The Delhi High Court of India, an appellate court inferior only to the Supreme Court of India, quoted at length Washington, D.C. partner Sonia Baldia's article, Exhaustion and Parallel Imports in India, while deciding a recent landmark cross-border IP infringement dispute concerning IP owned by Samsung Electronics. The Delhi High Court's decision, which found in Samsung's favor, is the first Indian court decision to address the issue of parallel imports of IP under Indian law. Click here for the Delhi High Court's decision, click here for the above referenced article.

"Debora de Hoyos ' 78 was part of the generation of women who changed law firms from nearly all-male enclaves of attorneys. But she did much more than that. In 1991, she became the first woman named managing partner of a large U.S. law firm, a position she has held ever since, at Mayer, Brown, Rowe and Maw in Chicago. She joined the firm right out of law school and has "grown up with the firm," as the previous managing partner said. The firm, too, grew since she started as an associate, from 150 lawyers to one of the 10 largest law firms in the world, with more than 1,300 attorneys in seven U.S. and six European cities."

- Harvard Law Bulletin, summer 2003, in naming her one of 50 extraordinary Harvard Law School female graduates

"Hector Gonzalez, a distinguished lawyer and prosecutor, has performed superbly as a member of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and his combination of experience and judgment will ensure that the CCRB investigates every complaint thoroughly."

- New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, announcing Mayer, Brown, Rowe and Maw lawyer Hector Gonzalez's appointment as chairman of the independent agency that investigates complaints against police.

- Mayer, Brown, Rowe and Maw 2007 Chambers USA "Leaders in Their Field"

Banking & Finance
Ami G. Scott (Illinois)

Business Process Outsourcing
David M. Hudanish (National)

Tax
Timothy C. Sherck (Illinois)

To offer further insight into the breadth of our attorney involvement in diversity, we present a recent sampling of our leadership efforts.

• Claudius Sokenu, New York, Partner, has been appointed to serve on the New York City Bar Special Committee on Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers. The committee addresses issues and policies concerning law firm recruitment and retention. Among other noteworthy endeavors, the Committee organizes the City Bar’s Fellowship Program, which matches minority law students with law firms for summer employment after the first year of law school, and sponsors an annual luncheon for recruitment coordinators at law firms and law schools.

• Sonia Baldia, Washington, D.C. Partner, was appointed General Counsel to the Asian University For Women Support Foundation in February 2006.

• Araceli Ruano, Los Angeles Associate, was recently elected to the Mexican American Bar Foundation's Board of Trustees.

• N. Neville Reid, Chicago Partner, was designated a "Super Lawyer" in Illinois by the Law & Politics organization and Chicago Magazine, May 2005, based in part on the views of other bankruptcy and workout attorneys in Illinois and a "blue ribbon" commission of leading attorneys in Illinois.
  
  
• Hector Gonzalez, New York Partner, is the Chairman of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent mayoral agency that investigates charges of police misconduct. He sits on several boards, including the Board of Directors of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, where he was recently elected Board Secretary, and the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Manhattan College. Hector is also a member of the Firm's Policy & Planning Committee, the Co-Chairman of the Firm's Committee on Counsel & Associates and a member of its Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.

• Mary Richardson-Lowry, Chicago Partner, received the 2003 Chicago United Business Leaders of Color Award and she was appointed Chairperson of the City of Chicago Community Development Commission, which oversees all tax increment financing and conservation areas in the city. In 2004 she was named by Crain's as one of the "100 Most Influential Women" in Chicago. She is Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Directors for AIDSCare and a member of the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross in Chicago.

• Neil Verma, Houston Associate, is a director of the South Asian American Bar Association and a frequent speaker at Houston area law schools on topics related to diversity. He is a member of the Network of Indian Professionals and volunteers in charity events promoting literacy for the children of India. 

• Will Malpica, New York Associate, has been appointed by the Mayor to the New York City Commission on Human Rights. He also serves on the board of PRLDEF (Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund) and PALS (Practicing Attorneys for Law Students).

• Gail Saracco, Gail Saracco, a partner in the Chicago corporate practice, was named in the inaugural edition of "Who's Who in Black Chicago." Gail was also named a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow for 2002-2003. Gail is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

• Hoang Quan Vu, Houston Partner, is the 2005 President of the Asian American Bar Association of Houston. During his tenure he has established a mentorship program for Asian American law school students and young lawyers and created an Community Outreach Program for the purpose of providing legal services, including will-writing workshops, tax seminars and immigration seminars, to the Asian American community. He is also a founding Director for the Asian American Bar Foundation of Houston, which was established in 2005 to encourage Asian American participation in the legal profession, legal scholarship and legal support services through the grant of scholarships, stipends and research funds and to otherwise benefit the Asian American community of the greater Houston area. Quan was also the Co-Chair of the inaugural Harvard University Club of Houston Crimson Award Gala, which raised funds to send Houston area principals, teachers and leaders of non-profit organizations to Harvard University for educational, leadership and management training. Quan also volunteers for the Education Rainbow Challenge, which is a program designed to stimulate interest in mathematics for 3rd through 6th graders with low TAAS scores from low-income families. Quan is also currently a member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Asian Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Asian American Professionals and is on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Club of Houston (where he is also the Vice President of Programs).

• Claudia Frost, Houston Partner, is a 2004-2005 co-chair of the HBA Gender Initiative Committee.

• Ashish Prasad, Chicago Partner, is a frequent speaker, most recently served as a panelist for the 2004 National Association of South Asian Bar Association's "Making Partner" session.

• Ami Scott, Chicago Partner, has been honored by the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University for her efforts in support of diversity at the college, including establishing a fellowship in honor of her grandparents for students who wish to intern with community-based organizations.