Presenting the Rick Palmore and Rising Star Award Winners
(Richmond, VA – June 8, 2023) — The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) has announced the winners of this year’s marquee Alumni awards: the Rick Palmore Award—the highest honor in the more than 5000-member LCLD Alumni community—and the newly created Rising Star Award. Both will be presented at the LCLD Alumni Symposium in Seattle on June 8.
The 2023 Rick Palmore Award winners are Bonnie Lau, Head of the San Francisco Litigation Department at Morrison & Foerster, and Maritza Okata, Chief Legal Officer at AlixPartners. Named for LCLD’s Founder, the Rick Palmore Award recognizes the outstanding achievements, commitment and leadership of Alumni whose exemplary contributions have had a substantial and lasting impact on the LCLD Fellows and Pathfinders networks.
Ameren Corporate Counsel Toks Arowojolu is the winner of the Rising Star Award, which recognizes a recent LCLD Alum who is engaged with the LCLD Alumni community and exemplifies LCLD’s mission of leadership, action and results.
“Bonnie and Maritza’s unwavering commitment to LCLD and its Alumni community has left an indelible mark that has not only shaped the trajectory of their own journeys but also paved the way for countless others to rise,” said Robert Grey, president of LCLD. “This year, we established a new award category –the Rising Star – for those who inspire others to embrace their true potential. This year’s winner, Toks Arowojolu, exemplifies that spirit and, through her own relentless pursuit of excellence, her impact has resonated far beyond our community. Today, we celebrate Bonnie, Maritza and Toks, whose passion reminds us all that true leadership is measured not by accolades alone but by the enduring transformation it brings.”
Lau has a track record of outstanding professional achievements and is a leader in advancing diversity and inclusion. During her service as Chair of the LCLD Alumni Executive Council, she helped create the GC Mentoring Circles program, Pathways to Equity, and expand the LCLD Sustainable Partnerships Program to the San Francisco Bay Area and Midwest. A dynamic litigator and trial lawyer, Lau has also successfully litigated bet-the-company antitrust class action cases and was recognized in 2022 as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in California by the Daily Journal.
“It’s been an honor to serve and uplift the LCLD community, and a privilege to watch our LCLD alumni soar to new roles and new heights, lifting each other as they climb,” said Lau. “This award acknowledges the vision, commitment and contributions of countless individuals who have dedicated themselves to creating lasting change within LCLD and beyond. I am proud to be considered among this group.”
Okata’s committed leadership, passion for effecting transformational change and remarkable professional achievements exemplify LCLD’s mission and goals, and she is an outstanding role model to many. Her contributions to the LCLD Alumni community are numerous and have been key to the formation, development and stability of the organization and to fostering the Alumni network, having served for more than 10 years in various capacities on the Alumni Executive Council. At AlixPartners, as she has throughout her professional career, she has been a leader in advancing talent development and diversity and inclusion imperatives.
“Rick Palmore is an icon – he is a visionary, the consummate counselor and a nationally recognized advocate for diversity in the legal profession; above all, he is a champion of people and talent. To receive this award from Rick Palmore is truly an honor,” said Okata. “I would also like to express my deepest appreciation for the extraordinary power of the LCLD network and for the inspiration and platform that it has provided me to build lasting connections and to be a difference maker. I remain committed to following in Rick’s footsteps to fundamentally shape the future of the legal profession and drive transformational impact in the communities in which we are privileged to live and practice.”
Arowojolu leads Ameren’s summer legal internship program and serves as the primary in-house attorney on transactions related to corporate sponsorships with sports teams and associations, energy efficiency programs, supply chain and procurement, corporate philanthropy, events, and non-disclosure agreements. Her association with LCLD began as a participant in the Success in Law School Mentoring program. She later was a 1L Scholar—a program designed to strengthen the legal pipeline by expanding opportunities for diverse first-year law students. Last year, she was an LCLD Pathfinder and, as a recent graduate of the LCLD career development programs, she remains an active member of the LCLD community, serving as a mentor to others. She also guest lectures a course for law students in the Women, Leadership and Equality Program at her alma mater, the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, on the topic of intersectionality and its role in the number of women of color attorneys in partnership positions in private practice.
“I am incredibly thankful for the mentors, sponsors, and allies throughout my legal career who have supported me along this journey. Their guidance and belief in me have been instrumental in my growth and success,” said Arowojolu. “I am profoundly grateful and honored to receive this award.”
Nominees for both awards were submitted by LCLD Alumni and Members, with winners chosen by a committee of their peers. They were selected based on their influence and impact on the LCLD Alumni community as well as their efforts in furtherance of LCLD’s mission.
About Rick Palmore
Rick Palmore is one of the most influential lawyers of our time and a nationally recognized advocate for diversity in the legal industry whose vision and hard work propelled, among countless other achievements, the founding of LCLD. Today, Rick serves on the Board as Founding Chair Emeritus. He continues to inspire his fellow Members to push the frontiers of diversity and inclusion for the legal profession.
About the Rick Palmore LCLD Alumni Award
In 2015, the LCLD Alumni Executive Council created the Rick Palmore LCLD Alumni Award to honor the contributions of Rick Palmore to LCLD and to recognize LCLD Alumni whose vision, commitment and contributions have exemplified the mission of LCLD and the LCLD Alumni community. The Award also recognizes those who have had a lasting impact on LCLD and Alumni, specifically, and their communities, more generally.
About the Rising Star Award
New in 2023, the Rising Star Award recognizes a recent LCLD alum who is engaged with the LCLD Alumni community and exemplifies LCLD’s mission of Leadership, Action, and Results.