NEW YORK, NY (February 2, 2021) Jackson Lewis P.C., one of the country’s preeminent workplace law firms, is pleased to announce the launch of DEI REACH (Recruitment through Engagement, Accountability, Collaboration, and Human connection.) REACH will focus on enhancing the firm’s recruitment of African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx and Asian American attorneys as well as those from other underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.
At the center of the firm’s program, which will be piloted in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City, is the requirement that pilot offices must interview at least two lawyers from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups before finalizing a hiring decision.
“Jackson Lewis is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment, and we are consistently evaluating where we can improve in this area,” said Firm Chair Kevin G. Lauri. “Through REACH, our offices will be focusing on improving the recruitment of diverse attorneys at all levels throughout the firm while simultaneously building relationships with candidates for future opportunities.”
“Now more than ever before, law firms and companies must act to ensure their practices and teams are diverse and inclusive,” said Washington, D.C. Region office Principal Weldon H. Latham, leader of the firm’s Corporate Diversity Counseling practice group, the firm’s internal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and member of the firm’s Board of Directors. “I am proud to practice at a firm that recognizes that we better serve our clients when we offer the best and brightest legal talent, including those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, and I look forward to seeing continued improvement in our representation of diverse attorneys.”
In addition to requiring a diverse slate for open attorney positions, REACH empowers pilot offices to tap into various national and local networks to drive the program’s success. To that end, Jackson Lewis’ pilot offices are being encouraged to develop and enhance relationships with local organizations that can help increase diverse representation in the offices’ attorney pipeline.
“We are excited to be partnering with these offices to provide processes and structures to support their recruitment efforts, and to create a more diverse attorney workforce starting in some of the firm’s larger markets,” said Stephanie E. Lewis, Office Managing Principal in Greenville and Recruitment Liaison for Jackson Lewis’ Board of Directors. “We are working with each location to identify barriers to diverse recruitment and establish opportunities for improvement in the process for increasing attorneys of color at various levels in the office.”
“Jackson Lewis has always shared our clients’ goals to emphasize diversity, inclusion, integrity and respect for the contribution of every employee,” added Firm Managing Principal Samantha Hoffman. “Women and minorities currently comprise 63% of our attorney headcount and 87% of our workforce. We offer billable credit for DEI efforts, and we are proud to be Mansfield Certified Plus, indicating that we have affirmatively considered women, minority attorneys, LQBTQ+ attorneys and attorneys with disabilities for recruitment, governance roles, equity partner promotions and inclusion in formal pitches.”
“The bottom line, however, is that the next generation of lawyers is more diverse, our clients are more diverse, and it’s imperative that we incorporate this diversity into everything we do,” added Hoffman. “REACH will help us better infuse intentionality and accountability into our recruitment and help ensure we are deliberate in our goals to best support our people.”
More information about Jackson Lewis’ diversity, equity and inclusion efforts can be found here.
About Jackson Lewis
Focused on labor and employment law since 1958, Jackson Lewis P.C.’s 950+ attorneys located in major cities nationwide consistently identify and respond to new ways workplace law intersects business. We help employers develop proactive strategies, strong policies and business-oriented solutions to cultivate high-functioning workforces that are engaged, stable and diverse, and share our clients’ goals to emphasize inclusivity and respect for the contribution of every employee.
Additional information about the firm can be found at jacksonlewis.com.
