Laurel F. McGiffert, a partner at Plunkett Cooney – one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest law firms – has been appointed as the firm’s first ever Director of Diversity & Inclusion.
Plunkett Cooney President & CEO Thomas P. Vincent announced the appointment yesterday, indicating that McGiffert, who is a founding member of the firm’s Diversity Committee and a member of the Detroit office, will join his administration immediately.
“Laurel is an outstanding trial attorney who has been dedicated to improving diversity and inclusion within our firm and the Metro Detroit legal community for years,” Vincent said. “She understands our firm well and has great ideas about how we can continue to advance our efforts internally and on behalf of our clients.”
In her new role, McGiffert will be responsible for leading the firm’s efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce. She will work alongside the firm’s management team, diversity committee members and administrative department leaders to accomplish this goal.
“I’m honored and excited to have been given this opportunity by Tom and the firm to focus on an issue about which I’m truly passionate,” said McGiffert, who is a member of several organizations focused on diversity, including the African American Partners Collaborative. “Plunkett Cooney has been a leader on diversity in the legal community for years. This new position will allow me to focus on helping to take that work to the next level.”
McGiffert, who graduated from Vassar College in 1970 and Wayne State University Law School in 1980, joined the firm in 1989 and became a partner in 1991. Her practice includes the defense of clients in civil litigation involving employment law, medical malpractice, general liability and municipal liability.
A member of the firm’s Medical Litigation, Employment Law and Governmental Law practice groups, she is active in several bar organizations, including the Wolverine Bar Association, Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan and American Board of Trial Advocates. She also serves as a member of the boards of directors for the Oakland Mediation Center and Power Company Kids Club.
McGiffert is the recipient of numerous accolades, including the 2017 Earl J. Cline/Sherwin Schreier Award for Excellence presented by the Negligence Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and the 2012 Respected Advocate Award from the Michigan Association for Justice. She is an AV-preeminent rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, and she has been named for several years as a Best Lawyer in America, a Michigan Super Lawyer and a Dbusiness magazine Top Lawyer. Crain’s Detroit Business named McGiffert to its 2017 list of Michigan’s Notable Women in the Law, and she was named by Michigan Lawyers Weekly to its class of Women in the Law for 2015.
Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney employs nearly 300 employees, including approximately 150 attorneys in eight Michigan cities, as well as in Chicago, Illinois, Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana.
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