Spirit of Excellence Awards
The Spirit of Excellence Award celebrates the achievements of diverse lawyers and others who contribute to the legal profession and society. 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.
2009 Spirit of Excellence Awards -- Call for Nominations!
The Spirit of Excellence Awards was established by the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession to celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of lawyers who work to promote a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession. It is the highlight of the ABA Midyear Meeting. The 2009 Spirit of Excellence Awards will be presented on Saturday, February 14, 2009 in Boston, MA. Please consider nominating lawyers and judges whom you consider worthy of this honor. Nominations must be received by August 18, 2008.
2009 Spirit of Excellence Nomination Form
2009 Spirit of Excellence Nomination Form - Word Format
2008 Spirit of Excellence Award Recipients
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Cesar L. Alvarez – Chief Executive Officer, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Miami, FL |
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Christopher J. Arriola – Assistant District Attorney, Santa Clara County, California; former President, Santa Clara County Bar Association and California La Raza Lawyers Association; San Jose, CA |
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Lawrence R. Baca – Senior Trial Attorney, Civil Rights Division, and Deputy Director, Office of Tribal Justice, United States Department of Justice; Founding Chair of the Indian Law Section of the Federal Bar Association; former Chair, ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession; former President, National Native American Bar Association, Alexandria, VA |
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John W. Kozyak – Senior Partner, Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, P.A.; namesake of the minority mentoring program for law students at both the University of Miami and St. Thomas University Schools of Law, Miami, FL |
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Hon. George Bundy Smith – Partner, Chadbourne & Parke LLP; former Associate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, New York, NY |
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Margaret Bush Wilson – Principal, Wilson & Associates; second woman of color admitted to practice in Missouri; former Chair, NAACP National Board of Directors, St. Louis, MO |
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Mia F. Yamamoto – Principal, Law Offices of Mia Yamamoto; co–founder, UCLA Asian Pacific Islander Law Student Association; Past President, Japanese American Bar Association; co–founder, Multicultural Bar Alliance, Los Angeles, CA. |
Information
See pictures from the 2005 Spirit of Excellence Award
See past winners of the Spirit of Excellence Award.
Find out more about the Award
For more information about the 2009 Spirit of Excellence Awards Luncheon, please contact Mario Burton at (312) 988-5667.
Sponsors
We would like to thank our generous sponsors:
Galaxy Sponsors
Chadbourne & Parke LLP
Constellation Sponsors
Holland & Knight LLP
State Farm Insurance Companies
Solar System Sponsors
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
Star Sponsors
Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP
Foley & Lardner LLP
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
Hunton & Williams LLP
Greenberg Glusker
Greenberg Traurig P.A.
Microsoft Corporation
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Thompson & Knight LLP
University of Miami School of Law
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Supporters
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP
Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, P.A.
ABA Entity Star Sponsors
Section of Antitrust Law
Section of Business Law
Section of Dispute Resolution
Health Law Section
Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities
Section of Intellectual Property Law
Section of Labor and Employment Law
Law Practice Management Section
Law Student Division
Section of Litigation
Section of Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law
Center for Racial and Ethnic Diversity
Council on Racial and Ethnic Justice
Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law
Section of Science and Technology Law
Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Section of State and Local Government Law
Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section
Young Lawyers Division
Bar Association Sponsors
Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
Japanese American Bar Association of Greater Los Angeles
Los Angeles County Bar Association
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
National Lesbian and Gay Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
