Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Established in 1995, our committee of dedicated attorneys meets regularly to innovate and implement programs in a manner that reflects our deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Firm Leadership
It takes committed leaders to make diversity a true priority. Over half of our practice and industry team leaders are women or minorities. Our leaders make diversity a regular topic of discussion for our Board of Directors, and our Director of Professional Development and Diversity regularly presents to the Board on the firm's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Bridge the Gap
We offer a regular diversity, equity and inclusion roundtable open to attorneys and staff who seek to learn from each other about our experiences at Lane Powell and in the world. We tackle topics such as race, gender expression and identity, covering, and implicit bias. Through deep respect for one another and diversity of thought, we are able to speak meaningfully about these important subjects. Our motto is that we can be the change we want to see at the firm and in the profession by creating dialogue, listening closely and supporting one another.
Educational Opportunities
We sponsor firm-wide learning experiences that connect the entire firm to build inclusivity. Recent topics include the science of implicit bias, multi-generational differences, respect in the workplace, and gender expression and identity.
Mentoring Circles
Mentorship is a critical key to increasing diversity in law firms. It’s not enough to say we care about mentoring; at Lane Powell we put our commitment to mentoring into concrete action through our innovative mentoring circle program. All of our associates are invited to participate annually in this year-long program that puts three associates in a circle with a mentor shareholder. During the year, our mentoring circles tackle goals and learning objectives that makes certain each associate has a group of colleagues and a shareholder in their corner cheering them on. Our associates routinely report that our mentoring circle program is the most meaningful mentoring experience they’ve ever had.
Women's Initiative
We invest in a variety of initiatives and programs to promote the success of our talented women lawyers. From mentoring to professional and business development programs, we are constantly looking for innovative ways to support the success of our talented women attorneys.
Parent Support
Becoming a parent is a huge milestone in life. We provide support to all of our new parents to help them transition to the world of working parent. To that end, we provide a generous bonding leave package and a customized coaching program to new parent attorneys. We work with each individual to ensure their schedule, practice and long-term career plans are supported.
Leadership Council for Legal Diversity
We are proud to be a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). This high-profile national organization, composed of managing partners of major law firms and general counsel of public and private companies, is the national leader working to diversify the US legal profession for now and future generations. We participate in four of LCLD’s initiatives. Two initiatives are focused on law students: Our attorneys serve as mentors in the LCLD Success Mentoring Program for first-year law students and our first-year summer associates participate in LCLD’s Scholars Program. The second set of initiatives are focused on current attorneys. Each year, we sponsor one of our attorneys for LCLD’s Fellows Program and another for the LCLD Pathfinders Program. These programs share the goal of producing a diverse generation of up-and-coming attorneys with strong leadership and relationship skills who are committed to fostering diversity within their individual institutions and the profession at large. We have been recognized by LCLD as a “Top Performer,” identifying Lane Powell as being one of its most active members who supports LCLD’s mission in many ways.
Mansfield Rule 4.0
We are proud to be participating in Diversity Lab's Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certification Program, which aims to increase the representation of diverse lawyers in leadership roles at law firms by broadening the pool of candidates considered for such opportunities.
Named for the first woman admitted to the practice of law in the U.S., the Mansfield Rule measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered at least 30% women, attorneys of color, LGBTQ+ and lawyers with disabilities for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, formal client pitch opportunities, and senior lateral positions. Firms are eligible for certification annually if they achieve the Rules’ requirements.