Booker Shaw receives Diversity & Inclusion Award from Missouri Lawyers Media

Thompson Coburn partner and retired Judge Booker Shaw has been selected to receive a 2021 Diversity & Inclusion Award from Missouri Lawyers Media.

This year the awards recognize 21 attorneys, firms and organizations “who are significantly advancing diversity, inclusion and the dignity of all people in Missouri’s legal profession.”

Judge Shaw is a litigator, appellate advocate, mediator and mentor. He also serves as the co-chair of Thompson Coburn’s Diversity Committee. In 2019, Judge Shaw received The Distinguished Lawyer Award from the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL). This award is the highest honor given by BAMSL. It is given annually to a lawyer who has “made a great and lasting contribution to the St. Louis region in the area of law and community service, has motivated other lawyers to work in the public interest, and who exemplifies lawyers as good citizens contributing significantly to the community,” according to BAMSL.

“We are incredibly proud of Judge Shaw for his many years of work to better diversity and inclusion efforts here at Thompson Coburn and in our community,” said Norma Jackson, Thompson Coburn’s Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Professional Development. “His guidance and leadership have helped ensure our Firm continues to be a shining example of a welcoming and inclusive workplace. This recognition is well deserved.”

Thompson Coburn has implemented several new diversity programs and upgraded many existing diversity practices. Additionally, Thompson Coburn is one of just 100 firms in the country that have been certified under the Mansfield Rule 3.0, a national initiative to increase the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for roles and opportunities. Thompson Coburn is currently participating in Mansfield 4.0 and has also joined the National Law Firm Antiracism Alliance.

“I am honored to be selected as one of this year’s Diversity & Inclusion Award recipients,” said Judge Shaw. “But more than this, I am proud of the progress that Norma Jackson, Tony Anderson and I have seen for diverse attorneys, as well as the opportunities we have had to make this possible. It has been a privilege to help young attorneys find their paths, and I look forward to helping enhance Thompson Coburn’s diversity and inclusion efforts.”

Judge Shaw served on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, for seven years, including one year as chief judge. As a former trial judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit, from 1983 until 2002, Judge Shaw presided over more than 500 trials. He has participated in several significant trials and appeals since joining the firm in 2009.