WASHINGTON, D.C., September 12, 2014: Grace Speights, a partner in Morgan Lewis’s Labor and Employment Practice and head of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, will be inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers today in London during the 2014 Annual Meeting of the College. Ms. Speights is the first woman to represent the firm as a Fellow, joining 12 other Morgan Lewis trial lawyers in their membership of the premier American legal association.
Serving as chair of Morgan Lewis’s Systemic Employment Litigation Practice, Ms. Speights focuses her practice on counseling and defending clients in connection with employment discrimination claims, primarily those involving class claims. She has successfully litigated some of the largest-ever employment discrimination class actions in the United States and defended clients in disputes involving claims of discrimination in public accommodations. Ms. Speights serves as co-chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee, and she also counsels clients on best practices for corporate diversity initiatives. Outside of Morgan Lewis, Ms. Speights is very active in bar association activities and has served as an officer in several associations in the Washington, D.C. area. She also serves as a member of the District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Commission. Ms. Speight’s full biography is available here.
Fellowship in the College is extended only by invitation, after careful consideration, to those experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility, and collegiality, according to the American College of Trial Lawyers. Lawyers must have a minimum of 15 years of trial experience before they can be considered for fellowship.
There are approximately 5,700 Fellows across the United States and Canada, including active, Emeritus, Judicial, and Honorary Fellows. Membership in the College can never exceed 1% of the total lawyer population of any state or province. Qualified lawyers are called to Fellowship in the College from all branches of trial practice. They are selected from advocates who represent plaintiffs or defendants in civil proceedings of all types, as well as prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers.