Diversity

"Diversity at Bryan Cave means a professional home where people of all backgrounds and perspectives can achieve personal success and contribute meaningfully to the success of the firm. Diversity brings depth and richness to our individual professional experiences, binds us to the communities where we practice, and makes our firm a better place. In the following pages, you will find highlights of our diversity initiatives, a summary of recent news and events, and information about our affinity groups, recruiting efforts and Diversity Committee."

– Don Lents, Chair of the Firm

DIVERSITY NEWS & EVENTS

Bryan Cave Chicago Hosts Midwest Minority In-House Counsel Group Dinner

Bryan Cave hosted the Midwest Minority In-House Counsel Group's (MMIHCG) first quarterly dinner of 2013. The event kicked off with a reception followed by dinner at the Mid-Town Kitchen & Bar in Chicago. The group holds a series of quarterly dinners to gather in-house counsel to network and dine. Members include attorneys from Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. MMIHCG was founded in 2007 to promote the common professional interests of minority attorneys at corporations and other private sector organizations.

Bryan Cave Earns Perfect Score on HRC's Corporate Equality Index

For the sixth year in a row, Bryan Cave has earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. In its eleventh year, the Corporate Equality Index rated 688 participating companies on their treatment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) employees. To achieve a perfect score, companies must have fully-inclusive equal employment opportunity policies, provide equal employment benefits, demonstrate organizational LGBT competency, evidence their commitment to equality publicly, and exercise responsible citizenship. Bryan Cave was one of 252 employers nationwide, and one of 71 AmLaw 200 firms, to meet all of the criteria and score 100 percent. In addition, Bryan Cave is one of only 12 AmLaw firms to score 100 percent every year for the past six years.

LGBT Lawyers Affinity Group Holds Annual Meeting

Bryan Cave's LGBT lawyers affinity group held their annual meeting in Santa Monica on November 8th and 9th. Firm chair Don Lents, executive committee member Bob Boone, Santa Monica office managing partner Jenny Jackson, and San Francisco office managing partner Lee Marshall attended events throughout; and engaged in a session with group members to discuss barriers to coming out in a big law firm environment, and ways for the firm and the affinity group to support and enhance the recruitment, retention, and advancement of LGBT lawyers. Family Equality Council (FEC) board member, Alan Bernstein, joined the group for lunch and discussed the FEC, its current endeavors, and Bryan Cave's pro bono support of the organization. The meeting concluded with a reception for affinity group members and local Santa Monica and Los Angeles lawyers.

Bryan Cave Sponsors Annual Chief Justice Lecture

Bryan Cave sponsored the Fourth Annual Chief Justice Ronald M. George Distinguished Lecture hosted by the Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco on October 29th. Each year, this series features a lecture by a state supreme court chief justice. This year's lecture was keynoted by the Honorable Vaughn Walker, former Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Judge Walker was a part of a distinguished panel of state Supreme Court and other high-level state and federal LGBT jurists from across the country. Among the panel participants with Judge Walker was Judge Deborah Batts, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, who was the first LGBT federal judge appointed in the nation, Justice Virginia Linder, of the Oregon Supreme Court, and Judge Tonya Parker, of the 116th Judicial District Court in Dallas, Texas. Keith Wetmore, Chair of Morrison & Foerster served as moderator.

Lawyers of Color Affinity Group Firmwide Meeting

The Bryan Cave Lawyers of Color Affinity Group held its inaugural firmwide meeting on June 10-12 in St. Louis. Nearly 80 lawyers of color from throughout the firm’s U.S. offices participated in the meeting which included sessions focused on networking, professional development, client relationships, and associate engagement and mentoring. Among the sessions was a client panel discussion moderated by St. Louis partner Arindam Kar featuring panelists Marcus Banks of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, Rashda Buttar of Foresight Energy, LLC, and Michael Oberlander from the Brown Shoe Company. Kansas City partner Wesley Fields moderated a panel that included Irv Belzer, Christine Cesare, Bob Newmark, Peter Van Cleve, George Chen and Greg Worthy. The panel addressed multiple topics such as the essential qualities and habits to a successful career at Bryan Cave and systematic approaches to making diversity and inclusion part of the firm’s strategic decision-making processes. Firm Chair Don Lents spoke to the group and participated in the day’s programming which also included lunch with St. Louis members of the Executive Committee and CSG Leaders. The meeting was hosted by co-conveners Wesley Fields, Arindam Kar, and Santa Monica associate Shelly Gopaul. The Lawyers of Color Affinity Group is chaired by Phoenix partner George Chen and Chicago partner Craig Jeffrey.

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