WASHINGTON, DC – It is with profound sadness that the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights marks the passing of Thomas Sager, a pioneering legal leader, long time champion of diversity and former Board Co-Chair at the Lawyers’ Committee.
Throughout his career, Sager used his leadership and influence to expand opportunity in the legal profession and to challenge institutions to make diversity and inclusion essential to how they operate. During his 37-year career at the DuPont Company, where he ultimately served as senior vice president and general counsel, Sager helped pioneer the DuPont Company Legal Model—an industry benchmark that has received national acclaim for its innovative approach to the business of practicing law.
Sager brought that same commitment to the Lawyers’ Committee. After the organization honored DuPont with its Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award in 2012, Sager went on to join the Board of Directors and later as Board Co-Chair, serving from 2018 to 2020. He became a steadfast advocate for the organization and its mission, serving for several years on the Development Committee, strengthening relationships with corporate and legal communities, and building partnerships and resources that expanded the Committee’s capacity to advance racial justice and equal opportunity. He also provided leadership to the organization’s 50th Anniversary Corporate Counsel Steering Committee.
In recognition of his extraordinary service and longstanding commitment to the organization, the Lawyers’ Committee honored Sager with its Whitney North Seymour Award in 2021.
“Tom brought the legal acumen, strategic vision, and bold commitment to fairness and justice that helped push the legal profession closer to its highest ideals,” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “His tireless advocacy improved access and opportunity within the legal profession, and we at the Lawyers’ Committee will carry on his legacy by continuing to advocate for Black people and other people of color in our nation. Tom’s contributions to the legal profession and to the Lawyers’ Committee will not be forgotten.”
The Lawyers’ Committee extends its deepest condolences to the Sager family, friends, colleagues and all those lives that he touched.
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