Dinsmore Sponsors CLEO EDGE Awards Gala at 50th Anniversary

Dinsmore was honored to serve as a national sponsor of the CLEO EDGE Awards Gala in Washington D.C., a bookend to another impactful year for diversity at the firm. The Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) has been a leading light in the promotion of diversity in the legal profession for the past 50 years. Dinsmore joined our fellow sponsors, including major corporations, national and international law firms, and law schools, in celebrating the significant milestones and accomplishments of an organization that formed in the wake of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Attending the gala were Dinsmore partners Marty Dunn (Cincinnati), James Dimitrijevs (Cleveland), and William Sherman (Washington, D.C.); associates Sunni Harris (Washington, D.C.) and Palash Basu (Washington, D.C.); and summer associate Desiree Tims (Cincinnati).

CLEO’s mission fits within the firm’s own work to promote diversity in the legal profession and has contributed to the professional development of many Dinsmore attorneys.  Palash, a registered patent attorney in Dinsmore’s intellectual property department, has been involved with CLEO for years, dating back to his pre-law days.

He praised the pivotal role CLEO had in preparing him for a legal career and what it meant to attend the celebratory gala, “Both as an organization and a community, CLEO played an important role in preparing me for a legal career.  CLEO provided programmatic and networking opportunities that helped me formulate my path before, during, and after law school.  I’m grateful for my involvement with such an amazing organization that has given so much opportunity to so many.  It was humbling to be present at the event among the numerous successful and high-profile members of the CLEO community.”

The CLEO EDGE Award Gala nominees were revealed throughout 2018 in Houston, San Francisco, and New York City to recognize leaders in education, diversity, and greater equality. Along with marking a historic anniversary, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., adviser to presidents, noted civil rights leader, attorney, and businessman, was named the inaugural recipient of the CLEO EDGE Heritage Award.  In total, 150 individuals, law schools, and legal organizations were celebrated at the event.