Overview
NEW YORK (June 20, 2016) — McDermott Will & Emery LLP is proud to announce that New York-based Litigation partner, Lisa A. Linsky, was named LGBT Equality Lawyer of the Year by Chambers USA at the inaugural Chambers Diversity Awards on June 16, 2016.
The Chambers Diversity Awards provide a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on the firms and individuals affecting positive change in the profession. Ms. Linsky is a deserving recipient of this recognition based on the time, energy, and passion she devotes to the fight for equality on behalf of the LGBT community.
“I cannot think of a more deserving lawyer to receive this recognition,” said McDermott co-chair Peter J. Sacripanti. “Lisa truly leads by example, and it is largely because of her leadership and passion that McDermott attorneys and staff have devoted countless pro bono hours to LGBT-related matters. She has made such a positive impact on behalf of the LGBT community in the legal profession, and I could not be more proud of her receiving this award in recognition of her efforts.”
“Lisa has helped shape the inclusive environment at McDermott in which the firm is committed to implementing practices that create and maintain LGBT diversity for the long-term benefit of our colleagues and clients,” said McDermott co-chair Jeffrey E. Stone. “I am inspired by her commitment to diversity initiatives at McDermott and her efforts to increase diversity in the legal profession as a whole.”
Ms. Linsky was McDermott’s first Partner-in-Charge of Firm-wide Diversity, and she created and chaired the Firm-wide LGBT Diversity Committee from 2005 to 2014. She created McDermott’s LGBT Diversity & Inclusion Program in 2005, when few other law firms were paying attention to this aspect of workplace diversity. Since that time, Ms. Linsky has helped numerous law firms and companies establish LGBT workplace programs, affinity groups and Employee Resource Groups. By doing so, she has moved the needle for LGBT diversity and inclusion within law firm culture and across the corporate landscape.
Ms. Linsky was a member of the LGBT Rights Committee of the City Bar for four years and chaired the Pride Reception Subcommittee; in recognition of her service, Ms. Linsky was awarded the 2013 Art Leonard Award by the New York City Bar Association and its LGBT Rights Committee. Ms. Linsky was a seven-year member of the national board of directors for Lambda Legal, the country’s leading LGBT civil rights organization, where she served as an officer for most of her tenure. She also created the Huffington Post blog, “Out and About: LGBT Legal,” in which she writes about legal and social issues attendant to the LGBT civil rights movement. Ms. Linsky currently serves on the board of the LGBT Community Center of New York and was recently singled out as a “Top NY Power Gay” by the NY Observer.
Click here for more information about the 2016 Chambers Diversity Awards.
About Diversity at McDermott Will & Emery
At McDermott, diversity and inclusion are essential to the firm’s continued success. A diverse, inclusive culture enhances McDermott’s ability to attract and retain extraordinary people who can bring the best, broadest and most innovative ideas and perspectives to bear on the complex challenges facing the firm’s clients. McDermott’s Firm-wide Diversity & Inclusion Committee comprises several dedicated subcommittees that steer the firm along the path to an ever more inclusive work environment while (1) ensuring that everyone understands the value of a diverse workplace and (2) maintaining an atmosphere in which all employees have an equal opportunity to succeed. McDermott is very proud that its lawyers and staff are deeply committed to extending this ethos of inclusion throughout the broader legal profession and our surrounding communities.
About McDermott Will & Emery
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
