Holland & Hart is pleased to announce it has been recognized as a Sustained Diversity Champion by Colorado Pledge to Diversity for over 10 years of participation in the Colorado Pledge’s Summer Clerkship Program. The firm was honored with this distinction at the Colorado Pledge to Diversity’s 20th Anniversary Celebration held Sept. 17.
Holland & Hart was one of the first signatories to the Colorado Pledge to Diversity in 1983 and supported the Summer Clerkship Program by hiring at least one diverse 1L summer clerk every year for the past 20 years. For the last three years, Holland & Hart is the only participating firm to hire two diverse 1L summer clerks.
At Holland & Hart, diversity and inclusion is more than a core value – it’s critical to our success and a strategic business priority. We recognize the strength of talent and breadth of perspective that come from including a diverse range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences in our workforce. We believe that our diversity enhances our ability to serve clients more effectively and with greater creativity and innovation. As a firm, we are committed to investing significant resources on a wide range of initiatives developed and implemented within the firm and in partnership with outside organizations in our ongoing effort to continue diversifying our workforce.
In one new initiative designed to expand opportunities for diverse law students, this summer Holland & Hart partnered with two clients in Denver and one client in Salt Lake City on a pilot program, the 1L Diverse Summer Experience Program, that offered diverse 1L law students the opportunity to work for five weeks in one of Holland & Hart’s offices and five weeks in the client’s legal department. Each 1L student was assigned a mentor, a peer buddy, and a supervisor at Holland & Hart, as well as and a supervisor and/or mentor at each client’s office. 1L students also participated in all social events and educational programs that are part of the firm’s regular summer clerk program.
For the last two years, Holland & Hart has participated in the Mansfield Rule, an initiative of Diversity Lab, designed to boost the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these opportunities. Holland & Hart achieved Mansfield Rule 1.0 Certification and “Plus” Status in 2018 and Mansfield Rule 2.0 Certification and "Plus" Status in 2019. Holland & Hart is one of four firms that, in addition to the requirements of Mansfield Rule 3.0, volunteered to pilot program to identify and track candidates considered and hired for lateral positions by category of racial/ethnic diversity, a more significant obligation and undertaking that reflects the firm’s commitment to deploy intentional strategies that improve the diversity of our workforce.
Earlier this year, Holland & Hart was named a 2019 “Best Law Firm for Women” by Working Mother, received U.S. Gold Standard Certification from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) for the ninth consecutive year – one of only 11 firms to receive this recognition every year since WILEF began the award in 2011, and was included on Law360’s Glass Ceiling Report, recognized as one of the best law firms for female partners on Law360’s “ceiling smashers” list.