I, Scott Edelman, personally commit to the following:

Personal Commitments

• Regularly interact with attorneys participating in diversity and professional development programs to ensure the Firm’s programming is aligned with advancing associate development and fostering an inclusive cultural environment.
• Collaborate with the Firm’s DEI and Women’s Initiative committee leaders and the Chief DEI Officer to discuss the Firm’s progress on our DEI initiatives and talent, surface ideas for heightened focus, and emphasize the importance of DEI across all of the Firm’s business activities.
• Promote and participate in our Firmwide speaker series events which provides external perspective on DEI from thought leaders in the legal profession, GCs, and other C-suite business executives.
• Host meetings with partners to encourage open and honest communication and work cooperatively to identify potential avenues to enhance Milbank’s DEI initiative.
• Discuss DEI initiatives and challenges in the State of the Firm addresses to partners and associates.
• Encourage the Firm’s continued involvement in pro bono cases and initiatives that combat systemic discrimination and racial injustice.

Organizational Commitments

As an organization, Milbank commits to the following:

• Continue the Firm’s support of programs and partnerships that enhance our attorney development and diverse talent pipelines such as LCLD’s Fellows and Pathfinders Programs.
• Further embed DEI programming into Firm strategic planning sessions, retreats, and quarterly practice group meetings to drive partner understanding and shared responsibility for driving change, recognizing that DEI is a core component of the Firm’s success.
• Incorporate DEI discussions into Firm committee and practice group leadership nominations. Evaluate nominees against the Firm’s stated DEI mission and include DEI competencies, such as inclusive leadership, are utilized as criteria in the nomination process.
• Continue to incorporate DEI concepts, such as leadership, curiosity, allyship, inclusion and voice, into Firmwide education, training, learning programs and events. Foster an environment where employees feel empowered to engage and participate candidly in these trainings and events. Solicit input on program content and incorporate feedback into future programs.
• Continue the Firm’s commitment to take on landscape shifting pro bono cases broadly, and those that tackle injustice and inequality specifically, by ensuring access to all Firm associates and summer associates; and by using our name to bring attention to the need for public service.