ABA to Honor Quarles & Brady Chairman John W. Daniels Jr. for Advancing Diversity in Law

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2011— John W. Daniels, Jr., chairman of Quarles & Brady, will receive the 2012 Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Legal Profession.  The annual Spirit of Excellence Awards celebrate the accomplishments of lawyers who promote a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession.

“Daniels paved the way to success for many lawyers of color,” said commission Chair Reginald M. Turner.  ”He has made positive contributions to the profession, lawyers of color and to the community in his decades of service.  He has enriched the profession with his many outstanding contributions and achievements.  As a role model, he mentored and encouraged other lawyers to support future generations of lawyers of color.”

As a member of numerous organizations (current chair of Greater Milwaukee Foundation, former president of the American College of Real Estate lawyers, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, BMO Harris, Greater Milwaukee Committee, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Boys and Girls Club, Medical College of Wisconsin and a host of other boards), Daniels has also exposed lawyers of color to the meaning of giving back to the community.

As Quarles & Brady’s first lawyer of color, first partner of color and first chairman of color, Daniels became a mentor to many young associates and law students of color.  Daniels is also the only African-American chairman in the AmLaw 200; Daniels was named one of the “50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America” by the National Law Journal in 2008.  Since ascending to the chairmanship of Quarles and Brady LLP, Daniels has extended the firm’s national and international reach, and the firm now has offices in seven U.S. cities and Shanghai.

The award will be presented Feb. 4, during the 2012 ABA Midyear Meeting in New Orleans.

The Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Legal Profession is a catalyst to change the legal profession to reflect the society it serves. It helps racially and ethnically diverse lawyers advance their careers and standing in the profession. Its leadership, programs and information help the profession understand and eliminate racism, bigotry and discrimination. The Commission works to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession, and thus enrich it.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is world’s largest voluntary professional membership organization.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

- 30 -