Paulette Brown, the first woman of color elected as president of the American Bar Association and a former president of the National Bar Association, the largest organization of predominantly African American lawyers in the United States, was inducted into the Fred David Gray Hall of Fame on Thursday for her contributions to the legal profession.

Brown is a senior partner and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Locke Lord, based in Princeton, New Jersey. A labor and employment litigator, she was lauded for her “groundbreaking work on behalf of diversity and inclusion, professional achievements and community contributions,” according to a news release issued by the firm. Brown accepted the honor during the NBA's 94th annual convention in New York City.

“It's is an honor and privilege to receive this most prestigious award. I credit the National Bar Association for its significant role in shaping my professional career,” she said in a statement.

As president of the ABA, Brown established the ABA's Diversity and Inclusion 360 Commission during her 2015-2016 term, which probed the issue of representation of minorities and women in the legal profession, the bar association and the judicial system. and developed recommendations for best practices to advance diversity and inclusion.

Brown also led the creation, passage and implementation of ABA's Resolution 113, which urges legal services providers to hire, retain and promote minority and LGBTQ lawyers and asks clients to expand opportunities for diverse lawyers.

In her career, Brown has been in-house counsel at a number of Fortune 500 companies as well as a municipal court judge. Among her many honors, the New Jersey Law Journal named her as one of the prominent women and minority attorneys in the state of New Jersey. She also was named one of “The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America” by the National Law Journal.

The Fred D. Gray award is named for the Alabama civil rights attorney whose clients included Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks and was a driving force in helping to end legal segregation in the state. It was created during his presidency of the NBA in 1986 to honor lawyers who “have made significant contributions to the cause of justice” and have been licensed to practice for 40 years or more,” the organization notes.

Explaining how the National Bar Association helped her career take shape, Brown said, “my first convention was in 1980. I grew up not knowing any lawyers, and after four years of practice I still did not know many. In particular, I knew very few African American lawyers. From the moment I came to the counter to check into the hotel, I was embraced as a member of the family. The members made certain that I was given the necessary technical and leadership skills to be successful. Importantly, NBA members allowed me to assume roles when I was young and without a great deal of experience. It provided me with the experience necessary to run and lead the American Bar Association.”

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