Editor’s note: Ben Wilson is among the recipients of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award from The American Lawyer. They will be recognized at The American Lawyer Industry Awards in New York on Dec. 2.

When he reflects on the most meaningful aspects of his long career in the legal industry, Beveridge & Diamond chairman Ben Wilson doesn’t mention his rare ascension, as a Black man who grew up in segregated Mississippi, to the head of a major firm. He doesn’t mention his longstanding practice as a leading environmental lawyer and the significant court victories that have defined his career.