PHILADELPHIA, September 17, 2020: The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia has announced the recipients of its highest honor, the 2020 Frank and Cheri Hermance Atlas Award, naming 2018 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Nadia Murad as the national honoree, and Morgan Lewis Firm Chair Jami McKeon as the Philadelphia honoree. As a co-recipient, Jami was recognized for her work promoting diversity and women’s leadership.
The World Affairs Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to informing and engaging people on matters of national and international significance. Its Atlas Award recognizes an individual or group achievement in humanitarian efforts and continuous dedication to improving the human condition on both international and domestic levels.
Jami was unanimously reelected for a second five-year term in 2018, is the first woman to lead the firm in its 147-year history, and is one of the few women leading a global law firm today. During her tenure, there has been a significant growth in women in leadership positions in the firm and she conceived of and launched ML Women, an initiative that harnesses the strength of the firm’s women lawyers to foster strong relationships and collaboration with our clients and colleagues. Morgan Lewis was one of the first law firms to adopt the Mansfield Rule, which measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered women, lawyers of color, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, and lateral positions. The firm continues to be among The American Lawyer’s A-List, and highly ranked in its Female Equity Partner Scorecard. Yale Law Women also ranks the firm as a “Top Firm for Women in Leadership.”