NAMWOLF names new CEO and General Counsel

MILWAUKEE, Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) announced today that it has named David Askew as Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel. Askew succeeds Jason Brown, who stepped down to join MillerCoors.

"We are thrilled to welcome David to his new role at NAMWOLF," said Linda Burwell, a partner in the law firm of Nemeth Burwell, member of the NAMWOLF Board of Directors and chair of the search committee tasked with finding a new executive leader for the organization. "His experience, coupled with his demonstrated passion for promoting the interests of minorities and women, will help NAMWOLF increase its stature as the premier organization of its kind in the legal community."

Prior to joining NAMWOLF, Askew served as Director of the Pro Bono Program at the international law firm of Edwards Wildman Palmer, LLP and its predecessor firm Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon, LLP. Prior to becoming the firm's Director of Pro Bono, he served as Deputy Chief of the Civil Rights Bureau in the Illinois Attorney General's Office. Askew was also a litigation associate at Wildman Harrold after serving in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps.

Askew continues to serve as the volunteer Executive Director of the Midwest Minority In-House Counsel Group, an organization he founded in 2008 to provide networking, mentoring and professional development opportunities to more than 300 in-house lawyers within the Midwest. He is also active in a variety of civic and charitable organizations.

"I am honored to be chosen to continue the great work that NAMWOLF is already doing," said Askew. "And I am excited about the opportunities I see to open even more doors for minority and women owned law firms to work with corporate in-house legal departments across the country."

Askew graduated cum laude from Florida A&M University with a B.S. in Accounting and a J.D. from the University of Iowa Law School. He will split his time between NAMWOLF's Milwaukee headquarters and Chicago.

About NAMWOLF
The National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (www.namwolf.org) is a non-profit trade association comprised of minority and women owned law firms and other interested parties throughout the United States. NAMWOLF is dedicated to identifying best practices for major corporations to increase diversity in utilization of outside counsel.

SOURCE NAMWOLF