Greenberg Traurig Receives the Palm Beach County Bar Association's Judge Edward Rodgers Diversity Award

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Mar 16, 2012, 01:48 ET

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Palm Beach County offices of international law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A. were selected by the Palm Beach County Bar Association's Committee for Diversity & Inclusion to receive the first annual Judge Edward Rodgers Diversity Award. Palm Beach North office Administrative Shareholder Tracy L. Gerber and Shareholder Bridget A. Berry accepted the award on behalf of the firm at the 2012 Bench Bar Conference, which was attended by over 1000 lawyers, as well as judges from Palm Beach's County Court, the 15th Judicial Circuit, the 4th District Court of Appeal and Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente.

The inaugural Diversity Award acknowledged Greenberg Traurig's commitment to diversity as reflected in its recruitment, retention and promotion of diverse individuals. The Diversity Award also recognized the firm's commitment to the local Bar's diversity programs, its efforts to foster an inclusive and equitable work environment, and its participation in community outreach and engagement efforts designed to help those of diverse backgrounds enter and prosper in the legal field.

"Diversity has always been a priority of the firm in its hiring practices, its charitable resources and its support of initiatives to encourage minorities to enter the legal field," said Palm Beach County Co-Managing Shareholder Mark F. Bideau. Fifteen of the forty-seven attorneys in the firm's Palm Beach offices are women or minorities. Importantly, these attorneys are leaders in the legal community and have strongly supported diversity and inclusion.

For example, Shareholder Padma G. Hinrichs is the South Florida Vice President of the South Asian Bar Association of Florida (SABA), a minority bar association which fosters and promotes the professional development of South Asian lawyers and law students. Hinrichs also serves as an advisor and speaker for the South Asian Law Society at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and a mentor for minority law students. Shareholder Phillip H. Hutchinson serves as a member of the 15th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, and Shareholder Patricia A. Leonard serves on the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Fourth District Court of Appeal. Shareholder Laurie L. Gildan is the immediate past president of the Board of Directors for the Suncoast High School Foundation, a magnet school located in Riviera Beach, and is also immediate past president of the Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition. She continues to serve on the boards of directors for both organizations. Shareholder Lorie M. Gleim is creating a minority scholarship in the name of the late Michael J. Moorhead, who was the first tenured African American law professor at the University of Florida School of Law.

Attorneys in the Palm Beach offices of Greenberg Traurig also promote and facilitate community outreach through volunteer efforts in providing legal services to underrepresented populations. Shareholder Bridget A. Berry is the Founder and Chair of the Greenberg Traurig Independent Living Review Program, which represents children aging out of foster care. Twenty attorneys and staff in the Palm Beach offices have provided pro bono legal services to over 20 youths in the last few years and have also provided clothing and living resources to encourage and enable the youths to further their education or to pursue career success. A number of the youths are now in college or applying to college. In addition, Shareholder Phillip H. Hutchinson is Legal Counsel to the Northwest Community Consortium, Inc., a group of religious, civic and business organizations focused on revitalizing the historic Northwest section of West Palm Beach, a primarily African American community.

According to Palm Beach County Co-Managing Shareholder Mark F. Bideau, "The Palm Beach Offices of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. since their inception have valued diversity and inclusion as part of their core philosophy and not just as afterthoughts. We look forward to advancing these principles through our services to our clients and our community."

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, full-service law firm with approximately 1800 attorneys serving clients from more than 30 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In the U.S., the firm has more offices than any other among the Top 10 on The National Law Journal's 2011 NLJ 250. In Mexico, the firm operates as Greenberg Traurig, S.C., and in the U.K., as Greenberg Traurig Maher LLP. The Tel Aviv office is a branch of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. Greenberg Traurig has a strategic alliance with the independent law firm, Studio Santa Maria with offices in Milan and Rome. The firm was Chambers and Partners' USA Law Firm of the Year in 2007 and among the Top 3 in the International Law Firm of the Year at the 2009 The Lawyer Awards. For additional information, please visit www.gtlaw.com.