PHILADELPHIA, February 16, 2018 - Cozen O’Connor is pleased to announce it has appointed Lynnette D. Espy-Williams as the firm’s Chief Diversity Officer. Espy-Williams, the former Atlanta Vice Chair, Office Managing Partner, will relocate to the Washington, D.C., office and will continue practicing in the Litigation Group. In her new role, she will chair the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and coordinate all firm diversity initiatives, including several Cozen O’Connor affinity groups. Espy-Williams will develop and direct policies to attract and retain employees from all segments of society and further ensure that the firm’s goals of diversity and inclusion remain an essential value.
"We are thrilled to announce Lynne’s appointment to Chief Diversity Officer. Cozen O’Connor prides itself on our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and Lynne has the skills and mindset to continue to advance our initiatives,” said Vincent R. McGuinness, Jr., Cozen O’Connor’s President and Managing Partner. “Appointing Lynne reaffirms our commitment to growth in diversity and inclusion, and we know she will be a phenomenal resource to our leadership, attorneys, staff, and clients.”
Espy-Williams has experience in litigating a wide variety of civil and commercial matters, including matters pertaining to professional liability, mass and complex torts, premises liability, products liability, and contract disputes. Prior to earning her JD from the University of Maryland, Espy-Williams graduated from Spelman College, cum laude, with honors in economics. Following law school, she served as a judicial intern to former Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears of the Supreme Court of Georgia and joined the firm in 2006. Espy-Williams is the former president of the Gate City Bar Association, the oldest African-American bar association in the state of Georgia. She is also actively involved with the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, American Bar Association, Atlanta Bar Association, and the Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers. Named as a Georgia Rising Star (2012-2016), Espy-Williams was included in Georgia Trend ’s Legal Elite and also Georgia Trend’s 40 Under 40 for 2016. She is also a member of LEAD Atlanta (2013), Outstanding Atlanta (2012), was selected as one of Atlanta’s Power 30 Under 30 (2010) and, most recently, was recognized as one the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 (2017).
Cozen O’Connor is a recognized leader in advancing the goals of diversity and lending legal skills to those who are most deserving. The firm was recently named a “Diversity Advocate" in MultiCultural Law Magazine’s 10th Anniversary issue – alongside only six other law firms and Macy’s law department, which are profiled in the magazine’s cumulative anniversary issue.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has more than 850 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor services its clients’ needs through 27 offices across two continents.
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