WASHINGTON, D.C., (April 1, 2010) – Jackson Lewis LLP, one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing workplace law firms, announced that senior Partner and national diversity expert Weldon H. Latham was appointed Chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee as a result of the firm’s increased focus on and enhanced commitment to promoting an inclusive culture. Mr. Latham joined the firm in July 2009 as Chair of Jackson Lewis’ Corporate Diversity Counseling Group. With his additional responsibilities as Diversity Committee Chair he will spearhead the firm’s efforts to enhance recruitment, hiring, retention, development and advancement of a diverse team of employees who share Jackson Lewis’ passion for representing management in all aspects of workplace law.
The firm’s Diversity Committee was previously co-chaired by Partners Tyler A. Brown, Patricia Diulus-Myers and Leroy J. Watkins, all of whom will remain active in Jackson Lewis’ diversity efforts.
“Jackson Lewis is committed to promoting an environment where diversity is valued, and we share our clients’ goals to emphasize inclusion and respect for the contribution of every partner, counsel, associate, and employee,” said firm-wide Managing Partner Patrick L. Vaccaro. “Weldon is a natural choice to lead our talented group of employees in our diversity efforts, and we will all benefit from his experience and expertise in our own operations as well as in our service to clients.”
“It is tremendously important to have a workforce that reflects the various communities in which we work, and upon which we can rely to creatively develop preventive strategies and positive solutions for our clients,” said Latham. “Tyler, Patty and LeRoy have made excellent headway in recruiting diverse attorneys to Jackson Lewis, and I could not be more pleased to be selected to continue and advance their efforts.”
Mr. Latham advises clients in crisis management and diversity representation, complex civil rights reviews and employment law audits, as well as dispute resolution, investigations and defends class action lawsuits involving allegations of race, gender, and age discrimination and harassment law. He also directs confidential litigation assessments, corporate diversity compliance reviews, internal legal vulnerability assessments, and assists clients in developing "best practice," benchmarking, and diversity enhancement action plans.
Mr. Latham has over 20 years of senior partner level direction of major crisis management, civil rights program reviews, and employment discrimination litigation. He is a member of the Board of the Maryland Stadium Authority and has served as Assistant General Counsel, White House Office of Management and Budget; General Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development; member of the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Procurement and Technical Data Rights; Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army; member of the U.S. Small Business Administration National Advisory Council; and served on the Board of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, as Chair of the Legal Committee, for more than a decade.
Mr. Latham is a columnist for DiversityInc and previously Minority Business Entrepreneur magazines, as well as a frequent commentator in The Washington Post. In recent years, he has discussed diversity, civil rights and political issues on ABC News "Nightline," CNBC "Power Lunch," Bloomberg Business News and Court TV.
Among his numerous professional and community activities, Mr. Latham serves as Counsel to the PepsiCo Global Diversity and Inclusion Governance Council and the Omnicom Group Diversity Advisory Committee; a member of the National Employment Law Council, and the Economic Club of Washington. He was previously National Co-Chair, Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign, and Chair, Deloitte External Diversity Advisory Board. He is listed in Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who Among African Americans and Who’s Who In America.
Mr. Latham holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Howard University, a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and an Executive Management Certificate and has lectured at the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
He can be reached by calling (703) 483-8333 or at LathamW@jacksonlewis.com.
About Jackson Lewis
Founded in 1958, Jackson Lewis, dedicated to representing management exclusively in workplace law, is one of the fastest growing workplace law firms in the U.S., with over 670 attorneys practicing in 47 cities nationwide. We have a wide-range of specialized practice areas, including: Affirmative Action and OFCCP Planning and Counseling; Disability, Leave and Health Management; Employee Benefits, including Complex ERISA Litigation and Executive Compensation; Global Immigration; Labor, including Preventive Practices; Litigation, including Class Actions, Complex Litigation and e-Discovery; Trade Secrets, Non-Competes and Workplace Technology; Wage and Hour Compliance; Workplace Safety Compliance and Corporate Diversity Counseling. In addition, Jackson Lewis provides advice nationally in other workplace law areas, including: Reductions in Force, WARN Act; Corporate Governance and Internal Investigations; Drug Testing and Substance Abuse Management; International Employment Issues; Management Education, including e-Based Training; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Public Sector Issues; Government Relations; Collegiate and Professional Sports; and Privacy, Social Media and Information Management.
For the 10th consecutive year, Jackson Lewis has been recognized for delivering client service excellence to the world’s largest corporations. Representing a decade of excellence, we have once again earned a spot on the BTI Client Service A-Team. Jackson Lewis has also been recognized by in-house counsel of Fortune 1000 companies after a comprehensive survey, as “the single highest-ranked firm clients want by their side in employment battles.” In addition, Jackson Lewis is ranked in the First Tier nationally in the categories of both Employment Law and Labor Law on behalf of Management in the U.S. News – Best Lawyers ® “Best Law Firms.” Jackson Lewis has one of the most active employment litigation practices in the United States, with a current caseload of over 5000 litigations and approximately 300 class actions; over 2100 litigations were brought to the firm in 2010 alone. And finally, Jackson Lewis is affiliated with L & E Global Employers’ Counsel Worldwide.
Additional information about Jackson Lewis can be found at www.jacksonlewis.com.
For more information, please contact:
Lara Hamm, Jackson Lewis
T: (703) 483-8373
Email: hamml@jacksonlewis.com