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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At Foley, diversity is both a moral imperative and a competitive advantage. Drawing on diverse perspectives, we can uncover innovative legal solutions for your most challenging business problems.

Foley embraces and strives for diversity not only in terms of our people, but also in the unique ideas and perspectives each person brings to the firm. The strength and success of our law firm requires the inclusion of people with different insights and experiences, which results in more creative and innovative solutions to your legal and business challenges. As we work to promote diversity and inclusion at Foley, it all comes together for a single goal: providing you with the highest level of service and innovative legal thinking.

DEI MISSION STATEMENT

Foley is dedicated to fostering an environment that embraces differences, promotes equality, and engenders mutual respect, thereby creating a culture of inclusion where everyone has the opportunity to excel. We are committed to recruiting, retaining, and promoting diverse attorneys, thereby resulting in a diversity of perspectives that benefits the firm, our clients, and the communities in which we practice.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Foley By the Numbers

58%

Of Department Chairs Are Diverse*

55%

Of Our Management Committee Is Diverse

29%

U.S. Office Managing Partners Are Diverse

40%

Of 2022 Partnership Class Was Diverse

25%

Of Our Partners Are Women

10%

Of Our Partners Are Ethnically Diverse

* Gender, ethnicity, LGBTQ, veterans, and people with disabilities
* As of December 31, 2022

Delve Into Our 2026 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Plan

In 2022, Foley introduced an updated DEI Strategic Plan that builds on the firm’s past successes, aligns with our firmwide strategic plan, and reflects our integrated talent approach.

Click on each of the plan’s five pillars to learn more:

2026 DEI STRATEGIC PLAN SUPPORTED BY ADVANCED DATA

The 2026 DEI Strategic Plan incorporates a new and innovative data analytics tool that marries the firm’s Human Resources and Finance data, allowing the firm to instantly access key diversity metrics. With this data, Foley can review DEI metrics holistically and more granularly by department, practice group, and office. The in-depth analysis is complemented with user-friendly visualizations that delve into talent retention, utilization, work allocation, and more by diversity demographic category across the firm. These bespoke insights allow the DEI and Talent teams to tailor solutions to further the firm’s recruitment, development, retention, and promotion efforts, as well as in client relationships.

Foley's Affinity Advantage

We recognize the importance of providing our diverse talent with community-building and networking opportunities. We have firm-wide affinity groups for women, ethnic minorities, members of the LGBTQ community, and veterans. These groups help reinforce a sense of community, provide collaborative business development opportunities, and participate in mentoring and recruiting activities.

Affinity Group Pillars

Our firm-wide affinity groups focus on professional development, community and bar association involvement, recruitment and retention, as well as awareness and advocacy within their respective communities.

	Professional Development			Recruiting and Retention

	Community and Bar Association			Awareness and Advocacy

Affinity Group Leadership

Foley’s affinity groups serve as a catalyst to promote inclusion, build community, and provide leadership opportunities for diverse attorneys within the firm. These attorney-led groups meet regularly, setting their own agendas tailored to the needs of their members. Below please find a list of the leadership of Foley’s national affinity groups along with links to their individual appearances on The Path & The Practice podcast.

Asian, Pacific, and Middle Eastern Attorneys Affinity Group


Pavan Agarwal Partner, Washington, D.C. Senior Chair	Eric Chow Partner, Silicon Valley Chair	Vi Tran Senior Counsel, Houston Vice Chair

Black Attorneys Affinity Group

Phil Phillips Partner, Detroit Senior Chair Episode 11	Sara Madavo Partner, New York Chair Episode 26	Alexis Jackson Associate, Tampa Vice Chair

Latino Attorneys Affinity Group


Katherine Califa Partner, Washington, D.C. Senior Chair Episode 69	Roland Potts Of Counsel, Miami Chair

LGBTQIA & Allies Affinity Group


Jack Lord Partner, Miami Senior Chair Episode 5	John Litchfield Partner, Chicago Chair	Katie Harrington Senior Counsel, Houston Vice Chair

Veterans & Allies Affinity Group


Taylor Pancake Partner, Orlando Senior Chair	Patrick McMahon Senior Counsel, Chicago Chair Episode 7	Kel Thomas Associate, Boston Vice Chair

Women Attorneys Network


Michele Simkin Partner, Washington, D.C. Senior Chair	Kate Beattie Partner, Boston Chair	Laura Ganoza Partner, Miami Chair, Women of Color


Rachel Kingrey O'Neil Partner, Dallas Vice Chair	Sonal Agarwal Senior Counsel, Madison Vice Chair, Women of Color

Inclusive Recruiting

We are committed to hiring diverse talent. To achieve this goal, we work in collaboration with law school affinity groups and participate in recruiting with other external organizations focused on diversity in the legal profession.

Law School Outreach: Foley is committed to recruiting diverse attorneys. We consciously reach out to law student associations at schools across the country to cultivate personal relationships with diverse law students and to build a pipeline of diverse recruits. We partner with law schools to deliver customized programs to raise our visibility and strengthen our ties with diverse law students. Additionally, we partner with diverse student groups across the country to host informative panel during which our attorneys discuss topics of interest to law students and share their professional and personal experiences related to diversity and working in a large law firm.

Diversity Career Fairs: Foley also is an active supporter of diversity career fairs across the nation. Listed below are some of the fairs in which was participate.

Bay Area Diversity Career Fair
Cook County Bar Association (“CCBA”) Minority Law Student Job Fair
Penn Law BLSA 1L Career Fair
Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair
Southeastern Minority Job Fair

Supporting a New Generation: We actively participate in a number of pipeline programs that promote careers in the legal profession to diverse students and ensure that our communities retain and improve their diversity, including:

Lawyers in the Classroom, a mock trial program for Chicago inner-city elementary students
Street Law, a nonprofit that teaches high school students in underprivileged communities about law, democracy, and human rights.
Mentors to the students at Legal Prep Charter Academy, the only legal-themed high school in Illinois. Their goal is to prepare their students, all of whom are African American or Hispanic American, for a legal career. Our Chicago office is a funding sponsor of the Legal Prep Charter Academy.
Supports the Detroit Athletic League, which uses sports to build character in young people.

Foley Diversity Fellowship: Second-year law students selected for this program receive a total of $50,000, which is paid in two installments: $20,000 following successful completion of our Summer Associate Program as a 2L and $30,000 paid within 30 days of joining the firm as an associate. For more information about our Diversity Fellowship Program, click here.

Supporting DEI in the Legal Profession

We support a broad range of outside organizations dedicated to diversity, equity & inclusion in the legal profession. Here’s a list of some of the many organizations that we are proud to support:


Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago		National LGBT Bar Association
Leadership Council on Legal Diversity		National Bar Association
Corporate Counsel Women of Color		California Minority Counsel Program
Hispanic National Bar Association		National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund		South Asian Bar Association of North America
Bay Area Latino Lawyers Fund		Charting Your Own Course
LAGBAC Foundation Lawyers for Diversity

Awards and Accolades

Supporting Community

Effective July 7, 2021 Foley and Boys & Girls Clubs of America launched a national partnership to support BGCA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, rooted in its commitment to promoting safe, positive and inclusive environments for all. Foley is the first law firm to partner with the BGCA on a national scale. This national partnership builds on and continues the work that Foley and BGCA have been doing regionally together for the last few years. Together as national partners, Foley and BGCA will elevate the powerful message of DEI and activate the potential of kids, Clubs and communities to build more inclusive and equitable futures. For more on the partnership, click here.

Foley will provide support in all 22 communities in which the firm practices domestically by partnering and engaging with local Clubs serving primarily economically disadvantaged communities with significant Black populations.

The Path & The Practice Podcast

The Path & The Practice, an innovative podcast produced by Foley & Lardner LLP, has acquired more than 25,000 downloads since its launch in July 2020. The podcast explores the professional origin stories of Foley attorneys. Each episode features Alexis Robertson, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, in a one-on one conversation with a new attorney exploring their unique background, path to law school, path to Foley, and individual perspective on the practice of law. You can subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major podcast platforms and access it on our Legal Talent Development Careers Blog. Or scroll down for a full list in the Insights section of this page.