J. Michael Brown Award

At the Annual DuPont Minority Counsel Conference the Minority Counsel Network (MCN) announces the J. Michael Brown Award winner. Nominees for this award are members of DuPont's MCN who have achieved significant success in efforts to increase and promote diversity in the profession both within and outside of their respective firm or department. Candidates should have demonstrated contributions to the Network.

Emphasis is placed on the following criteria when considering a nominee:

• Personal Public Commitment
  
• Inspiring Others to Join the Profession
  
• Recruiting and Mentoring
  
• Professional and Personal

The MCN’s award is named after J. Michael Brown, Esq., a partner in the law firm of Stites & Harbison, PLLC in Nashville TN.  Mr. Brown was instrumental in establishing the Minority Counsel Network as part of the DuPont Legal Model, along with DuPont’s Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Thomas Sager.  In 1997, Mr. Brown suggested convening a conference to bring together all of the minority attorneys at DuPont and its network of primary law firms and service providers. The goal of the conference was, and continues to be, to develop focused recommendations for recruiting, hiring, retaining and promoting minority attorneys. Mr. Brown was presented with a replica of the award at the 2001 Conference. 

The 2006 J. Michael Brown Award winner was James W. Dyke, Jr., a partner at McGuireWoods LLP in Richmond, Virginia. Click here to read more about Mr. Dyke.

The 2005 J. Michael Brown Award winner was Janet Y. Bivins, Corporate Counsel, DuPont, and Co-Founder of the DuPont Minority Counsel Conference and Minority Counsel Network. Click here to read more about Ms. Bivins.

The 2003 J. Michael Brown Award winner was Vimal K. Shah, a partner at the law firm of Carpenter, Bennett and Morrissey in Newark, NJ at the time. Click here to read more about Mr. Shah.