Booker T. Shaw honored as 2014 professional mentor of the year

In attendance at the scholarship dinner were five Eagleton scholars. From left, Gursharon Shergill, Nikki Rivers, Judge Shaw, Felicia Williams, Ginny Woodfork, and Aaron Banks.

Booker T. Shaw was recognized as the 2014 Outstanding Professional Mentor of the Year at the 10th Annual Black Law Student Association scholarship dinner at Washington University School of Law.

Judge Shaw was honored by the student association for his years of mentorship of young minority attorneys at Thompson Coburn and throughout his legal career. He was commended for always being available for questions and for offering advice not just on professional matters, but on life as a whole.

In attendance at the Feb. 1 event were four other Eagleton scholars: Gursharon Shergill, Nikki Rivers, Felicia Williams, and Aaron Banks. Thompson Coburn established the annual scholarship in 2007 in memory of former U.S. Senator and firm partner, Thomas F. Eagleton. The scholarship is awarded to a diverse first-year law student attending Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Missouri-Columbia, Saint Louis University or the University of Illinois-Champaign.

“Judge Shaw is an excellent sounding board,” said Thompson Coburn associate Felicia Williams. “He has developed so much experience both on the bench and in a firm setting, so his advice is invaluable.”

The evening’s keynote speaker was the Hon. Bernice B. Donald. Judge Donald was the first female African-American bankruptcy judge in the nation. In 2010, President Obama nominated Judge Donald to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; she was the first African-American female judge to hold that position. Earlier in her career, Judge Donald became the first female African-American judge in Tennessee history when she was elected to the criminal division of the Shelby County General Sessions Court.