Melvin White Elected District of Columbia Bar President-Elect
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 14, 2006) — McDermott Will & Emery is proud and pleased to report that partner Melvin White has been elected President-Elect of The District of Columbia Bar (D.C. Bar). Mr. White has an extensive history of voluntary service to the D.C. Bar, the community and the legal profession. He is a two-term member of the D.C. Bar's Board of Governors and he serves on the Executive Committee with prior service on the Budget and Finance Committees.
"This is a great distinction and honor for Melvin," commented Harvey W. Frieishtat, Chair of McDermott. "Melvin distinguished himself in presenting his candidacy to the members of the D.C. Bar. We are very happy for him and look forward to supporting him in this very important role."
Mr. White's agenda as president includes fostering greater diversity in the D.C. Bar by addressing diversity issues at Bar-sponsored programs, through open dialogue on diversity with senior level members of the Bar and through initiatives focusing on the mentoring and retention of junior attorneys.
"As president, I will focus on continuing to strengthen the Bar's 'community of service,' through facilitating more partnerships between D.C. Bar members and local pro bono service providers," commented Mr. White. "My priorities will be to support the courts and instill in our members the delivery of the highest quality legal services in the D.C. courts."
A graduate of Morehouse College and the University of Virginia School of Law, Mr. White was a law clerk for the Honorable G. Thomas Eisele, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. He is an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
Mr. White focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation and dispute resolution. He is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) and he has been active on the ABA's Commission on Minorities in the Legal Profession. He is a member of the Fellows of the ABA, the National Bar Association, the Washington Bar Association, the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia, GAYLAW and the Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court.
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, the Firm has 14 offices worldwide. Mr. White will be carrying on the Firm's tradition of leadership in the legal industry, specifically in Bar Associations. Currently, Ned Leibensberger, a partner in McDermott's Boston office, is serving as president of the Boston Bar Association, and Chuck Work, a partner in McDermott's Washington, D.C. office, is a former president of the D.C. Bar.
