Oct. 12, 2013

Minority counsel group honors law firms, businesses

The California Minority Counsel Program held its 24th annual business conference at the end of September, honoring firms and business that exemplified the organization's efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. The two-day conference featured numerous speakers from some of the world's largest companies and most prestigious law firms. The CMCP also handed out several awards to firms and businesses in recognition of their various civic duties. The Drucilla Stender Ramey Majority-Owned Law Firm award was presented to Caldwell Leslie & Proctor PC in recognition of the firm's commitment to diversity and community service. Caldwell Leslie leaders said they were "very proud" to receive the award. "We're a small little boutique, and this award normally goes to a big firm," said Jeanne Fugate, chair of Caldwell Leslie's diversity task force. "We've really put an emphasis on asking, 'What can we do to make an impact?'" One area the 28-person firm identified as a place in which to affect change was judicial clerkships. With nearly all the firm's members having some experience working for federal judges, Caldwell Leslie decided this year to offer a summer diversity fellowship to a rising third-year law student with a focus on preparing them to apply for a clerkship. "The clerk pool is not as diverse as it could be," said South Asian Bar Association president Puneet V. Kakkar, a partner at Caldwell Leslie who coordinates the fledgling program. "So we started the summer program to address that issue." — Henry Meier