Arnold & Porter LLP Honored By Minority Corporate Counsel Association For Sixth Consecutive Year

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 17, 2004 - The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) yesterday presented a 2004 Thomas L. Sager Award to the Washington office of Arnold & Porter LLP. This is the sixth consecutive year that MCCA has honored the firm for its efforts to improve the recruitment, retention, and promotion of minority lawyers. Arnold & Porter was recognized at MCCA's Mid-Atlantic Region Diversity Dinner last night at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C., and is the only law firm to receive a 2004 Sager Award for this region.

"We are very honored to receive this award," said James Sandman, managing partner of Arnold & Porter LLP. "We work hard to create a welcoming work environment for people of all backgrounds, and are grateful to MCCA for recognizing our efforts."

Minority lawyers constitute 16.4% of attorneys in Arnold & Porter's Washington and Northern Virginia offices. The firm has 91% more minority lawyers than it did only four years ago. The firm also has seen a continued increase in the numbers of its women attorneys. Approximately 35% of lawyers in the Washington and Virginia offices are women, and the firm has 46% more women lawyers than it did in 2000. Arnold & Porter's incoming associate class this fall will have 22% minority lawyers and 56% women. This summer, 31% of summer associates are minorities and 50% are women.

Arnold & Porter's Washington office received MCCA Sager Awards in 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003. In 2003, the firm's New York office was also recognized with a Sager Award. In 2001, MCCA named Arnold & Porter an "Employer of Choice," the first and only time a law firm has received that designation. The Sager Award, named in honor of MCCA Board of Directors member and DuPont Company Vice President and Assistant General Counsel Thomas L. Sager, is given to law firms that demonstrate sustained commitment to improving the hiring, retention, and promotion of minority lawyers.