Shawn M. Wright Named to Lawyers of Color Power List 2020
Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that Shawn M. Wright has been named to the Lawyers of Color’s Power List 2020, which recognizes the most influential minority attorneys and allies in the nation. Presented with the support of the Diverse Partners Network, the annual list is now in its fifth year and includes Fortune 1000 general counsel and law school deans as well as legal media and nonprofit leaders. Additionally, the largest 350 law firms were surveyed to include their attorneys of color who are either managing partners or a management committee member. The Power List 2020 honorees were celebrated at a complimentary reception at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, February 26, 2020.
“I am thrilled to be named to Lawyers of Color’s Power List 2020,” said Shawn. “Being included among such trailblazing, diverse leaders across various industries and platforms who are paving the way for minority attorneys to thrive both personally and professionally is truly an honor, and I look forward to continuing to advance these efforts for my fellow colleagues in the legal industry and beyond.”
Lawyers of Color (“LoC”) is a nonprofit devoted to promoting diversity in the legal profession and advancing democracy and equality in marginalized communities. Key findings of LoC’s 2020 survey notably highlight that a quarter of law schools have deans who are Hispanic, Native American, or of African or Asian descent, and that firms with diverse leadership are more likely to have higher percentages of diverse attorneys overall. In LoC’s issued press release announcing the 2020 honorees, Executive Director Yolanda Young stated, “Lawyers of Color’s Power List is the only comprehensive collection of minority leaders in the legal profession. We began collecting this data because representation and role models are extremely important as legal organizations seek to reach diversity goals and expand the diversity pipeline.”
At Blank Rome, Shawn serves as co-chair of the Firm’s Washington, D.C., office and is a partner in the White Collar Defense and Investigations practice group. A leading litigator, Shawn represents individuals and corporations in state and federal courts throughout the country on a variety of criminal and civil matters, with a specific focus on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and international anti-corruption laws, criminal antitrust, public corruption, government contracts matters, and complex civil litigation matters. Additionally, she represents companies and nonprofit organizations and their boards of directors in various matters involving corporate governance, compliance, and internal controls issues.
Outside of her legal practice, Shawn is a member of the Women President’s Organization – Greenbelt Chapter, which supports and promotes women-owned companies, and serves as vice chair of the board of directors for My Sister’s Place, one of the oldest domestic violence shelters in the District of Columbia. She is also a tutor and mentor to diverse women law students. In 2015, she was named a “White Collar Crime Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal.
