Partner Ron Machen was honored with the National Bar Association's (NBA) prestigious Sankofa Award during the Closing Gala of the organization's 101st Annual Convention, held July 25–31, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Established by the National Bar Association in 2005, the Sankofa Award honors individuals whose leadership preserves valuable lessons, strengthens institutions and inspires future generations. It represents the old African adage “Always remember the past for therein lies the future.”
That idea, carrying forward what came before, runs through Machen’s work on behalf of the lawyers coming up behind him. Across his career in private practice and government service, he has been committed to creating opportunities for lawyers from historically underrepresented groups, and he has personally mentored scores of attorneys who have achieved leadership roles in government and private practice. As US Attorney for the District of Columbia, he led the nation’s largest US Attorney’s office, more than 600 attorneys and support staff, and shaped the early careers of a generation of trial lawyers who served under him.
One of the nation’s leading trial and white-collar defense lawyers, Machen today chairs the firm’s Litigation/Controversy Department. The Sankofa Award is his second honor from the National Bar Association, which recognized him with its Equal Justice Award in 2013.
The National Bar Association is the nation’s oldest and largest national network of predominantly African American attorneys, judges, educators and law students. WilmerHale was a sponsor of this year's convention, which gathered legal professionals under the theme “The Rhythm of Excellence, The Power of Promise, and The Energy of Now.”