Diversity: Public Recognition

Diversity

Public Recognition and Community Involvement

MTO has been publicly recognized for its commitment to diversity, as well as for the accomplishments of its women and minority attorneys. In June 2011, The American Lawyer magazine released its annual diversity scorecard, ranking MTO third place in diversity hiring and retention among more than 190 law firms nationwide. In 2011, MTO took the second place—after three consecutive first place finishes —on The American Lawyer’s 2011 A-List, in part, for the firm’s success in recruiting, retaining and promoting diverse attorneys. MTO scored higher in diversity than each of the other top-20 A-List firms.

MTO is honored to have also received the following recent recognitions.

  • Vault’s Top 100 Law Firms in the U.S.
  • 2010 Thomas L. Sager Award, Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA)
  • 2009 Working Mother Best Law Firms for Women
  • Minority Law Journal’s 2009 Top Ten for Law Firm Diversity
  • 2009 Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity, Multicultural Law Magazine
  • Top 20 for Associate Satisfaction 2009, The American Lawyer

Recent individual recognitions of diverse MTO lawyers include:

  • Kristin Myles was appointed the first female special master in an original jurisdiction U.S. Supreme Court case. She was also named one of California’s Top 100 Women Litigators by the Daily Journal in 2011, 2009, 2008 and 2006. 
  • Charles Siegal has actively championed the rights of the disabled and was honored for his activities by the Los Angeles Commission on Disability and the Legal Aid Association of California.
  • Katherine Forster was named one of California’s Top 100 Women Litigators by the Daily Journal in 2010 and 2009, and is Immediate Past President of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.
  • Bart Williams, one of MTO’s former co-managing partners, was named among the Daily Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers in 2010, and along with MTO litigation partner Rohit Singla was lead trial counsel in DVD Copy Control Association Inc. v. RealNetworks Inc., named a California 2009 plaintiffs verdict with the most significant impact by the Daily Journal.
  • Fred Rowley, an Asian-American partner, is past President of the Federal Bar Association of Los Angeles.
  • Terry Sanchez, a Latino partner was named to the Daily Journal’s 2011 and 2010 Top Employment Lawyers list.
  • Paul Watford, an African-American partner, is a member of the ABA’s Amicus Curiae Committee, and a member of the Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
  • Mary Ann Todd, was named to the Daily Journal’s 2011 Top Women Lawyers list and a Dealmaker of the Week by The American Lawyer for representing Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in its $9.7 billion acquisition of The Lubrizol Corporation.
  • Jerry Roth was responsible for drafting an amicus brief in the In re: Marriage Cases, which resulted in a ruling by the California Supreme Court invalidating a state law limiting marriage to a union between a man and a woman.
  • An MTO team including Gregory Phillips, Jay Fujitani, David Dinielli, Michelle Friedland, Lika Miyake, and Mark Conrad were honored in 2009, by the ACLU and National Center for Lesbian Rights, for their work challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the voter initiative that sought to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. Though the court upheld Proposition 8, it also unanimously ruled that the more than 18,000 marriages that took place between June 16 and November 4, 2008 continue to be fully valid and recognized by the state of California.

MTO has also joined with other members of the legal community to promote diversity in the legal profession.  We are a signatory to diversity initiatives sponsored by both the Bar Association of San Francisco (Goals and Timetables for Minority Hiring & Advancement) and the Los Angeles County Bar Association (Statement of Diversity Goals and Principles). We are also a sustaining member of the Project for Attorney Retention, an initiative of UC Hastings College of the Law and the recently formed Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Additionally, several of our partners were instrumental in organizing and sponsoring a Managing Partners Diversity Conference in Los Angeles, which resulted in a group of 18 major Los Angeles law firms that meet regularly to discuss diversity issues. Our partners are also part of the Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity. The firm is a member of the California Minority Lawyers Association and of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and was a national sponsor of the MCCA's report on Creating Pathways to Diversity.

Spotlight

MTO Fellows
MTO Fellows Program: Innovative Diversity Outreach

Launched in 2007, the MTO Fellows Program offers full-time positions in the firm’s Los Angeles office to students of diverse backgrounds who have recently graduated from college and plan to attend law school. Fellows work closely with attorneys and paralegals, participate in a wide range of educational activities outside the firm, and receive a stipend to take an LSAT preparation course.

“The strength of the MTO Fellows Program lies in the independent nature of the fellows, who are free to use this opportunity to immerse themselves in areas of law about which they are most passionate.” - MTO Fellow Farida Ali.

“As someone who has faced and overcome many adversities in life, the MTO Fellows Program has reinforced in me the belief that with hard work and perseverance, the sky is the limit, regardless of who you are or where you come from.” - MTO Fellow Azure'De Wilkins.

“I became an MTO Fellow to gain a more holistic understanding of the law, the way it is practiced and of the people who practice it. My proudest moment has been testifying at arbitration and helping secure damages for our client.” MTO Fellow Justin Iwata.