In observance of the national Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, the Associate Inclusion Committee hosted the firm-wide Bracewell & Giuliani Day of Service. Bracewell employees and their families were invited to participate in giving back to the community. We look forward to continuing this annual tradition! Below are more details of each office's Day of Service.
To view photos from each office, click here.
As we look back on the third and fourth quarters of 2011, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP is proud to share with you some of its recent inclusion-related activities. From hosting an educational event for incoming law students to offering LSAT-related scholarships for future law students, while also sponsoring events and organizations nationwide, Bracewell and its attorneys dedicated time and resources to the firm’s commitment to inclusion. Bracewell attorneys strive to further our culture of supporting individuals from diverse perspectives and backgrounds.
HOUSTON — Bracewell & Giuliani partner Stephanie Koo Song was named Up-and-Coming Finance Lawyer of the Year at the inaugural Chambers Women in Law Awards on February 2. The awards ceremony, held at The Plaza in New York, honored outstanding female lawyers from across the United States.
According to research conducted by the American Bar Association in 2010, the lack of diversity in major law firms, law schools, and the legal profession as a whole, continues to be a problem. Despite efforts to create equal opportunities for all, racially and ethnically diverse groups continue to be vastly underrepresented in the legal field. Because admission to and completion of law school is the only portal to a legal career, it stands to reason that encouraging minorities to pursue legal careers and giving them equal access to a legal education is crucial to any inclusion effort.
Bracewell & Giuliani was a Gold level sponsor at the South Asian Bar Association of New York’s (SABANY) Fifth Annual Leadership Awards Gala. The Gala draws more than 200 South Asian American attorneys from New York and across the country to honor those who demonstrate leadership within their profession and community. SABANY distributes four awards during the gala: the Access to Justice Award, the Corporate Counsel Award, the Corporate Leadership Award, and the Legal Trailblazer Award.
Bracewell & Giuliani LLP was a Silver level sponsor for the Dallas Asian American Bar Association’s 2011 Awards Reception. The group celebrated its fourth annual awards reception with S. Jack Balagia, General Counsel and Vice President of ExxonMobil, as its keynote speaker.
Bracewell & Giuliani was named Sponsor of the Year by the Black Law Students Association at the University of Houston at the organization’s 2011 Annual Scholarship Banquet. The event, which Bracewell sponsored, featured the Honorable Vanessa Diane Gilmore, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, as its keynote speaker.
Bracewell works with BLSA throughout the year to promote the professional needs and goals of the University of Houston’s black law students.
The South Asian Bar Association of Connecticut’s (SABAC) Fifth Annual Banquet, which took place at the Hartford Hilton, included a cocktail hour, followed by a keynote speech from former Justice Department prosecutor Hemanshu Nigam, also recipient of SABAC’s Distinguished Legal Professional Award. During the event, SABAC also awarded the Trailblazer Award to The Honorable Judge M. Nawaz Wahla, Connecticut’s first judge of South Asian descent.
The firm hosted a reception for students following the University of Texas School of Law’s Diversity Education Weekend (DEW). Designed by the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society (TMLS) in conjunction with the Chicano Hispanic Law Students Association, DEW is open to minority students entering their first year of UT Law School. The event included educational sessions detailing the importance of legal writing, exam preparation and strategies for efficient studying. Other topics addressed included career building, mentoring and relationship building, managing stress and networking.
The 15th Annual Hispanic Bar Association of Austin (HBAA) Hispanic Heritage Luncheon took place at the Omni Austin Hotel – Downtown. The luncheon, of which Bracewell was a Silver Sponsor, is the primary source of funding for the HBAA Charitable Foundation. The Foundation provides scholarships and other support for college students planning to attend law school, as well as to existing law school students about to graduate. The luncheon also featured remarks from keynote speaker Justice Diane Henson of the Thirteenth Court of Appeals of Texas.
