Baker Donelson attorney Marcus M. Maples has been appointed by Alabama State Bar President Christy Crow to serve as co-chair of the Bar's Diversity in the Profession Committee.
The Committee is focused on furthering the Bar's commitment to advancing the principles of racial, ethnic, gender, age and geographic diversity in the profession through a number of initiatives, including increasing educational and professional opportunities for women and minorities and promoting diversity principles in law school admission.
"While racial minorities make up roughly 35 percent of the state's population, the number of racial minorities in the Bar consists of less than nine percent. As members of the Bar, we have an obligation to drastically increase the pipeline of minority candidates for Bar admission. As co-chair of this important Committee, I will work relentlessly to ensure that the Bar is on that path," said Mr. Maples.
Mr. Maples has demonstrated his long-term commitment to diversity and inclusion by his work in this field for over a decade. He spent his entire career promoting pipeline programs to increase the number of minorities who gain law school admission. Mr. Maples founded Students Today Lawyers Tomorrow, a program that gave undergraduate students the ability to compete in trial advocacy programs through the American Mock Trial Association, provided LSAT prep and one-on-one mentoring to ensure the students' success. He is also the past chair of the Minority Pre-Law Conference Series, which provides high school students with information on the value of a legal education. Mr. Maples also dedicates his time to ensure that diverse associates can be successful in what are typically non-diverse spaces.
Mr. Maples is a member of Baker Donelson's Diversity Committee and the IADC Diversity Committee, and has served as chair of the Diversity Subcommittees for DRI's Young Lawyers Committee and Life Health Disability & ERISA Committee.
A shareholder in the Birmingham office of Baker Donelson, Mr. Maples serves as national counsel for domestic and international construction companies handling all aspects of construction law, including drafting contracts, pursuing and defending claims, arbitrating disputes, and litigation matters in various jurisdictions throughout the country. He also advises business clients from a broad range of industries in all matter of business disputes, including defending directors and officers in litigation involving fiduciary duty claims, shareholder disputes, and allegations of minority oppression.
Mr. Maples is a frequent speaker on leadership in the legal profession. He has been recognized as a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers and the Birmingham Business Journal. He is a member of the board of directors of the Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation and serves on the board of trustees for the University of North Alabama. A graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, Mr. Maples is a member of the Magic City and American Bar Associations and past president of the Alabama Lawyers Association.