Congresswoman Clarke's Statement on Selection of Paulette Brown as President of the American Bar Association

Press Release

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the selection of Paulette Brown as President of the American Bar Association, the first African-American woman to hold the position understood as the primary representative of the legal profession in the United States, with more than 400,000 active members.

Currently a partner at Wildman Edwards, a law firm in New Jersey, Paulette Brown will as President of the American Bar Association direct the supervision of lawyers under the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and law schools in the accreditation process.

"A proud graduate of Howard University and Seton University School of Law, Paulette Brown's career in law has been distinguished by her expertise in employment law, her effort to support diversity in law firms, and her commitment to social justice. She has the respect of her colleagues in the legal profession and the public," said Congresswoman Clarke. "Historically, membership in the professions, particularly law, was closed to women and people of color. It is my hope that the American Bar Association will continue to address the inequities that persist in the legal profession, in which women, African-Americans, and Latinos are still substantially underrepresented in the partnerships of corporate law firms and in the judiciary."

Paulette Brown will assume the presidency in May 2015.

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