I, Michael Martz, personally commit to the following:

Personal Commitment 

• I will continue to use my voice as the managing partner of Vorys to openly advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within our firm, the legal profession, and the communities which our law firm serves, including openly advocating for the changes necessary to meaningfully advance our firm’s DEI objectives while ensuring that DEI remain core values and significant elements of our firm’s overall business strategy and success.
• I will always strive to position Vorys as an undisputed DEI leader in the legal industry. 
• I will continue to work each day to create an equitable and inclusive culture where everyone in the Vorys family can feel meaningfully included in the entire firm experience, including a genuine sense of belonging and equal access to professional opportunities. 
• I will continue to actively support and engage with our diverse attorneys and professionals, including our 2022 LCLD pathfinder and fellow candidates.
• I will continue attending and actively participating in our annual DEI Summit and Women’s Summit, as well as our affinity and advocacy group (Vorys Women’s Network and Vorys Diversity Network) programming and other DEI educational programming.
• I commit to continuing my ongoing personal journey to listen and learn related to DEI issues.

Organizational Commitment 

• We will undertake the changes necessary to meaningfully advance our firm’s DEI objectives while ensuring that DEI remain core values and significant elements of our firm’s overall business strategy and success.
• We will continue to actively hire, mentor, sponsor, retain, and promote diverse lawyers. 
• We will continue to provide significant leadership and professional development opportunities to diverse lawyers and will regularly evaluate our hiring, promotions, leadership appointments, pitch and proposal activity, client teams, succession planning, and external nominations through the Mansfield Rule framework. 
• We will continue to prioritize ongoing DEI education and awareness, including providing annual programming for all attorneys and staff.
• We will expand our current DEI programming, including our affinity and advocacy groups, to staff in order to provide additional programming, mentorship, fellowship, and professional development opportunities for these diverse professionals. 
• We will continue to maintain and foster a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace that encourages team-play, collaboration, authenticity, and flexibility to meet the needs of all attorneys and staff and to allow each person individually to thrive professionally and personally. 
• We will continue to partner with our clients to support their DEI initiatives.
• We will continue to partner with community stakeholders who share our DEI mission.
• We will maintain and continue seeking opportunities that align our pro bono activities and offerings with our DEI mission.