I, Jodi Schwartz, personally commit to the following:

Personal Commitment

• I will champion an inclusive workplace culture where lawyers and staff (particularly underrepresented minorities) feel supported and like they belong and can bring their authentic selves, ideas, and work to deliver their best to our clients.
• I will advocate for changes to our Firm’s practices and procedures to address impediments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• I will actively support and participate in initiatives of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, and other professional organizations and bar associations seeking to change the face of the legal profession and encourage other lawyers at the Firm to do the same.
• I will consistently act as an agent of change by engaging senior partners on the value of their active support for diversity, equity, and inclusion and articulating to my partners our Firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy and goals and conveying the importance of their active participation.
• I will liaise with our diverse partners and associates to understand their experiences, concerns and ideas, and to hear about their professional and business experiences and goals so we can determine ways to advance the Firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy.
• I will dedicate time and energy to recruiting diverse legal talent and consider diversity, equity, and inclusion in the shaping the initiatives of the Firm by continuing to serve on the Firm’s Recruiting Committee, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, and the Associate Development Committee, which I chair.
• I will encourage attorneys and staff to put forward ideas for diversity, equity, and inclusion improvements to me, other members of the Firm’s talent committees or the Firm’s talent professionals.
• The partners that co-chair our Firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and I will meet annually with the Firm’s Management Committee to discuss the status of the Firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Organizational Commitment

• The Firm will continue developing and incorporating DEI goals into department processes and strategic plans, including recruiting, retention, advancement, and leadership.
• The Firm will continue its sponsorship of, membership in, and meaningful engagement with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, and other diversity, equity, and inclusion-focused organizations.
• The Firm will strive to ensure that women, people of color, and those of diverse backgrounds at the Firm are aware of professional organizations available to support their development and networking opportunities, and encourage them to join and become actively involved.
• The Firm will continue to select two LCLD Pathfinders (3-7 years of experience) to participate in the seven-month program and to select one Fellow (8-15 years of experience) to participate in the nine-month program.
• The Firm will continue its role in strengthening the diverse pipeline through high school and college with continued support of initiatives like SEO (Seizing Every Opportunity) and Legal Outreach, and where appropriate, other pipeline programs.
• The Firm will continue to deliver diversity, equity, and inclusion learning opportunities and curriculum, guest speakers, and workshops to provide opportunities to engage in transparent dialogue across the Firm about our different lived experiences and will mandate anti-racism training for all attorneys and staff with supervisory roles.
• The Firm will continue to support leading civil rights organizations.
• The Firm will examine its quantitative diversity metrics, including our attrition and promotion data.
• The Firm will continue our recruiting efforts to hire the top diverse talent in our attorney ranks and professional staff.
• The Firm will seek to ensure that our diverse lawyers have appropriate mentorship and other career support.