Butler Snow attorney Orlando (Rod) Richmond recently received the 2023 Capital Bar Association (CABA) Professionalism Award for his exemplary professional achievements, leadership, and dedication to delivering exceptional client service. The firm congratulates Rod on this exciting, well-deserved honor!
The CABA Professionalism Award honors attorneys who demonstrate consistent adherence to professional standards of practice, ethics, integrity and civility. In addition, these individuals illustrate a clear commitment to the practice of law as a learned profession, vigorous representation of clients, and the attainment of the highest levels of knowledge and skill in law with a significant amount of time and resources contributed to public service. This notable award is amongst the highest honors within the CABA awards program.
At Butler Snow, Rod Richmond serves as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Richmond is also a member of the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare practice group, where he primarily focuses on mass tort litigation involving pharmaceutical products, toxic torts and environmental issues. In addition to his product liability practice, he defends Attorneys General consumer protection litigation for clients in a variety of industries. Rod has earned recognition from his peers and is often described as having one of the best courtroom presences in the profession. He is known for trying complex and controversial cases with a distinct sense of calm and professionalism that puts his clients at ease.
Alongside his professional pursuits, Richmond has authored several published articles and frequently presents at prestigious conferences covering diversity and inclusion topics, trial and litigation-related topics, and sharing his trial experiences within his specialty. In June 2020, he authored a two-column article published in Fortune on diversity and inclusion. In part one, Richmond discussed three issues that contribute to a law firm environment where diverse lawyers are minimized and ultimately leave law firms. In part two, he discussed potential steps firms can take to address bias and retention. In addition, the Wall Street Journal pictured and quoted Richmond in a September 2020 article discussing diversity issues and why there are still so few black executives in America’s top companies. His writings on diversity-related topics have also been published in The American Lawyer, DRI’s For The Defense, and Mississippi Business Journal, among others.
Recognized as one of Benchmark Litigation’s 2019-2022 Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, Rod Richmond has accrued an impressive list of accolades that speak to his professional character and depth of knowledge. He is an AV®-Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated attorney and is recognized by Super Lawyers® for Personal Injury and Products Defense, by Best Lawyers in America® for Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, as well as being named in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. He also received the 2021 Presidential Black Excellence Award from the National Bar Association, amongst other distinctions.
Richmond received his bachelor’s degree from Jackson State University and his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University.
