Two Potter Anderson & Corroon Attorneys Honored for Their Contributions by DSBA’s Multicultural Judges & Lawyers Section

WILMINGTON, Del.– Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP is pleased to announce that two of their attorneys are being honored by the Multicultural Judges & Lawyers (MJL) Section of the Delaware State Bar Association (DSBA).  Theresa V. Brown-Edwards was selected to receive the 2006 MJL Section Leadership Award, and Joshua W. Martin III, along with his wife Cynthia Primo Martin, was selected to receive the 2006 MJL Section Community Service Award.  They will be presented the awards at a ceremony on May 18. 

“Potter Anderson shares the Section’s commitment to diversity efforts within the Delaware legal community and it is an honor to have two of our attorneys recognized for their contributions to the MJL,” said David B. Brown, the firm’s Chairman.   

Terri Brown-Edwards was selected to receive the Leadership Award, which recognizes a member of the MJL whose character, strength, personality, achievement and contribution to the legal community and the greater Delaware community have served as an inspiration to and model for his or her peers and for students of diverse ethnic backgrounds aspiring to achieve their own professional goals.  Ms. Brown-Edwards joined Potter Anderson in January 2004 and practices in corporate restructuring with significant experience representing Chapter 11 debtors and debtors-in-possession as well as creditor committees, lenders, landlords, equipment lessors and trade creditors.  She has been very involved in diversity efforts both inside and outside her firm.  Ms. Brown-Edwards is a member of Potter Anderson’s Diversity Committee and currently serves as Chair of the MJL Section of the DSBA.  She is also a member of the DSBA’s Bankruptcy Law Section and Bankruptcy Inn of Court program. 

Josh and Cynthia Martin were selected to receive the Community Service Award, which recognizes a person(s) or organization who has rendered meaningful public service to the community and who has contributed significant time and effort to promote the interests of diverse groups within the Delaware community.  The winner(s) should have demonstrated a commitment to leadership and service in activities that enrich and strengthen our community.  

Mr. Martin joined Potter Anderson last year and concentrates his law practice on mediation and arbitration and on business counseling, particularly in the areas of telecommunications, public utilities and governmental relations.  He serves as Chair of Potter Anderson’s Diversity Committee, charged with enhancing the firm's ongoing diversity efforts.  Before joining the firm, Mr. Martin was President and Chief Executive Officer of Verizon Delaware.  Prior to that, he was a Delaware Superior Court Judge for eight years and also served on and chaired the Delaware Public Service Commission.  He is the former president of the DSBA, and during his tenure, was instrumental in organizing the MJL Section of the DSBA.  He currently co-chairs the DSBA’s Judicial Compensation Committee and has served on numerous boards of organizations within the community.   

Mr. Martin is currently a trustee of Case Western Reserve University and a life trustee of Goldey Beacom College.  He serves on the boards of: PNC Bank of Delaware; Nuclear Electric Insurance Ltd. (NEIL); and Southwest Power Pool, Inc.  He also serves as a trustee for Winterthur Museum; Co-Chair of Delaware State Bar Association Judicial Compensation Committee; trustee and director of Christiana Care Corporation; and Fellow for the American Bar Foundation. 

Cynthia Primo Martin, formerly Vice President for Development and Acting President of Ingleside Homes, Inc., has also been extremely active in the community, having served as a trustee of the Delaware Community Foundation, the YWCA, St. Andrew’s School, the Delaware Symphony Association, Peninsula United Methodist Homes, Inc. Foundation, the United Way of Delaware, and the Christiana Care Health System.  Ms. Martin was an original sponsor of the Fund for Women, a director of and has served as a member of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League Development Committee.  She is also the organizer and chair of the Quintin E. Primo, Jr. Lecture Series/Fund for Racial Justice, which has brought to Delaware well-known leaders with global perspectives on human rights issues for public lectures, and encouraged the public to take action for racial justice and reconciliation.  

In addition, Josh and Cynthia Martin are currently working together on the Trustees of Color project, an initiative to increase the representation of people of color on non-profit boards as well as government and political appointees.  This project will maintain a database of people of color in this community who wish to serve on area boards.  This list can be accessed by nonprofit boards looking to diversify their board profile.  TOC, as it is called, has partnered with the University of Delaware Nonprofit Resource Center to provide nonprofit training and mentoring for both non profits and prospects of color in this process. 

The general purposes of the MJL Section are to further the objectives of the DSBA, further the interests of attorneys, judges and members of the community of diverse ethnic backgrounds, foster communication and understanding among diverse groups within both the legal and greater community, encourage the public service rendered by its members, and promote the professional development and interests of its members. 

Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP is a general practice law firm based in Wilmington, Del., that has been providing legal advice to local businesses, governmental and non-profit entities and individuals, as well as some of the largest national and multinational corporations, for more than 180 years.  For more information about the firm, visit the firm’s Web site at www.potteranderson.com.