Diversity

Award for a Law Firm/Legal Department by the Center for Legal Inclusiveness, that recognizes organizations dedicated to advancing diversity and creating inclusive workplace cultures.

Annual recognition of law firm partners who distinguish themselves by demonstrating commitment to diversity.

Our Diversity and Inclusiveness Committee (DIVCOM), established in 1988, helps to foster a culture that values and celebrates the diversity of each individual. The DIVCOM Chair reports regularly to firm management and serves on key firm committees including, partnership selection, recruiting, and associate professional development.

In 2015, the firm adopted a separate Ethnic and LGBT Diversity Plan with specific strategies to address recruitment, retention, and promotion practices; and goals to improve processes to track the firm’s demographics and work assignments/hours billed on key client matters by diverse attorneys.

The firm implemented D&I Codes that appear as a line item on each attorney’s monthly financial reports, capturing efforts on mentoring and participation in internal and external events/meetings/trainings that foster diversity and inclusiveness.

• The Ethnic and LGBT Diversity Plan requires that every attorney hiring decision must include efforts to locate and interview at least one diverse candidate. 
• Our updated attorney interview questions increase objectivity and minimize implicit biases using behavior-based questions.
• We have participated in the Colorado Pledge to Diversity 1L Summer Law Clerk Program by hiring at least one diverse 1L summer law clerk for the last 16 years.
• The firm is actively involved in the State Bar of Nevada/UNLV Diversity Fellowship Program.

• DIVCOM’s  new mentoring subcommittee addresses the specific needs of the firm’s diverse attorneys.
• Every diverse associate and of counsel attorneys who expresses an interest in mentoring is matched with a diverse partner or senior Attorney.
• Every associate who wishes to participate in a mentoring program is paired with a management committee mentor.

All In, the quarterly DIVCOM newsletter, educates firm members about diversity and inclusion issues with news, articles, reports on presentations by speakers at the firm and outside events, and highlights accomplishments of our diverse attorneys.

In April, 2015, the firm hosted a diversity and inclusion retreat in Boulder, attended by diverse attorneys, members of the management committee, practice group leaders, and administrative partners,  keynote speaker Werten Bellamy, and several in-house counsel.

• Onboarding orientation for new legal professionals include two videos: Facebook’s “Managing Unconscious Bias;” and “Diversity and Inclusion Skills for Effective Leaders,” a presentation by diversity advocate Vernā Myers.
• We collaborate with outside organizations, like the Center for Legal Inclusiveness, to provide training and education sessions on diversity and inclusiveness. 
• Diversity advocate Vernā Myers gave the keynote address partners at the 2015 retreat on the topic, “Diversity and Inclusion Skills for Effective Leaders.”