Paulette Brown, the chief diversity officer at law firm Edwards Wildman and a labor lawyer is moving closer towards becoming the next president of the American Bar Association, following her formal nomination as president-elect.
She is already the first colored woman to be nominated to that position.
In a press release from her firm, they reported her elevation:
Paulette Brown, chief diversity officer at Edwards Wildman and a partner in the firm’s Labor and Employment practice, is one step closer to becoming the president of the American Bar Association. On February 9, during the ABA mid-year meeting in Chicago, the House of Delegates Nominating Committee formally nominated Brown to be its next president-elect by unanimous vote. She is reaching new heights as the first woman lawyer of color to be nominated.
Brown will become the president-elect at the ABA annual meeting in August 2014 in Boston. Edwards Wildman will celebrate this next historic achievement by co-hosting the president’s reception on August 10. Brown will serve a one year term as president-elect and become president for a one year term in 2015. With more than 400,000 members, the ABA is charged with establishing academic standards for law schools and overseeing model ethical codes for the legal profession. Brown has been a strong proponent of achieving greater diversity in the legal profession and has worked very hard in support of programs at Edwards Wildman and in the legal industry throughout her career.
Based in the firm’s Morristown, New Jersey office, Brown has engaged in the private practice of law, focusing on all facets of labor and employment and commercial litigation, for the past 30 years. She has successfully defended employers in cases involving discrimination on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual harassment, disability, race and national origin. Brown is a frequent lecturer on labor and employment issues and issues related to electronic discovery and serves as 2nd vice chair of the Labor and Employment Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association. She is a certified mediator for the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, and a member of the Employment AAA Panel.
As a result of her charitable efforts and work with various bar associations, Brown has received numerous awards, including the Cora T. Walker Legacy Award from the National Bar Association; the Medal of Honor Award from the New Jersey Bar Foundation; the Equal Justice Award from the National Bar Association; the Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Bar Association; the Award of Excellence from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund; the Robert L. Carter Legacy Award by the New Jersey chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and the Gertrude Rush Award from the National Bar Association. She has also received the Professional Lawyer of the Year Award from the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism. Brown earned her law degree from Seton Hall University, School of Law, and her undergraduate degree from Howard University.
