Pepper Hamilton Receives MCCA’s ‘Thomas L. Sager Award’ for Commitment to Diversity

Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) has named EACC Founding member Pepper Hamilton LLP as the winner of the distinguished 2012 Thomas L. Sager Award for the Mid-Atlantic Region.

The prestigious Sager Award is presented annually to one firm, in each of MCCA’s five regions, that has demonstrated a sustained commitment to improve the hiring, retention and promotion of minority attorneys. In addition to the statistical data that is set forth in the nomination application, the Board of Directors examine such areas as recruitment, retention, mentoring, promotion, pipeline initiatives, LGBT initiatives, women initiatives, work-life
balance, collaborative efforts with community and bar associations, and innovative practices that result in sustainable efforts to increase diversity.

“I recently joined Pepper in February and it was clear to me that the firm—from the leadership down the line to individual lawyers and staff—understood that diversity means not only retaining diverse attorneys but more importantly taking advantage of the full breadth and depth of the experiences, education, cultural knowledge and viewpoints of all of our people” said Pepper CEO Scott Green, accepting the award on behalf of the firm. “We recognize that the more diverse we are, the more viewpoints we are likely to have to service our clients and do well in our communities.”

Pepper was announced as the winner at the MCCA Regional Networking Forum on June 5, 2012 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The program featured a panel presentation of local legal leaders that discussed how fascinating life experiences have impacted their careers. Following the panel presentation and
award announcement, the evening concluded with a networking reception.

Partner Kassem Lucas is in charge of Pepper Hamilton’s firmwide diversity initiatives and programs and also co-chairs the firm’s Diversity Committee, which was established in 2005. “As an attorney who has spent his entire legal career at Pepper Hamilton, from summer associate to partner, and was recently named the firm’s Partner in Charge of Diversity, I am not just a proponent of the firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts: I am a product of them,” said Lucas.

The Sager Award was established by the MCCA to honor Thomas L. Sager, DuPont Company’s senior vice president and general counsel and MCCA Board member, in recognition of his individual efforts and relentless commitment to promote diversity in the legal profession.

Coincidentally, Sager was the recipient of Pepper Hamilton’s 2011 Champion of Diversity award.

About the Minority Corporate Counsel Association
The Minority Corporate Counsel Association, Inc. was founded in 1997 to advance the hiring, retention, and promotion of diverse attorneys in legal departments and the law firms that serve them. MCCA accomplishes its mission through the collection and dissemination of information about diversity in the legal profession.