I, Richard Walsh, personally commit to the following:

Personal Commitments

• I will engage in continuous learning about implicit bias, diversity, equity and inclusion, and improve my own cultural competence, both generally and specifically within the legal profession.
• I will use my voice and platform as Firm Chairman to champion diversity, equity and inclusion, both internally at the firm and broadly within the legal profession.
• I will use my position to improve equity and fairness in our processes for talent acquisition, professional development, promotion, compensation, and appointment to firm committees.
• I will engage with our firm’s LCLD Fellows, Pathfinders, and Alumni to discuss their experiences within the firm, and invite each individual to provide recommendations on improving our culture and support for historically underrepresented attorneys.
• I will engage with the Management Committee and Department Chairs about the value and importance to the firm of their active support of DEI, particularly with respect to their sponsorship and mentorship of attorneys of color and women attorneys at the firm.
• I will partner with a general counsel to host an LCLD Leadership Lunch.

Organizational Commitments

• My firm will review its origination credit and other billing processes to ensure they are equitable.
• My firm will award unlimited billable-hours credit to lawyers who engage in DEI-related activities.
• My firm will review the work assignment process for associates to ensure matters are assigned with focus on opportunities for diverse lawyers, with less reliance on individual partner relationships with associates.
• My firm will conduct annual, mandatory implicit bias training for all attorneys.
• My firm will collaborate with outside counsel on diversity initiatives, including through training and sponsorship programs.
• My firm will continue to recruit at law schools with diverse student bodies and meet with diverse law students, clerks, and laterals in its effort to recruit more diverse lawyers who meet or exceed its high professional standards.
• My firm will annually award two scholarships to first-year law students from regional law schools who are members of economically disadvantaged or underrepresented groups in the legal profession.
• My firm will award two annual paid internships to qualified college students from Harris-Stowe State University (our local HBCU) who fall within an economically or academically disadvantaged group and who have an interest in a legal career.
• My firm will actively participate in, and strongly encourage our attorneys to participate in DEI programs, including those being developed by the Missouri Bar, which programs include law student and young lawyer mentoring and a robust pipeline program for individuals from under-represented groups.
• Through intentional recruiting and scholarship, my firm will do its part to build a strong pipeline of minority high school and pre-law students, creating a more diverse future for the legal industry.