Crowell & Moring's Monica Parham Inducted as President of The Women's Bar Association of The District of Columbia

Washington, D.C. – June 8, 2011: Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce that Monica Parham, who serves as the firm’s diversity counsel, has been inducted as president of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia (WBA). Parham previously served as WBA president-elect. Prior, she was a member of the WBA's Board of Directors and served as co-chair of the WBA's Litigation Forum. Parham was presented as president at the WBA/WBA Foundation Annual Dinner in Washington, D.C. in May, and her term began effective June 1, 2011.

"Crowell & Moring is extremely proud of Monica's commitment to the WBA. Her election as president of the organization is yet another example of how the legal community as a whole continues to be enriched by Monica's work on critical diversity issues facing women, attorneys of color, and members of other groups traditionally underrepresented in the profession," said Crowell & Moring chairman Kent A. Gardiner. "Our firm has greatly benefited from Monica's dedication to promoting diversity, and I am confident that she will bring the same passion and drive to her service for the WBA."

As diversity counsel, Parham has full-time responsibility for coordinating the firm's implementation of its diversity initiatives. She works closely with the firm's Diversity Council, and Recruiting and Lawyer Development committees, to address and enhance the firm's recruitment, retention and promotion of attorneys from groups traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession. She also facilitates communications regarding client expectations, and assists in coordinating client development efforts, focusing on diversity.

In addition to her work at Crowell & Moring and service in the WBA, Parham serves on the Board of Advisors of the Project for Attorney Retention, and on the Diversity Committee of the ABA Section of International Law. In 2010, she was named to the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession's Women of Color Research Initiative Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals, Inc. Under her leadership, the Crowell & Moring has received several diversity related awards, including the 2010 Minority Corporate Counsel Association's Thomas L. Sager Award for the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Founded in 1917, the Women's Bar Association is one of the oldest and largest voluntary bar associations in metropolitan Washington, D.C. Today the association continues to pursue its mission of "maintaining the honor and integrity of the profession; promoting the administration of justice; advancing and protecting the interests of women lawyers; promoting their mutual improvement; and encouraging a spirit of friendship among our members."

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 500 lawyers representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity. The firm has offices in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, Anchorage, London, and Brussels.