Temple University Beasley School of Law Dean JoAnne Epps has been named the 2014 Justice Sonia Sotomayor Diversity Award winner by the Philadelphia Bar Association. The award was presented at the Bar Association's quarterly meeting and luncheon on March 11.

The Justice Sonia Sotomayor Diversity Award “publicly acknowledges, recognizes and honors an individual or entity that has demonstrated a strong commitment, and has made substantial contributions to diversity and promoting full and equal participation and inclusion in the legal profession.”

A champion for women and minorities within the profession, Epps is a three-time honoree by Lawyers of Color magazine as one of the 100 most influential black lawyers in the country. Epps is a member of the Consortium for Women’s Leadership, based at the Center for Women in the Law at the University of Texas School of Law, a member of the Board of the National Association of Women Lawyers Foundation, and is active in both the American Law Institute and the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). 

She also has recently completed longstanding service in several roles in the American Bar Association (ABA): as a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, the Standing Committee on Continuing Legal Education, the ABA Presidential Commission on the Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Legal Profession and Legal Needs, both the ABA Nominating Committee and the Steering Committee of the Nominating Committee, and most significantly, 11 years as an officer of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation. She was a member of the Advisory Committee to the ALI-ABA Program Committee from 1996 to 2006.

In 2009, the Philadelphia Bar Association recognized these efforts and more by honoring Epps with the Sandra Day O’Connor Award, conferred annually on “a woman attorney who has demonstrated superior legal talent, achieved significant legal accomplishments and has furthered the advancement of women in both the profession and the community.” Epps also has been honored with the Doris May Harris Image Award from the National Bar Association’s Women Lawyers Division, the National Black Prosecutors’ Association Award, the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia’s Women of Distinction Award and as a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania.