Jackson Lewis Adds Longtime Corporate Diversity Advisor to Washington, D.C. Region Office
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 8, 2009) – Jackson Lewis LLP, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing employment law firms, is pleased to announce that Weldon H. Latham has joined its Washington, D.C. Regional office as Partner. Latham, one of the nation’s most prominent diversity experts, has played a key role in settling some of the most significant employment discrimination cases of our time: representing Boeing in negotiating a successful resolution to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs enforcement action, as well as Texaco, and Coca-Cola in their landmark lawsuits.
He is joined by Partners John M. Bryson II, a skilled employment discrimination litigator and Michael R. Hatcher, a diversity and government relations counselor, who will constitute the core of the corporate diversity counseling group at Jackson Lewis.
Latham, who regularly advises Fortune 500 companies on diversity crisis prevention and management, said “President Obama has stated that his administration will require greater fairness and equity in the workplace, and companies will need to achieve a new paradigm of employer/employee relations,” adding that he is “delighted” to be able to work on these critical issues at Jackson Lewis. “I am extremely impressed with the breadth of knowledge and understanding of employment and diversity related matters of Jackson Lewis attorneys and with the firm’s culture of preventive practices and positive solutions to workplace issues” said Latham.
“While we have had a robust affirmative action group at Jackson Lewis for years, with diversity counseling as a critical component, Weldon and his colleagues will take our firm to a new level and add a new dimension to our corporate diversity initiatives,” said firm-wide Managing Partner Patrick L. Vaccaro. “These individuals have an extremely strong track record – having represented numerous major American corporations in diversity matters of all descriptions for many years – and we could not be happier about adding their talent to our already strong Washington, D.C. Regional team. In addition, at a time when the federal government is focusing greater attention on expansion and broader enforcement of employment laws, to have an individual with Weldon’s expertise, stature and experience on board is a real coup for Jackson Lewis” said Vaccaro.
Latham, who served as a national co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, has a distinguished record of public service. He served as Assistant General Counsel in the White House Office of Management and Budget during the Ford administration and General Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Carter administration as well as Chair of the Legal Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for the last eleven years.
Called “The Brains Behind Diversity Crisis Management,” by DiversityInc magazine, Latham chairs Deloitte’s External Diversity Advisory Board and is a frequent commentator in the national media on diversity and political issues. He is also the lead Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center, teaching corporate diversity counseling along with Bryson and Hatcher. It is expected that Weldon will assume a leadership position on Jackson Lewis’ internal Diversity Committee as well.
Latham, who's listed in Who's Who in America, holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Howard University, a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, an Executive Management Certificate from the Amos Tuck Business School at Dartmouth College and has been a guest professor at the University of Virginia and Howard University Schools of Law.
About Jackson Lewis Founded in 1958, Jackson Lewis is dedicated to representing management exclusively in workplace law with 565 attorneys practicing in 41 cities nationwide. Jackson Lewis has a wide-range of specialized practice areas, including: Affirmative Action and OFCCP Diversity Planning; Disability, Leave and Health Management; Employee Benefits, including Complex ERISA Litigation, Workplace Privacy 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; and Workplace Safety Compliance. 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 Issues; Management Education, including e-Based Training; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Public Sector Issues; Government Relations and Corporate Diversity Counseling.
Additional information about Jackson Lewis can be found at www.jacksonlewis.com
Contact: Lara Hamm, Public Relations Manager (212) 545-4031 HammL@jacksonlewis.com