More than 20 Denver law firms renewed their pledge to foster racial and ethnic diversity within their practices at a ceremonial reception on April 4 in the offices of Holland & Hart. Leaders from local firms signed The Colorado Law Firm Group Pledge to Diversity and heard from three distinguished guest speakers: Eric Holder, Deputy US Attorney General, Teveia Barnes, Executive Director of President Clinton’s Lawyers For One America Committee, and Colorado Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey. The speakers joined Steering Committee Chair Diane Davies of Faegre and Benson in congratulating participating firms on their continuing efforts to promote diversity within the profession. Speakers encouraged attendees to achieve the goals set out in the Pledge.
The Pledge, a joint commitment to increase the racial and ethnic diversity within their firms, is an updated version of the original document signed by 23 Denver law firms on April 7, 1993. The new Pledge is a call to action to create a working environment that is conducive to hiring and retaining attorneys of color. In addition to the firms’ long-standing commitment to recruit, hire, retain and promote ethnically diverse lawyers to partnership, the signatories to the revised Pledge agree to create a Summer Clerk Program modeled on the Bay Area Summer Clerk Program. Following this model, participants anticipate that each member firm will add at least one more summer clerk of color to their firm’s Summer Clerk Program, if possible. The revised Pledge also requires that each pledging firm commit to taking a more active part in hosting the networking receptions and other events intended to increase hiring and retention of attorneys of color.
"Holland & Hart took the lead on diversity by establishing a Diversity Committee in 1989, which ultimately led us to invite other interested local firms to join the effort," says Susani Dixon, former Director of Diversity and Professional Development for Holland & Hart. Dixon and Arun Das, who is with Gorsuch Kirgis, co-chaired the original Steering Committee which was formed in 1996. The Steering Committee has met regularly since then to exchange ideas and discuss mutual efforts in regard to diversity.
Current Steering Committee members and signatories to the Pledge are listed below.
Signatories to the Pledge:
Baker & Hostetler LLP
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll LLP
Berenbaum, Weinshienk & Eason PC
Brownstein Hyatt & Farber PC
Davis, Graham & Stubbs LLP
Faegre & Benson LLP
Gorsuch Kirgis LLC
Greene, Meyer & McElroy PC
Hall & Evans LLC
Holland & Hart LLP
Holme, Roberts & Owen LLP
Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe PC
Kutak Rock
Montgomery, Little & McGrew PC
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Otten, Johnson, Robinson, Neff & Ragonetti PC
Perkins Coie
Pryor, Johnson, Montoya, Carney & Karr PC
Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP
Sherman & Howard LLC
Sheridan Ross PC
Steering Committee Members
Carolyn Daniels, Holme, Roberts & Owen LLP
Arun Das, former Co-Chair of Steering Committee, Gorsuch Kirgis LLC
Diane Davies, Chair, Faegre & Benson LLP
Susani NH Dixon, former CO-Chair of Steering Committee, Holland & Hart LLP
Greg Eurich, Holland & Hart LLP
Sherry Gonzales, Holme, Roberts & Owen LLP
Bobbee Musgrave, Perkins Coie
Daniel Satriana, Hall & Evans LLC