Home News Center

Contact Jon A. Sullivan
Manager of Media Services
jsullivan@nysba.org
518/487-5532

January 28, 2008

METLIFE LEGAL COUNSEL RECEIVES STATE BAR'S 2008 DIVERSITY TRAILBLAZER AWARD

Rising Star in Legal Profession, Taa Grays, to Accept Distinguished Honor

The New York State Bar Association will present its Diversity Trailblazer Award to Taa Grays, of New York City. Ms. Grays, Assistant General Counsel with MetLife’s Litigation Unit, will receive the award on Monday, January 28, at the Marriott Marquis during the Association’s annual Celebrating Diversity Reception. The event is held every year in conjunction with the state Bar Association’s Annual Meeting.   New York State Bar Association President Kathryn Grant Madigan of Binghamton(Levene Gouldin & Thompson LLP) will present the Diversity Trailblazer Award, which was created in 2007 to honor individuals who demonstrate a strong commitment to helping enhance diversity in the legal profession.

A 1994 graduate of Harvard/Radcliffe College and 1997 graduate of Georgetown Law School, Grays began her career as a prosecutor in the Bronx County District Attorney’s office in 1997, where she focused on investigating organized crime and public official corruption. In 2003 she obtained a position as Counsel with MetLife and has since been promoted to Assistant General Counsel in the Litigation Unit.   While at MetLife, Grays has helped to advance the company’s diversity efforts serving as the co-chair of the Bar Association Relations (“BAR”) Subcommittee of MetLife’s Diversity Committee. She also serves as the Chair of the State Bar Association’s Committee on Women in the Law and has held leadership positions in several minority bar associations including serving as President of the American Black Women’s Bar Association (ABWBA) from 2000 to 2004.

“Diversity isn’t just about black and white. It is an economic issue, a cultural issue, a gender issue and more,” Grays says. “I am proud to receive this award and am humbled by the recognition of my peers. I plan to continue doing my part to enhance and improve diversity in the legal profession.”

This week Grays is spearheading an event sponsored by the Committee on Women in the Law, which she chairs. The program, titled “Rules of Engagement:  How to Earn Respect, Take Control, and Get the Corner Office”, is a comprehensive discussion aimed at teaching women attorneys how to take their career to the next level. It will take place tomorrow, January 29, beginning at 9:00 A.M. at the Marriott Marquis, running until 3:00 P.M. Media is welcome to attend.

The 74,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official statewide organization of lawyers in New Yorkand the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation.

###