NYC BAR ASSOCIATION PRESENTS THE INAUGURAL
‘DIVERSITY CHAMPION AWARD’

The New York City Bar’s Enhance Diversity Committee presented the inaugural Diversity Champion Award at the Third Annual Diversity Conference held on May 16, 2006, at the New York City Bar Association. The award recognizes the critical role individuals have played in initiating and sustaining change within their organizations and the overall New York legal community.

2006 Diversity Champion Award winners:
(from left to right)

Hon. Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. District Attorney, Richmond County
Elizabeth D. Moore Partner, Nixon Peabody LLP
William Malpica Associate, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP

Winner Descriptions
Criteria
Frequently Asked Questions

Winner Descriptions

Hon. Daniel M. Donovan, Jr., upon taking office as Richmond County District Attorney in 2004, made it his mission to raise the standards of the office to better reflect the Staten Island community he represents. To achieve this goal, he become personally involved in the recruiting, developing, mentoring, and advancing of legal personnel. When Donovan arrived, there were no attorneys on staff that spoke a language other than English. His first two hires were fluent Spanish-speaking women (now there are three), and subsequently he has added Korean, Hindi, Italian, and Chinese speakers. Over one-third of Donovan’s new assistant district attorneys have been racial-ethnic minorities. Simultaneously, the Richmond County District Attorney’s office moved from last to first in New York City for felony conviction rates in his first two years of office. Overall, Donovan was able to demonstrate that with hands-on leadership, diversity and legal success can be synonymous. full description

Will Malpica, as an associate only seven years out of law school, has made a lasting impact on the diversity of the New York legal community in his short career. Will has focused not only on increasing diversity in his own firm, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, but also to help racial/ethnic minority students succeed in law school and beyond. As a young attorney without the institutional clout of a partner title, Malpica is remarkably adept at using his passion and influencing skills to secure resources and support at his firm and from external organizations. To maximize time and other resources, Malpica strives to create annual programs with systemized processes to enable him or others to easily replicate year after year. One example of a program Malpica spearheaded is the Annual Minority Law Student Leadership Summit, which is now in its third year. The event (which has attracted more than 150 leaders from minority student organizations at approximately 20 law schools in the Northeast) provides a forum for student leaders to discuss solutions to common challenges. full description

Elizabeth D. Moore advocates for diversity through her roles as a partner in Nixon Peabody LLP, a practicing employment lawyer, a member of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University and as an active participant in the community at large. Within her firm, Moore has been described as the “driving force” behind Nixon Peabody’s efforts in the field of diversity. As co-chair of the firm’s Diversity Action Committee, she has spearheaded the creation of a multi-year diversity plan focused on gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and staff/attorney relations. The plan was developed in conjunction with a comprehensive assessment of partners, attorneys and staff at all levels and in all offices, as well as former attorneys and staff. As a result, Moore led the firm in implementing a series of initiatives, including affinity groups, a women’s leadership summit, and a quarterly diversity newsletter. Externally, one of Liz’s notable efforts includes driving three major diversity initiatives at Cornell University to support and strengthen the pipeline of racial/ethnic minority students. full description

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Overall, this award recognizes individuals who champion the ideals embodied in the New York City Bar’s Statement of Diversity Principles—“facilitate diversity in the hiring, retention and promotion of attorneys and in the elevation of attorneys to leadership positions within our respective organizations.” To that end, we will assess a nominee’s excellence in one or more of the following areas:

 1. Influencing Others

Successful diversity efforts have champions who discuss the importance of diversity at every possible opportunity. Diversity champions can exert influence, not necessarily because of their titles, but by making a persuasive connection between organizational performance and progress on diversity. Speaking engagements, both internally and externally, can be one mechanism for making the case for diversity.

 2. Being a Role Model

Champions “talk the talk and walk the walk.” It is not just what champions say, it is how they act that signals whether diversity is truly important to the organization. For example, champions can demonstrate that mentoring is valued by personally mentoring someone from a different background. In addition, it is a powerful communication tool when champions discuss openly and honestly how they manage their professional and personal lives.

3. Continually Learning

To be an effective champion, it is important to understand the challenges faced by different groups in the profession. These challenges and the barriers they can present often unintentionally go unnoticed by members of a majority group who have never experienced being an outsider in their profession. A diversity champion regularly reaches out to a diverse array of attorneys to understand first-hand the experiences of someone from a different background.

 4. Cultivating Diverse Teams

Whether staffing teams internally or externally, diversity champions seek out diverse talent in its many forms. Diversity champions place a premium on good management, both for themselves and others. They strive to develop and retain their diverse team members, by mentoring, coaching, and providing constructive feedback.

 5. Innovating and Taking Risks

In order to make diversity a reality, creative and practical solutions must be identified and implemented. Diversity champions believe change is possible and see opportunities where others see obstacles. For example, a champion could spearhead the creation of an affinity group or a pilot flexible work program in one department in order to assess effectiveness and build the case for broader implementation.

6. Holding yourself and others accountable for diversity

Accountability is an evolutionary process beginning with systematically making the case that diversity is beneficial to the organization’s and individual’s bottom-line. When individuals are not participating, diversity champions can use their personal influence to encourage others to take action. As clients, champions can identify ways to meaningfully foster diversity in their outside counsel, such as through the RFP process and ensuring inquiries regarding diversity efforts and achievements of outside counsel.

7. External Leadership Involvement

On its own or in conjunction with internal activities, diversity champions can take an active role in fostering diversity in the profession. Individuals may take an active role in minority bar associations or in diversity committees in local or national bars. Diversity champions can also forge connections with law schools, colleges, high schools, and other organizations in order to broaden the diversity pipeline. Pro bono activities are another important way in which individuals may have an impact on diversity within the profession and society in general.

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