It promises to be a field of dreams at WMACCA's first family fun event on Friday, July 20th. We'll picnic and cheer as the Bethesda Big Train take on the Southern Maryland Nationals.  A summer collegiate baseball league team, the Big Train last year won its league championship. Our event will take place on Homer (the mascot) Bobblehead night, and there will be lots of food and fun for fans of all ages. For full details and registration, please visit http://www.cvent.com/d/wcqzf1

The WMACCA Corporate Counsel Awards recognize the contributions of the in-house legal team and honor leading in-house practitioners for their accomplishments and service. We invite our members and friends to nominate the superstars of in-house practice.

**New this year, an additional category: Outstanding Paraprofessional**

Click here for the nominations criteria for all the awards and for directions on submitting nominations. The deadline for nominations is Friday, July 27.

And mark your calendar for the 8th Annual Corporate Counsel Awards Reception -- Thursday, October 18, at The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner.

Diversity initiatives in the legal profession opened the door to long under-represented groups.  However, the "open door has turned into a revolving door with high rates of attrition," according to Kathleen Nalty, Executive Director of the Center for Legal Inclusiveness. While recruitment from underrepresented groups has greatly improved, retention and advancement of those persons have not, and these are the keys to successful diversity efforts, she explained.

Ms. Nalty's workshop for WMACCA explored the "hidden barriers" in the workplace -- including less access to a variety of "intangibles critical to advancement" -- that have hindered diversity efforts.  She then explained that law firms and legal departments have to move beyond diversity statistics. They must create inclusive workplaces that value and capitalize on the perspectives brought by diverse workers because they are essential to providing the best service to the firms or departments' clients.

While summer solstice arrived this week, WMACCA is not quite ready to take a break.  In fact, our July calendar is full of enlightening CLEs, worthwhile projects, and fun activities. A sampling:

• You can get a jump on meeting any Ethics CLE requirement you may have with a 2-hour session on June 28.  (But if that doesn't work for your schedule, we will have at least two additional ethics CLEs in September/October.)
• New-to-in-house members are invited to learn tips on the in-house counsel's path to success, with a beer-tasting and networking event thrown in for good measure on July 12.
• The Career Development Forum will hold a Social Media Practicum and Workshop to help you increase your social media intelligence on July 26.

The full line-up is listed to the right.  Take a look, and jump in -- the water's fine.  (P.S. We will take off in August...)

WMACCA and AOL will host a pro bono clinic for clients of Legal Services of Northern Virginia next Friday, June 29th.  Volunteers will assist these clients with consumer-law issues.  For those who haven't participated in an LSNV clinic before, training will be provided.  Full details and registration at http://www.cvent.com/d/ccqq5q.  

We still have some hard-copies available of the 2012 WMACCA Membership Directory.  To request one, please send an e-mail to Ilene Reid (Ilene.Reid@WMACCA.com).

For those who prefer their information electronically, you can download the new Directory from our home page.  (Members only -- password protected.)  All the same great features of the book, but  more environmentally friendly. 

Coming next week:  Directory Update with information on recent member moves and promotions!  Watch this space.

The 2012 Excellence in Corporate Practice Award recognizes the career achievements of senior in-house lawyers who epitomize excellence through representation of their clients, contributions to the legal profession and public service. Nominations must be received by June 28 to be considered. 

For the nominations criteria and additional information on these (and other) ACC awards, visit www.acc.com/aboutacc/awards.  Awards will be presented at ACC’s 2012 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL (September 30-October 3).