Partners Laura De Santos, Leslie Eason, Gordon Endow and Franz Hardy have been named to the Lawyers of Color inaugural Nation's Best list. The four Gordon & Rees partners are among the honorees recognized in the Nation's Best 2019 issue of Lawyers of Color magazine. The selection committee chose senior-level, practicing attorneys with at least 10 years' experience who have noteworthy accomplishments and a commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
Lawyers of Color is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting diversity in the legal profession and advancing democracy and equality in marginalized communities. The organization spotlights and celebrates attorneys of color and studies issues related to the intersection of the legal profession and social justice. Lawyers of Color hosts events, conferences, publishes magazines and collaborates with media organizations to publish reports and studies.
Laura E. De Santos is a partner in the Houston and Austin offices of Gordon & Rees and serves as the co-chair of the firm's National Diversity Committee. She has extensive experience representing corporate clients in state and federal courts in Texas and throughout the United States. In addition, her experience encompasses all forms of alternative dispute resolution, including mediations and arbitrations. She also is a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association.
Leslie K. Eason is the co-managing partner of the Atlanta office and the managing partner of the Birmingham office. She has a national litigation practice focusing on employment law and commercial disputes. Eason is a member of the Gordon & Rees' Diversity Committee and serves as the chair of Gordon & Rees' African-American Affinity Group and the Atlanta Office's Women's Initiative. She is a member of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys Foundation where she is currently a Board Member/Treasurer and has served as the co-chair of the Labor & Employment Section.
Gordon I. Endow is a partner in the San Francisco office of Gordon & Rees. He is a past chair of the firm's Business Transactions Practice Group, and an active member of the firm's Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation Practice Groups, as well as the firm's Diversity Committee. Endow is a member of the U.S. Japan Council and the Silicon Valley Japan Platform (a partnership between the U.S. Japan Council and the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation). He serves as co-chair of the International Law Committee for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and as a Board Advisor for the World Tohoku, a Japanese NPO.
Franz Hardy is co-managing partner of the Denver office of Gordon & Rees and serves as the co-chair of the firm's National Diversity Committee. He is a trial attorney with a focus on business and insurance litigation, including commercial disputes, directors and officers liability, coverage, and employee benefits. Hardy is also recognized as an accomplished professional liability practitioner representing attorneys and law firms. He maintains an active state and federal court practice, including handling numerous appeals. He is past president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Colorado, past president of the Denver Bar Association, and past chair of the University of Colorado Law Alumni Board.
To view the full list of the Nation's Best 2019 honorees, please see here. To learn more about diversity at Gordon & Rees, please click here.