Barnes & Thornburg Announces Chicago Diversity Trailblazer Award Recipients

CHICAGO – Barnes & Thornburg today announced the recipients of the firm’s annual Chicago Diversity Trailblazer Awards. This year a donation has been made to the Greater Chicago Food Depository in lieu of the annual Celebration of Diversity dinner event. 

The 2020 Diversity Trailblazer Award recipients are recognized for their outstanding achievements, hard work and dedication to diversity and inclusion in the Chicago legal and business communities. This year’s award recipients are: 

• Richard R. Boykin, Attorney at Law, Bridge Builders Consulting & Legal Services: Boykin is a former member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, where he represented constituents of the 1st District. He has served as a leading voice against gun violence, and was instrumental in passing legislation doubling the penalty for illegal assault weapon possession in Cook County. He serves on the boards of several local nonprofits, including the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, the Dr. Martin Luther King Dream Classic and StreetWise. Boykin is also a former partner at Barnes & Thornburg.
• Barbara Flores, Commissioner, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission: For 10 years, Flores has handled workers’ compensation disputes with fairness, thoughtful consideration, and attention to each and every litigant and attorney that appears before her. In addition, she served as an advocate for law student scholarships, has mentored dozens of law students and is a fierce advocate for diversity in the legal community. She is active in a number of local legal organizations including the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois, the Diversity Scholarship Foundation, and Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois. 
• Tom Tunney, Alderman, 44th Ward, City of Chicago: Tunney is a born-and-raised Chicagoan and has served the city for 18 years. He is active in civic duties and in addition to being Chicago’s first openly gay Alderman, he has long served as a community organizer in the local LGBTQ community. He was also an early leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS. He leads a number of business programs in the city and for the LGBTQ community, and is himself the small business owner of Ann Sather’s Restaurants. 

“These individuals have made invaluable contributions to our community here in Chicago, and I’m thrilled to recognize them this year,” said Michael Carrillo, Chicago managing partner. “Although we are unable to celebrate in person this year, our resolve for recognizing and promoting diversity is unwavering and we are grateful to be in a position to contribute to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which does such important work throughout the city, especially this year as so many in our city struggle with food insecurity as a result of the pandemic.”

This is the 11th year the firm has presented diversity trailblazer awards to honor those who have exhibited a personal and professional commitment to diversity, justice and civil rights. 

“Richard, Barbara and Tom’s contributions to diversity and inclusion efforts exemplify our mission to promote racial and social justice in the legal and local communities in which we work,” said Dawn Rosemond, firm diversity partner at Barnes & Thornburg. “This year, more than ever, their work is crucial to creating change in our industry, and across the country, and we thank them for their efforts.” 

Meet the honorees in a special edition of our Diversity Matters podcast.

With more than 700 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, New York, Ohio, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas and Washington, D.C.