“Cox has long embraced the principle of respecting all people and treating everybody fairly, far before we had any formal diversity policies,” Hatcher said. “Our commitment to respecting and honoring diversity simply stems from our desire to do what we all know is the right thing. I’m honored to accept the MCCA award on behalf of the employees of Cox Communications and our legal and regulatory department who do their best each and every day to just do what’s right.”

The Dallas dinner is one of five such regional events held annually by the MCCA to address issues of diversity in corporate law departments. In addition to Cox, the other 2005 Employer of Choice honorees in the South/Southwest region are Blockbuster Inc. and Cingular Wireless LLC.

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) was founded in 1997 to advocate for the expanded hiring, promotion, and retention of minority attorneys in corporate legal departments and the law firms that serve them. In addition, MCCA stimulates an on-going dialogue of diversity best practices. MCCA accomplishes its mission through the collection and dissemination of information on diversity in the legal profession. For more information, visit www.MCCA.com.

Cox Communications Inc. is a multi-service broadband communications company with approximately 6.6 million total customers, including approximately 6.3 million basic cable subscribers. The nation's third-largest cable television provider, Cox offers both analog cable television under the Cox Cable brand as well as advanced digital video service under the Cox Digital Cable brand. Cox provides an array of other communications and entertainment services, including local and long-distance telephone under the Cox Digital Telephone brand, high-speed Internet access under the Cox High Speed Internet brand, and commercial voice and data services via Cox Business Services. Local cable advertising, promotional opportunities and production services are sold under the Cox Media brand. Cox is an investor in programming networks including Discovery Channel. More information about Cox Communications can be accessed on the Internet at www.cox.com. More information about the company’s commitment to diversity is at www.cox.com/diversity/.