Andrews Kurth Partner Receives ‘Women of Spirit’ Award

DALLAS – Andrews Kurth LLP partner Kathleen J. Wu will receive the “Women of Spirit” award from the American Jewish Congress Southwest Region. The award recognizes women who have been diligent and spirited in their pursuit of social justice.

The award will be presented on the evening of Thursday, May 10 at a ceremony at the home of Fred Baron and Lisa Blue. Fellow recipients are Brenda Brand, Gloria Campos, Vivian Castleberry and Mamie McKnight.

“I’m humbled to be in such great company, and I deeply appreciate this recognition from the American Jewish Congress,” says Ms. Wu.

Ms. Wu writes a regular column on issues facing women in the legal profession for Texas Lawyer newspaper, and she frequently speaks about the benefits of diversity in the workplace and the challenges confronting women in every profession. At Andrews Kurth, she is the driving force behind the firm’s bi-annual Executive Women’s Retreat, which brings together the firm’s women lawyers and their female clients for a weekend of networking. In recognition of her efforts on behalf of women professionals, she recently received the Louise B. Raggio Award from the Dallas Women’s Lawyers Association.

Ms. Wu is recognized as one of the top real estate and finance lawyers in Texas. She is consistently included on the “best lawyers” lists published in D Magazine and Texas Monthly. In addition, Texas Lawyer newspaper named her one of six “Go To” real estate lawyers in the state. She has held several management positions at Andrews Kurth (including Dallas Managing Partner) and has for the last 6 years served on the firm’s Policy Committee.

“Kathleen Wu is representative of the best and the brightest our firm, indeed, the whole legal profession, has to offer,” says Andrews Kurth Managing Partner Howard Ayers. “The ‘Women of Spirit’ Award is further validation of that.”

In 1993, AJCongress began recognizing women whose grassroots efforts made an impact on society, says Marcy Helfand, President of the AJCongress Southwest Region.

“We decided to name the award ‘Women of Spirit’ because these are women who are not stopped by obstacles that can defeat most people, but continue to advance their agendas despite the many problems that may stand in their way,” Ms. Helfand says. “They are rooted in the community and their contributions lead to the growth of new community endeavors. We believe Kathleen Wu personifies the mission of AJCongress and the Women of Spirit Award.”

The Women of Spirit Awards are presented by AJCongress to women from diverse community backgrounds who have been diligent and spirited in their pursuit of social justice, women's and minority issues, and community development. Their grassroots efforts have contributed enormously to improving the quality of life for everyone.

For more than a century, Andrews Kurth LLP has built its practice on the belief that “straight talk is good business.” Real answers, clear vision and mutual respect define the firm’s relationships with clients, colleagues, communities and employees. With more than 400 lawyers and offices in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, The Woodlands and Washington, DC, Andrews Kurth represents a wide array of clients in all areas of business law. For more information about Andrews Kurth, please visit andrewskurth.com.