Microsoft's Brad Smith Receives ABA Spirit of Excellence Award
Recognizing Contributions to Diversity in the Legal Profession

CHICAGO, Nov. 10, 2009—Brad Smith, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Microsoft Corp., will receive the Corporate 2010 Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession.
 
“Brad Smith has found new and creative ways to promote diversity,” said Fred Alvarez of Palo Alto, Calif., chair of the commission, in announcing Smith’s selection.  “He is deeply involved in setting diversity goals for Microsoft and its partner law firms, and establishing innovative incentives to achieve those goals.  He works with a large internal diversity team and external partners to develop a pipeline of diverse lawyers and to recruit and retain diverse lawyers both at Microsoft and at its outside firms.  Brad has created a full-time diversity program manager position in the corporate legal department to oversee diversity initiatives and ensure their continued vitality.  Through his top to bottom management commitment, he has made diversity integral to every activity in which legal department engages.”
           
The award will be presented Feb. 6 during the ABA’s 2010 Midyear Meeting in Orlando, Fla.
 
Among the initiatives that Smith has incorporated into the Microsoft Legal and Corporate Affairs Department:

• The Legal and Corporate Affairs Diversity Team, comprised of about 70 volunteers from all departmental levels and is supported by a full-time diversity program manager.  The diversity team executes about 65 sponsorships, programs and projects over the course of a year. 
• The annual Women and Minority Law Student Intellectual Property Law Summit  encourages law students to pursue careers in intellectual property and technology law while introducing the students to representatives of law firms and corporate law departments.  Events have been held in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.
• Supports the Future of the Law Institute in Seattle, the Just the Beginning Foundation based in Chicago, and the National Bar Institute Crump Law Camp  to introduce minority high school students to legal career opportunities. 
• The department also contributes to scholarship programs of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity and the King County Bar Foundation, and holds career panels at law schools in Washington state.
• The Microsoft Law Firm Diversity Program rewards law firms for diversity progress through a “pay for performance” plan.  Law firms performing work for Microsoft can earn a two percent bonus by meeting diversity goals either by increasing the overall diversity of their legal workforce, increasing the number of hours worked by diverse lawyers on Microsoft matters, or matching the diversity of Microsoft’s in-house legal staff. .  Smith tied a portion of his own bonus, and the bonuses of his senior leadership team, to the performance of participating law firms. 
• Retention and development initiatives within Microsoft’s legal department include a package of “flexwork” options that has reduced attrition due to work/life balance issues; support for affinity groups and mentoring rings for department members sharing common interests and concerns; and mentoring programs pairing senior leaders with minority and women employees new to management roles.
• Community awareness and outreach initiatives addressing diversity by building relationships with key law-related groups including the ABA and ethnic and other specialty bars at both national and local levels.
• Summer internships for diverse law students and recruiting efforts that reach out to historically black colleges.

Individually, Smith participates in organizations and forums that focus on diversity issues.  He is a founding member and executive committee member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and a member of the board of Business Opportunities for Leadership Diversity. 
 
The Spirit of Excellence Awards were launched in 1996 to celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of lawyers who work to promote a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession. Awards are presented to lawyers who excel in their professional settings; who personify excellence on the national, state, or local level; and who have demonstrated a commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession. 
 
The ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession is a catalyst to change the legal profession to reflect the society it serves.  It helps racially and ethnically diverse lawyers advance their careers and standing in the profession.  Its leadership, programs and information help the profession understand and eliminate racism, bigotry and discrimination.  The commission works to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession, and thus enrich it.
 
With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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