Jackson Walker has been awarded the prestigious 2014 Thomas L. Sager Award for the South Region from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. The award is presented each year to law firms that have demonstrated sustained commitment to improve the hiring, retention, and promotion of minority attorneys.

Jackson Walker partner and Diversity Committee Chair Bruce Ruzinsky accepted the award on behalf of the firm at the MCCA’s CLE Expo luncheon on March 12 in Los Angeles. Jackson Walker partner and JW² Women’s Initiative Chair Kathleen LaValle and Diversity Coordinator Alesia Foster also attended the luncheon program.

“Receiving this award is a tremendous honor for Jackson Walker,” said Mr. Ruzinsky. “We are very proud of the diversity we have achieved at the firm, and we will continue to seek ways to recruit, retain, and advance a diverse workforce while maintaining an inclusive environment.”

In 2012 and 2013 Jackson Walker was named a Sager Award finalist for the South region. In addition to being honored as the 2014 Sager Award winner for the South region, the firm has received numerous accolades for its diversity efforts, including the following:

• For the past two years, Jackson Walker has ranked among the top five Texas firms in American Lawyer magazine’s annual Diversity Scorecard.
• In 2013, Jackson Walker received the Outstanding Firm award from the Travis County Women Lawyers Association and Travis County Women Lawyers Foundation.
• Also in 2013, Jackson Walker was recognized by American Lawyer as a leader in promoting women to partnership.
• The Austin Area Urban League named Jackson Walker its 2013 Corporation of the Year, a designation given to companies that embody the values of diversity, social responsibility and economic equality.
• Jackson Walker has been named among the “Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity” by MultiCultural Law magazine.
• Jackson Walker was honored as a “Diversity Champion” for its involvement in the Houston Bar Association’s Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession Summer Internship Program.

These honors reflect the success of the firm’s targeted efforts to foster diversity and create and maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect and inclusion.

“We know that a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences strengthens our firm and ultimately benefits our clients,” said firmwide managing partner Wade Cooper. “Jackson Walker works to actively recruit women and minority attorneys at all levels, and the retention, development, and success of our minority and women attorneys is equally important to us. It is important that our staff and our attorneys know Jackson Walker is a firm that will stand behind them and support their advancement.”

To learn more about Jackson Walker’s commitment to diversity, CLICK HERE.