Wal-Mart Legal Counsel Honored for Outstanding Law Firm Diversity Efforts

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 15  /PRNewswire/ -- Joseph K. West, Associate General Counsel - Outside Counsel Management at Wal-Mart, will receive the 2009 Award for Outstanding Service by an Advisory Council Member from the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF).

Responsible for managing Wal-Mart's relationships with all external law firms, West has adopted a goal of increasing and sustaining the company's utilization of minority and women owned law firms. As a member of the NAMWOLF Advisory Council, West has helped NAMWOLF initiate important discussions with a number of major corporate legal departments and prospective law firm members. West is also co-chair of the 2009 NAMWOLF Annual Meeting.

"At Wal-Mart we know that diversity is the foundation for an inclusive, sustainable business that embraces and respects differences," said West. "Helping minority and women owned law firms grow and prosper is a commitment shared by Wal-Mart and NAMWOLF, and I am honored to be recognized for my efforts to support NAMWOLF's important work."

The 2009 Award for Outstanding Service by an Advisory Council Member will be presented to West at the NAMWOLF Annual Meeting and Law Firm Expo in Chicago on October 7th.

"Joe West has been a tireless supporter of our organization and our initiatives," said Yolanda Coly, NAMWOLF Managing Director. "We are deeply grateful to Joe for his significant and ongoing commitment to diversity in the legal profession, and we're proud to partner with him to increase the utilization of these firms by corporations such as Wal-Mart."

About Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 7,900 retail units under 55 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2009 sales of $401 billion, Wal-Mart employs more than 2.1 million associates worldwide. A leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity, Wal-Mart ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine's 2009 Most Admired Companies survey. Additional information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting http://www.walmartstores.com/. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com/ and http://www.samsclub.com/.

About NAMWOLF

NAMWOLF is comprised of 75 certified MWBE firms located throughout the U.S. Firms are admitted to NAMWOLF only after undergoing a rigorous screening process - overseen by in-house counsel - requiring that firms be AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, have a record of successfully representing multiple institutional clients, and pass a detailed reference check with only superior recommendations from clients. NAMWOLF's Annual Meeting, held each fall, facilitates relationships between in-house counsel and member law firms. 

DATASOURCE: NAMWOLF



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