Delgado 2023 DLI Award Release

The Litigation Counsel of America (LCA) and the Diversity Law Institute (DLI) are pleased to announce that William Delgado, Managing Partner of minority-owned firm DTO Law, is the recipient of the 2023 Diversity Law Institute Diversity Award. The award was presented to Will by G. Steven Henry, LCA Executive Director and General Counsel, and Avery Henry-Bailey, Director of the Diversity Law Institute, at the LCA 2023 Spring Retreat held in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. DLI Diversity Awards are given annually to a select number of individuals who have advanced, promoted, or supported diversity and inclusion in the profession of law, and who share in the DLI and LCA’s commitment to promote a more diverse, equal, and inclusive legal profession.

Will is deeply committed to diversifying the legal profession. At DTO, he’s at the helm of a company that’s setting a positive example to other businesses for what it means to be an inclusive business. DTO has received several awards including Chambers and Partners’ “Outstanding US Law Firm for Diversity & Inclusion” (2021), the California Lawyers Association’s “Excellence in Diversity Award” (2022), and the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Company of the Year – Small Business” award (2023). Will is paving the way for the future of diversity and inclusion in the broader community as well. He has been one of the leaders of NAMWOLF (the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms) for many years, having served on the Board of Directors for six years and as Vice-Chair for four years. He is also active in MCCA (the Minority Corporate Counsel Association), HNBA (the Hispanic National Bar Association), and CABA (the Cuban American Bar Association), and serves as a panelist or facilitator multiple times per year at their conferences. In 2017, Will was a Fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) and continues to participate in that organization as the firm’s member representative. Will has authored articles on DEI in the legal profession, often discussing the measures needed to improve the retention of diverse outside counsel. One example is his Authority Magazine article called “5 Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society.” Will is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and a member of the the Diversity Law Institute.

The DLI is an international association of lawyers and law firms committed to diversity in all aspects of the legal profession and justice systems of the United States and Canada. Its purpose and mission is to advance the interests of women and minorities in the profession and to aid in the administration of justice where possible. Its membership exceeds 4,500 at this time. Members are from every U.S. state and the provinces of Canada, and also include representatives from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Central America. Membership in the DLI is open to all lawyers and law firms, in every area of practice, and is contemporaneous with Litigation Counsel of America Fellowship. Law firm memberships, sponsorships, and support are encouraged. Through partnerships with the LCA, the Diversity Law Institute is able to create a more open dialogue and strengthen solutions for a better future.

The LCA is a trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Fellowship in the LCA is highly selective and by invitation only. Fellows are selected based upon excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation. The LCA is aggressively diverse in its composition. Established as a trial and appellate lawyer honorary society reflecting the American bar in the twenty-first century, the LCA represents the best in law among its membership. The number of Fellowships has been kept at an exclusive limit by design, allowing qualifications, diversity and inclusion to align effectively.

For more information about the Litigation Counsel of America, please contact Beth Rich at Beth.Rich@litcounsel.org. For more information about the Diversity Law Institute, please contact Avery Henry-Bailey at Avery.Henry@diversitylawinstitute.org.