Ben Wilson, a giant in the Black legal community and leader of Beveridge & Diamond for more than a decade, said he will step down from the top post at the firm and retire from the practice of law after roughly 40 years at the firm.

Over his decadeslong legal career, Wilson has built numerous institutions that have elevated and connected minority and women attorneys in Big Law. He is the founder or co-founder of numerous diversity organizations, including the 6,000-member Diverse Partners Network, the African American Partners Network, the African American General Counsel Network and the Howard Law School Energy and Environment Law Society.

(l-r) A. Scott Bolden, with Reed Smith, Shemin Proctor, with Hunton Andrews Kurth, Benjamin Wilson, with Beveridge & Diamond, Anthony Pierce, with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, and Grace Speights, with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, photographed in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 20, 2019. Photo by Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM