LexisNexis Announces Martindale-Hubbell Connected Fellowship Award Winners

LexisNexis, a leading global provider of content-enabled workflow solutions, today announced the winners of the 2009 LexisNexis^® Martindale-Hubbell^® Connected Fellowship Awards. Established through an alliance with the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), the $15,000 Fellowships celebrate the launch of the MCCA community on Martindale-Hubbell Connected, and honor third-year law students who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership, community service and commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession. This year’s recipients are Michelle A. McLeod, the University of Maryland School of Law, and Andrew C. Montoya, Florida Coastal School of Law.

"We are proud to join with the MCCA in honoring two very deserving students with the LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Connected Fellowship Awards,” said Phil Livingston, senior vice president of Global Client Development at LexisNexis and CEO of Martindale-Hubbell. "Our hope is that this program will support future leaders in their efforts to foster a legal industry-wide culture that values and promotes diverse backgrounds.”

The LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Connected Fellowship Awards were created to support the continued development of third-year law students as they approach graduation and enter the legal profession. Winners were selected through a competitive application process and review of each applicant’s academic transcript, résumé, and 750-word essay outlining their views on the importance of diversity, hopes for advancing diversity in the legal profession, and plans for using the fellowship money to assist each in reaching their goals upon graduation. The two winners were selected from among close to 300 applications received and will receive their $15,000 award this evening at a dinner in New York City, held in conjunction with the 10^th annual MCCA Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference.

"MCCA is delighted to join LexisNexis in recognizing two outstanding third-year law students and through these $15,000 fellowships, make their pathway into the profession as diverse young lawyers a bit easier, particularly in these difficult economic times,” said MCCA Executive Director Veta Richardson.

About The Winners

A J.D. candidate at the University of Maryland Law School, Michelle McLeod spent most of her formative years within Maryland’s foster care system. Living on her own since the age of 16, Michelle worked full-time and attended five high schools. Michelle graduated from high school with honors and attended East Carolina University where she graduated magna cum laude in 2004 with a degree in journalism. After working as a Residential Counselor at Boys Hope Girls Hope mentoring at-risk youth and as a Playroom Coordinator for terminally ill children and their families at Ronald McDonald House, she decided to attend law school. As an attorney and hopefully one day as a family court judge, Michelle plans to focus on protecting the rights and interests of children. Expected to graduate in May of 2010, Michelle currently ranks in the top 20 percent of her class.

Andrew Montoya is a J.D. candidate at the Florida Coastal School of Law and is currently ranked in the top 18 percent of his class. Raised in a traditional Mexican household that included several aunts and grandparents with physical and mental disabilities, Andrew is well aware of the discrimination and barriers disabled people face on a daily basis. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University at Pueblo in May of 2005, Andrew began working for a grassroots disability rights organization called the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC). Upon graduation from law school, Andrew will continue his work in public interest advocacy, providing legal services to CCDC.

About LexisNexis

LexisNexis^® (www.lexisnexis.com) is a leading global provider of content-enabled workflow solutions designed specifically for professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting and academic markets. LexisNexis originally pioneered online information with its Lexis^® and Nexis^® services. A member of Reed Elsevier (NYSE: ENL) (NYSE: RUK) (www.reedelsevier.com), LexisNexis serves customers in more than 100 countries with 18,000 employees worldwide.

About the Minority Corporate Counsel Association

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association, Inc. advocates for the expanded hiring, retention, and promotion of minority attorneys in corporate legal departments and the law firms that serve them. Since its founding in 1997, MCCA has emerged as the legal profession’s knowledge leader on diversity issues and its expanded platform offers solutions to diversity management challenges involving women, physically challenged, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lawyers, in addition to attorneys of color (which remains its primary focus). For more information, go to mcca.com.