HARRISBURG, Pa. (April 16, 2024) — Rakim Solomon, trust officer and vice president, The Goldman Sachs Trust Company of Delaware, Wilmington, Delaware, will receive the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Minority Bar Committee Houston’s Rising Star Award at a reception on May 9 during the PBA Annual Meeting in Hershey.
Houston’s Rising Star Award recognizes a PBA Minority Bar Committee member who has made significant contributions to the committee or the PBA. Charles Hamilton Houston was a civil rights hero who managed a series of cases that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. He laid the groundwork for the ongoing pursuit of equality and justice in our courts. Houston engineered the legal strategy that resulted in the Brown v. Board of Education decision overturning “separate but equal” Jim Crow segregation. He also mentored U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who stated: “We wouldn’t have been anyplace if Charlie hadn’t laid the groundwork.”
As a member of the PBA Minority Bar Committee, Solomon serves on the Development Subcommittee and is a contributing editor to the committee’s newsletter, Houston’s Legacy. In addition, Solomon is a member of the PBA Quality of Life/Balance Committee.
In his firm, Solomon focuses on managing and administering the trusts, estates and other fiduciary accounts for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. He also serves on the company’s Foreign Trust Group and Account Termination Team. Solomon has been a mentor for the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Diversity Pipeline Program, a free summer immersion program for undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds who are interested in attending law school, since his second year of law school. In addition, he is a board member and incoming treasurer of the Mindfulness in Law Society, a nonprofit organization looking to enhance well-being in the legal profession by educating individuals about the benefits of mindfulness meditation, yoga and other contemplative practices. Solomon was also a certified legal intern for his law school’s Community Lawyering Clinic.
Solomon’s volunteer work has included being a tax preparer for Campaign for Working Families, Inc., in Philadelphia, which works to ensure equitable opportunities and financial stability for individuals and families. He also was an intern volunteer at the Drake House Museum, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the study, enjoyment and discovery of the diverse history of Plainfield, New Jersey.
Solomon earned his Juris Doctor from Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University. He is working toward his Master of Laws in Taxation at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.