Bradley Arant Boult Cummings Hosts Diversity Summit at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP recently hosted its summer associates at the firm’s 2014 Diversity Summit, held at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The first half of the event took place in the firm’s Birmingham office, and then relocated to the Civil Rights Institute. Attendees were treated to a tour of the prestigious cultural and educational center, followed by additional presentations given by local thought leaders on how diversity is changing the landscape of corporate America and the legal profession.
Judge Houston Brown, Presiding Judge for the Tenth Judicial Circuit of Alabama, presented “The Significance of Diversity: Perspective from the Bench”; while, Lajuana Bradford, Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Diversity and Public Affairs at Regions Financial Corporation, spoke about “The Changing Face of America—Why Corporate America Cares.” Bradley Arant Boult Cummings Partners Anne Marie Seibel, Dana Lumsden, Jennifer McGahey, John Hargrove, and associate Ambria Lankford participated in a panel discussion, exploring the current issues of diversity in the workplace and in the legal profession. The panel responded to questions from Bradley Arant Boult Cummings’s 12 ethnically diverse summer associates from various law schools, including the University of Alabama, University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, University of Mississippi, and Duke.
Following the panel, Myla E. Calhoun, General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Regional Development and Public Policy for the Birmingham Business Alliance, gave the law school students thoughtful and practical pointers to help them take advantage of their opportunities in a presentation entitled “Seizing the Moment from 2014 Forward.” The program concluded with partner Kay Bains’s remarks about the key role that diversity plays in Bradley Arant Boult Cummings’s strategic plan and culture, in which the unique talents and perspectives of attorneys and employees are understood, valued, and leveraged. Diversity and equality are essential to the firm’s core values, business strategies, professional code of conduct, client relationships, community involvement, and charitable giving. The firm commits significant time and resources to increasing the diversity of its workforce through many activities and programs, including diversity scholarship awards and internships for aspiring attorneys from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession. The firm also sponsors and hosts programs, seminars, and panels aimed at increasing the participation of women and minorities in the legal profession. In addition, the firm is involved in pro bono cases advancing issues and concerns of people from diverse communities and backgrounds.
For more information about diversity at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, please visit the firm’s diversity web page.
About Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP (www.bradley.com) serves individuals, emerging businesses, and established regional, national, and international companies. Our offices—strategically located in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia—provide an extensive geographic base from which to best accommodate our clients. Recognized across the country, our attorneys serve as national, regional, and statewide counsel for clients across many industries. Clients rely on Bradley Arant Boult Cummings attorneys for innovative legal services that reflect a detailed understanding of their business goals.
The firm’s attorneys serve clients in matters pertaining to antitrust, appellate, arbitration, banking, bankruptcy, construction, corporate and securities, complex business litigation, class actions, economic development, emerging business and technology, employee benefits, energy and natural resources, entertainment, environmental, family-owned businesses, financial services litigation, government affairs, government contracts, insurance, intellectual property, labor and employment, life sciences, mediation, medical malpractice, pharmaceutical, private companies, professional liability, product liability, real estate, tax, utilities, and white-collar criminal defense law.
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