In addition to encouraging diversity within its own legal department (which employs more than 150 attorneys), Wal-Mart has also done a lot to promote diversity in the numerous other firms that it works with on a regular basis.
"The 'Spirit of Excellence Award' was established in 1996 by the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity to celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of lawyers who work to promote a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession," the press release stated.
"We're very proud that our commitment to diversity has earned this recognition from the ABA and that our diversity program is being cited as an example to other companies," Wal-Mart Executive Vice President and General Counsel Tom Mars said when he accepted the award. "The credit for this honor goes first and foremost to our CEO, Lee Scott, who set the tone at the top and encouraged us to become a corporate leader in diversity. The rest of the credit belongs to the many dedicated Wal-Mart lawyers whose passion for diversity and excellence is the driving force behind Wal-Mart creating a world class legal department—one that was recently described as the most diverse of any large law department in corporate America."
In addition, other bar associations including the National Association of Women Lawyers and the National Bar Association have awarded Wal-Mart for all that they've done to see that women and minority attorneys are not only hired, but promoted and given opportunities in the legal profession.
