Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
“Diverse teams result in better ideas and outcomes.”
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values and business imperatives at Beveridge & Diamond. We are deeply committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession, and to partnering with our clients and communities to accomplish this goal.
B&D strives to foster an inclusive culture that encourages and supports a diverse workplace. We accomplish this mission by attracting, developing, retaining, and promoting to leadership diverse talent and by creating equal opportunities for individuals to live up to their potential and feel included as valued members of the firm.
A dedicated Diversity Principal guides our efforts, working with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, the firm’s Management Committee, and our Managing Principal.
Efforts
Some of our diversity and inclusion efforts include:
- Participating in legal industry diversity efforts, including, among others, ABA Resolution 113 reporting, Diversity Lab's Mansfield 2.0 Rule pilot, Diversity Lab's Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certification, and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity's Fellows, Pathfinder, and Summer Clerk programs.
- Promoting a sense of community and value at the firm.
- Promoting mindful engagement within the firm on diversity and inclusion issues, as well as resources to support individuals’ varying needs and experiences, such as our Anti-Racism and Allyship Resource Starter Kit and LGBTQ+ Pride Resource Guide.
- Providing attorneys with meaningful work opportunities necessary to advance.
- Supporting professional staff members' involvement in professional organizations such as the Association of Legal Administrators, Legal Marketing Association, International Legal Technology Association, and Corporate Legal Operations Consortium.
- Building a pipeline of diverse lawyers in the profession at large.
Results
Some of the results of our efforts include:
- 30% of our principals are women (compared to a national average of 20%).
- 59% of our lawyers are diverse (includes women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals).
- 50% of the lawyers who joined the firm in 2020 were diverse.
- Diversity Lab awarded B&D with Mansfield Plus Certification for 2020.
- Vault's 2021 Associate Survey ranked B&D 9th among over 30 midsize firms for diversity.
- Law360 named B&D a Top Law Firm for Female Attorneys from 2015-2016 and again in 2019, and 2020.
- A National Law Journal (NLJ) article published in March 2020, “We Want Them to Thrive: In Diversity Efforts, Beveridge & Diamond Pivots Toward Retention,” highlights B&D’s diverse leadership and continued emphasis on recruiting and retaining diverse talent.
- The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) recognized B&D’s innovative practices to advance diversity and inclusion in 2018 with its George B. Vashon Innovator Award. B&D also received MCCA's Thomas L. Sager Award in 2013.
- The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) named Chairman Ben Wilson as Secretary of the Board for 2020 and recognized B&D's participation in and support of their mission and programs with their 2018 Compass Award. The firm was also named to their top Performers list in 2018-2019. In addition, B&D attorneys regularly participate in LCLD's Fellows and Pathfinders Programs.
- Firm Chairman Ben Wilson founded and manages the African American General Counsel and Managing Partner Network and the Diverse Partners Network. Numerous organizations have recognized Ben for his tireless commitment to diversity and inclusion. Recent examples include: the National Bar Association (NBA)'s 2020 Cora T. Walker Award; NBA's 2019 Presidential Award; the National Association of Women Lawyers' 2018 Lead by Example Award; the United Negro College Fund's 2018 MASKED Award; the Defense Research Institute's 2017 Sheryl J. Willert Pioneer Diversity Award; and the National Law Journal's 2017 Lifetime Achiever Professional Excellence Award. He has also recently been featured in Bloomberg Law’s Black Lawyers Speak Podcast, The Vanguard, and the Vision: A Key Network Binds African American Managing Partners, and in The American Lawyer.