On August 11, 2019, five extraordinary lawyers from California were honored at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco with the 2019 ABA Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, considered by many to be the highest award for women in the legal profession.

Lieff Cabraser partner Kelly M. Dermody was one of five recipients who received the prestigious award, first established in 1991 to specifically recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of women lawyers. Margaret Brent was the first woman lawyer in America, arriving in the colonies in 1638. Each year, this award honors up to five outstanding women who have achieved professional excellence and have taken an active role in supporting other women in the legal profession.

Kelly’s speech urged the audience to confront the lack of racial diversity in the legal profession and “the deep-seated bigotry rocking our country now.”

In addition to Kelly, the following women were named 2019 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award recipients: Raquel Aldana, University of California, Davis; Michelle Banks, BarkerGilmore; Hon. Judith McConnell, Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District; and Julie A. Su, California Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

Visit the American Bar Association’s website to view all the acceptance speeches.

About Kelly Dermody

The Chair of Lieff Cabraser’s employment practice group and Managing Partner of Lieff Cabraser’s San Francisco office, Kelly M. Dermody specializes in class and collective actions on behalf of plaintiffs in employment and consumer cases, including gender discrimination cases against Google and Goldman Sachs. Her additional case work includes wage suppression claims against technology, healthcare, and academic institutions; overtime and lost pay lawsuits for low-wage workers, I/T professionals, and foreign nationals working for American corporations; and ERISA claims that she has tried on behalf of employees and retirees for pension plan abuses.

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