The Litigation Counsel of America (LCA) and the Diversity Law Institute (DLI) are pleased to announce that Larry D. Smith of Southern Trial Counsel, PLC in Orlando, Florida, is the recipient of a 2019 Diversity Law Institute Diversity Award. The award was presented to Mr. Smith by G. Steven Henry, LCA Executive Director and General Counsel, at the LCA 2019 Fall Conference & Celebration of Fellows held in Bluffton, South Carlolina, at Montage Palmetto Bluff. 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.

Mr. Smith defends American and global companies in complex, catastrophic, or otherwise high-exposure personal injury cases throughout Florida and the southeast. His clients range from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies including product, medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, and insurance/reinsurance companies (and their insureds). He is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. He has long been active in the Florida Bar, with leadership positions on substantive committees which oversee the rules of evidence and civil procedure in Florida courts, as well as committees which improve our profession, such as diversity and inclusion, and professionalism.

Mr. Smith is a pioneer and leader in the field of diversity and inclusion for which he has received notable awards, including: the Florida Bar G. Kirk Haas Humanitarian Award in 2016, the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Diversity Award in 2016, the Defense Research Institute Sheryl J. Willert Pioneer Diversity Award in 2015, the LCA’s Inaugural Peter Perlman Service Award in 2015, the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Diversity Leadership Award in 2013, and the Florida Bar Henry Latimer Diversity Award in 2013. He is the first openly gay attorney to receive any of these awards, and the only person to win all of them. Recognizing it as his passion, Mr. Smith plans to focus even more time on inclusive excellence starting in 2020. Mr. Smith is a Senior Fellow of the LCA 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. The LCA has offices in New York, NY, Washington, DC, Birmingham, AL, and Seaside, FL.

Please contact Avery Henry, at Avery.Henry@DiversityLawInstitute.org, if you are interested in speaking on the topic of diversity at an upcoming LCA or DLI event. For more information about the Litigation Counsel of America, please contact Beth.Rich@litcounsel.org.