WASHINGTON, D.C., April 14, 2017: Global leader of Morgan Lewis’s labor and employment practice Grace Speights will deliver the keynote address at the George Washington University Law School’s Diploma Ceremony on Sunday, May 21.
The Diploma Ceremony is the climax of the law school’s weekend-long series of commencement events. Ms. Speights graduated from George Washington in 1982 with the Order of the Coif, and in 2013 she was elected to the school’s Board of Trustees. She also recently endowed a scholarship there.
A leading trial lawyer and a member of the elite American College of Trial Lawyers, Ms. Speights defends clients against employment discrimination claims—particularly class claims—and claims of discrimination in public accommodations. She also counsels on best practices for corporate diversity initiatives. Ms. Speights has handled high-profile and high-stakes matters for many clients and is often called upon by clients for crisis management assistance. She also represents clients in systemic investigations and litigation brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Ms. Speights has received numerous awards, including the National Bar Association’s Gertrude E. Rush Award and the NAACP’s Champion of Justice Award. Her work also has been recognized by The National Law Journal, Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, The Legal 500 US, Law360, Lawyers of Color, Washingtonian magazine, The Washington Post, and Best Lawyers, among others.
In addition to currently managing the activities of more than 250 labor and employment lawyers across Morgan Lewis, Ms. Speights has held a variety of management and recruiting roles within the firm. She is co-chair of the Morgan Lewis systemic employment litigation practice and she formerly co-chaired its Diversity Committee.