Our core values define the culture of Foley & Lardner. At the heart of those values lies our commitment to our people and to diversity and inclusion. We are living in times of extraordinary challenge, and we cannot ignore the very real grief, frustration and anger that many Black Americans and allies across this nation are feeling. We certainly do not profess to have all the answers, but there are some things that are very clear to us. If we are to live our core values as a firm, we must be unwavering in our stand against racism in whatever form-whether overt, systemic or otherwise. While our commitment to diversity and inclusion extends, as it should, far beyond issues of race, we cannot and should not lose sight of issues of racial inequality.
To be true to our core values, we must commit to doing the difficult work necessary to combat prejudice and effect the change that is so desperately needed. This includes recognizing injustice, speaking out against it, supporting those impacted and finding meaningful ways to address it peacefully both in our firm and in the communities in which we are privileged to serve. We likewise are committed to listening to the experiences of our Black colleagues. While we cannot walk in their shoes, we can and must listen to their experiences as we work together to better ourselves, our firm and our country.
Words, of course, regardless of how powerful, are not enough; we must take tangible action to address injustices. While we believe we have made strides in our diversity and inclusion journey, there is much yet to be done. As it relates to racial injustice, our firm’s Management Committee, upon the recommendation of our Black Attorneys Affinity Group, in coordination with our Diversity & Inclusion team and in furtherance of our D&I strategic plan, recently approved the following action steps:
The actions listed above are a starting point. We know there are many other day-to-day actions that are essential to effectuating real and sustained change. As a firm, we are committed to putting in the work to achieve that change.