On Friday, February 21, 2014, Firm chairman and founder Jerry W. Blackwell received the Cora T. Walker Award from the National Bar Association Commercial Law Section for his lifetime contributions to African American attorneys in the Bar, during the 27th Annual NBA CLS CCC in Austin, Texas.
The prestigious Cora T. Walker award was created by the National Bar Association Commercial Law Section in honor of Ms. Cora T. Walker. Ms. Walker was a revered attorney who broke racial ground when, in 1947, she became one of the first black women to practice law in the state of New York. After managing a private practice in Harlem for decades and until her retirement in 1999, Ms. Walker was a senior partner at Walker & Bailey, one of New York City’s few black law firms with corporate clients including Ford Motor Company and Texas Instruments. She also holds the distinction of being a former President of the National Bar Association. Notwithstanding her large corporate clients and accolades, Ms. Walker continued to provide legal services for what she described as “the plain, ordinary, not elegant people” of her Harlem community.
Mr. Blackwell was honored to receive this award and said, “I was very blessed to have actually met Ms. Walker, a true powerhouse. Receiving an award for leadership in her honor is very humbling. I thank the National Bar Association.”
Blackwell Burke P.A., a litigation and trial boutique in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serves as national trial and litigation counsel for numerous Fortune 500 companies. The firm is recommended by Benchmark Litigation and honored as a “Go-To Law Firm” for the Top 500 Companies by Corporate Counsel magazine. The firm has represented corporate clients in practically every jurisdiction in the country, as well as several foreign countries.
For more information about Mr. Blackwell or Blackwell Burke P.A. please contact Kandy Branch at 612-343-3235 or [email protected].