Our LEAD Initiative
Commitment to Diversity and Guiding Pillars
Different by Design.™ Our Firm motto not only guides how we strive to best serve and meet our client legal needs, but also how our Firm is committed to promoting diversity, equity, access, and inclusion with respect to our attorneys and staff. We are committed to maintaining an inclusive work environment, where individuals are encouraged to bring their own unique perspectives to the table because we believe our clients and our attorneys and staff all benefit from our collective differences, whether they be race, gender, age, physical ability, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, or sexual orientation. It is from this vision and commitment that our Firm launched its Liaisons for Equity, Access, Diversity and Inclusion (LEAD) Initiative in 2019.
The LEAD initiative focuses on four pillars: anti-racism and anti-bias education, recruitment, retention, and community outreach. Two of these pillars (recruitment and retention) are aimed at improving our institutional practices and two of these pillars (anti-racism and anti-bias education and community outreach) are aimed at improving ourselves and our community.
Through our LEAD Initiative, our Firm is committed to the following:
Equity- Equity is ensuring each person receives fair treatment with the understanding and respect for individualized needs and circumstances, so each person can receive the resources and support needed to thrive and succeed.
Access- Access is providing opportunities, identifying and eliminating barriers, and ensuring individuals have the resources and encouragement needed to take advantage of opportunities.
Diversity- Diversity is embracing, celebrating, and ensuring representation of all intersecting and unique identities, backgrounds, and experiences.
Inclusion- Inclusion is actively engaging with all people and creating a climate where individuals feel valued, comfortable, and confident being their authentic selves.
Our Firm
Our Firm is proud to be a certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) since 2018 and to have been named one of the area’s Best Places for Women to Work by the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Ten of the Firm’s twelve shareholders (83%) are women, and one shareholder identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, the Firm’s entire three-person Management Committee, including the Chair/President of the Firm, are women.
Our Firm’s LEAD Initiative includes a dedicated team of attorneys and staff, who are committed to increasing equity, access, diversity, and inclusion for our employees and the community.