Foley strives to ensure that every inflection point of attorney development is evaluated through a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lens. By taking a path that reaches throughout the firm – touching recruitment, professional development, business development, our legal departments, practice groups, leadership, and other areas – we continue to make strides in our DEI journey.
“Foley is committed to the success of our talent. Ensuring success requires us to weave diversity, equity, and inclusion into the fabric of the firm, with a focus on its integration throughout the attorney talent development cycle,” Foley’s Director of Diversity & Inclusion Alexis Robertson said.
“While we are proud of our progress during 2021, we recognize that we still have more work to do. Many of the things that most impact DEI are not labeled as DEI, so continued collaboration across the firm is critical as we keep working toward meaningful change at Foley in 2022 and beyond.”
As highlighted in our Legal Talent & Development 2021 Year in Review, last year our Diversity & Inclusion team achieved a number of successes across the firm, including:
- Facilitating the adoption of Foley’s 2026 DEI Strategic Plan and supporting data analytics tool.
- Collaborating with Foley’s six national affinity groups — for women, ethnic minorities, members of the LGBTQ community, veterans, and their allies — to increase engagement and support 75+ firmwide and local office meetings and events.
- Supporting Foley attorneys in their client outreach and business development efforts, including responding to 125+ data and survey requests.
- Hosting a virtual Attorneys of Color Summit, featuring Ritu Bhasin leading a virtual workshop on the internalization of racial bias.
- Celebrating The Path & The Practice, Foley’s human-centric podcast featuring the professional origin stories of Foley attorneys, crossing the 25,000 download threshold.
The team also hosted seven firmwide programs for heritage, history, and recognition months:
- Empowering Women in the Workplace: A Discussion With Saru Jayaraman | President of One Fair Wage, Co-Founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, and Director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California
- A Conversation With Tony West | General Counsel of Uber
- A Conversation With Jiny Kim | VP of Policy & Programs for Asian Americans Advancing Justice
- PFLAG Allyship Training: Want to Be an Ally (Or Help One Out?): Straight for Equality in the Workplace | Jean-Marie Navetta
- A Presentation by Dr. Vivienne Ming, theoretical neuroscientist and artificial intelligence expert
- Dred Scott v. Sandford: A Presentation by Lynne Jackson, the Great-Great Granddaughter of Dred Scott
- A Conversation With Ignacio Cortina, Executive VP, General Counsel, and Secretary of Oshkosh Corp.
Click here to learn more about Diversity & Inclusion at Foley.
Author(s)
Alexis P. Robertson
Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
[email protected]