innovator Award (Vashon Award). The MCCA presents The Vashon Award, named after New York’s first licensed African-American attorney, George B. Vashon, to a company not ranked in the FORTUNE® 500 and a law firm with fewer than 500 attorneys, that “have led the way with innovative best practices to assist diverse attorneys.” MCCA bases its determination on an extensive diversity survey as well as a firm’s recruiting, retention, and promotion efforts in regards to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). MCCA also recognized B&D with a Vashon Award in 2018.
DE&I Committee Chair Stacey Halliday said, “We are honored that MCCA again recognized B&D with the Vashon Award. B&D is committed to making the legal community a more inclusive and equitable environment for all, and this award further inspires us to continue our leadership on DE&I. Most of all, the award validates our efforts to ensure that lawyers from historically underrepresented communities find a home and thrive at B&D.”
Recent highlights of B&D’s DE&I outcomes include:
- 36% of our principals are women (compared to the national average of 25%);
- 63% of our lawyers are from historically underrepresented communities (includes women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals);
- 90% of the lawyers who joined the firm in 2022 are from historically underrepresented communities;
- 48% of practice area leaders, and 61% of participants in new business proposals are from historically underrepresented communities;
- 50% of the lawyers on the firm’s management committee are from historically underrepresented communities
Working together with our clients, diverse bar organizations, and others, B&D develops, maintains, and participates in a variety of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives involving lawyers and staff firmwide. We are Mansfield 5.0 Plus Certified by the Diversity Lab, having participated in the Mansfield Rule since the Mansfield 2.0 pilot. Learn more about our DE&I efforts and accomplishments.
