IRVINE,
Calif., May 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- PracticePro
has announced Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as the
recipient of its 2024 Diversity Leadership Award. Established in
2017, the award highlights law firms and corporate legal
departments that are actively working toward a more inclusive legal
profession.
The award was presented at the Ninth Annual PracticePro East
Coast Career Conference and Diversity Reception, which was attended
by over 100 law students, attorneys, corporate executives, and law
firm professionals. Akin's Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Officer, Nimesh Patel, accepted the
award on behalf of the firm.
"Akin is honored to receive the 2024 PracticePro Diversity
Leadership Award. We have long understood the value of DEI in
providing outstanding client service and as a keystone for the
culture of our firm. We are proud to partner with PracticePro to
support DEI in the profession and the development and advancement
of the next generation of lawyers," said Patel.
As a four-time recipient of the Women in Law Empowerment Forum's
Gold Standard Certification, Akin is one of the few AmLaw 50 firms
led by a female chairperson. For 16 consecutive years, the firm has
also achieved a perfect score of 100% on the Corporate Equity
Index, a national benchmark measuring corporate polices, practices,
and benefits important to LGBTQ+ employees. Additionally, Akin has
achieved Mansfield Certification Plus status four times, indicating
that the firm has successfully achieved at least 30%
underrepresented lawyer representation in a notable number of
current leadership roles.
Akin's commitment to inclusivity extends to empowering law
students through various internal initiatives, including the Pro
Bono Scholars Program ("PBS") and Strauss Diversity & Inclusion
Scholars Program ("SDIS"). Each year, exemplary students who have
completed their first year of law school are chosen to participate
in a robust two-summer program which includes working at a firm
client or public interest organization their first summer. Akin 1L
Scholars also participate in the firm's Scholar Summit in
Washington, D.C., which provides
students with training, networking and professional development
opportunities.
In addition to its internal diversity and inclusion efforts,
Akin heavily invests in pipeline programs like those offered by
PracticePro.
"Thanks to the vision and leadership of many individuals,
especially Ashley Vinson Crawford,
the partner in charge of the firm's San
Francisco office, Akin has played an instrumental role in
building PracticePro," shared PracticePro Founder & CEO,
Niki Khoshzamir. "Ten years ago, we
started with just 16 students, and have now coached and trained
over 4,000 law students through the 1L Diversity Scholar Program,
Law School Mastery®, and our annual career
conferences."
Previous recipients of the PracticePro Diversity Leadership
Award include: Haynes and Boone, LLP; Latham & Watkins LLP; the
Google Legal Summer Institute; Wilmer
Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, and Jackson Walker
LLP.
PracticePro is an EdTech social enterprise. Through e-training,
career coaching, and scholarship programs, it strives to make the
transition from law school to practice easier for new attorneys.
For more information, visit www.practicepro.cc.
Contact:
Niki Khoshzamir
4152373701
377714@email4pr.com
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SOURCE PracticePro LLC