Law Firm Recognized for Diversity and Inclusion Efforts at New York City Event

Miles & Stockbridge, a leading, full-service law firm with 246 lawyers and seven offices in the mid-Atlantic region, was honored recently for its diversity and inclusion efforts by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) as one of three law firm finalists for its 2017 George B. Vashon Innovator Award. The Vashon Award is presented to both companies outside of the Fortune 1000 and law firms with fewer than 500 attorneys that have led the way with innovative best practices to assist diverse attorneys.

The award is named for scholar, abolitionist and lawyer George B. Vashon, who became the first licensed African American attorney in New York State in 1848 and one of the first admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1867.

“The committed and creative efforts of this year’s Vashon Award finalists are helping lift the industry by showing what’s achievable and why a robust diversity and inclusion program is essential to the long-term success of an organization,” said MCCA Board Chair A.B. Cruz, III.

Miles & Stockbridge and the other corporate and law firm awardees were honored by MCCA at its Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference on October 3 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.

“Miles & Stockbridge is deeply honored to be recognized by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association,” said John B. Frisch, chairman and CEO of the law firm. “We know our work at Miles & Stockbridge is far from over, but we strive every day to elevate diversity and inclusion from an initiative to a way of life for all firm colleagues. One step toward promoting much needed healing and change in our country and broader world is to be there for each other in the workplace. We can create more dialogue, relationships, understanding and mutual respect by accepting and celebrating differences.”

VMware, Inc. won in the Corporate Law Department category with Cox Communications as a finalist. Eversheds Sutherland won in the Law Firm category with Miles & Stockbridge and Shook, Hardy & Bacon as finalists.

About MCCA

Founded in 1997, the mission of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association is to advance the hiring, retention and promotion of diverse attorneys in law departments and the law firms that serve them. MCCA furthers its mission by publishing research on achieving diversity and best practices in the legal profession, honoring innovative diversity programs with its Thomas L. Sager, Employer of Choice and George B. Vashon Innovator awards, and assisting diverse law students through the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program. MCCA’s work has been recognized with awards from the National Minority Business Council, Inc., the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Gay and Lesbian Law Association, and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

About Miles & Stockbridge

Miles & Stockbridge is a leading law firm with 246 lawyers and seven offices across Maryland and in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. In 2016, Miles & Stockbridge was named the #2 firm nationally on Law360’s “Best Law Firms for Black Attorneys” list. The firm and its lawyers have also been recently recognized for their diversity and inclusion efforts by Chambers USA, Associated Black Charities, the Maryland Washington Minority Companies Association and the Greater Baltimore Committee.

For more information, please follow the firm on Twitter.