Steven M. Ellis
Chairman — Proskauer Rose LLP
I, Steven M. Ellis, personally commit to the following:
As Proskauer’s chair, I embrace my responsibility to be an advocate for change, not just in our firm, but in the legal industry and society at large. I will challenge our firm and my peers to use our collective voices to sustain our commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable legal profession.
Accordingly, I, Steve Ellis, will champion diversity, equity and inclusion in the following ways:
Personal Commitment
Advocacy
- Meet regularly with the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Diversity Task Force to provide support and grow Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives at every level of the firm
- Work with the DEI team to invest in the resources needed to expand DEI efforts, such as our recent firm-wide A Path Forward speaker series which explores specific concepts relating to racism, equity, and inclusion
Collaboration
- Seek feedback and recommendations from our firm’s Diverse Lawyer Network (e.g., Asian Lawyer Affinity Group, Black Lawyer Affinity Group, Hispanic/Latinx Lawyer Affinity Group, LGBTQ+ Affinity Group, Women's Alliance, and Proskauer Caregivers Network) on innovative strategies to further support the careers of lawyers and Business Services professionals from historically underrepresented groups
- Engage my network of clients and other law firm leaders to advocate for increased diversity throughout the legal profession
- Annually meet with LCLD members to discuss collaborative ways to create a more inclusive legal profession and provide opportunities for the development and advancement of lawyers from underrepresented groups at our respective organizations
Awareness Building and Education
- Meet with our partners from historically underrepresented groups to learn more about their lived experience within the firm and how I can best support their leadership and business development goals
Talent Development and Management
- Annually sponsor the career development of one lawyer from an underrepresented group at Proskauer
- Meet annually with LCLD’s Fellows and Pathfinders to discuss their experiences with the firm and recommendations on how we can improve
Additionally, as an organization, we also commit to the following:
Organizational Commitment
Advocacy
- Continue the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Racial Justice Fellowship
Collaboration
- Expand relationships with the diverse business community through our Supplier Diversity Program and committing to annually increase our diverse supplier spend/engagement year over year
- Build stronger relationships with social and racial justice oriented clients and organizations by leveraging the strength of our DEI, Pro Bono and Corporate Social Responsibility teams
- Continue to grow our commitment to and participation in LCLD, LFAA, MCCA and other mission-aligned organizations
Awareness Building and Education
- Conduct annual firm-wide training on inclusion topics (e.g., unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, cultural competence, management/leadership best practices for working with diverse professionals)
- Annually assess our DEI Strategic Plan and, where appropriate, benchmark goals and initiatives to ensure Proskauer remains an industry leader
- Analyze feedback from annual surveys (e.g. Vault) to determine where the firm can strengthen current efforts and implement new DEI programs and initiatives
Talent Development and Management
- Innovate around inclusive policies (e.g., flexible parental leave, flex-time and reduced hours work options, gender identity inclusion policies, Caregiver Return Program)
- Implement DEI goals for department and practice group leaders that will need to be annually developed, refined and tracked
Talent Acquisition and Pipeline Programs
- Explore new opportunities to increase hiring and promotion of lawyers from historically underrepresented groups (e.g., Mansfield Rule Certification)
- Develop additional law school partnerships to increase the pool of diverse candidates
- Expand the reach of our Silver Scholar Program for first- and second-year law school students from historically underrepresented backgrounds
- Remain laser-focused in strategically approaching the lateral market with a keen diversity lens to strengthen our core practices and drive an energized, high-performance and inclusive culture
Succession Planning
- Evaluate client succession plans to ensure partners, where practicable, from underrepresented groups are positioned and considered for succession opportunities
Business Development
- Ensure that client teams are structured so that diverse lawyers are considered and positioned for development and leadership opportunities, where practicable
- Explore client interest in DEI collaborations