Jenner & Block has long been a pioneer in shaping the future of inclusion and engagement in our firm and our profession. For over 20 years our engagement efforts have fostered an inclusive workplace and advanced belonging for all lawyers through our professional development efforts, trainings, conferences, and conversations. For example, in 2001, we published the first newsletter to celebrate LGBTQ lawyers and their achievements. We have been a leader in LGBTQ rights ever since, receiving a 100 percent rating in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index every year since 2005. We have created 14 affinity groups that are open to all of our lawyers to help foster a positive, collaborative work environment where all lawyers feel included, respected, and valued.
Cultivating an Inclusive Culture of Belonging
We see inclusion and belonging as a journey, not a one-time initiative. Throughout the year, we create opportunities to learn, celebrate, and support inclusion and belonging across a range of topics.
Celebrate Community Dinners
An annual highlight for over 20 years, we invite leading figures in areas such as politics, academia, and civil rights to share their stores and discuss timely and important events and experiences implicating inclusion and belonging. Past speakers have included then-Senator Barack Obama and Terrica Redfield Ganzy, the executive director of the Southern Center for Human Rights.
Celebrate Community Speaker Series
This speaker series welcomes individuals with a wide range of voices to speak at virtual and in-person events. Recent speakers have included:
- Adreinne Waheed, photographer, photo editor, and author of Black Joy and Resistance, in honor of Black History Month
- Lan Samantha Chang, author of The Family Chao, in honor of AAPI Heritage Month
- Cristina Henriquez author of The Book of Unknown Americans, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month
- Chuck Hoskin, Jr., Cherokee Nation Principal Chief and Kimberly Cluff, General Counsel of California Tribal Families Coalition, in honor of Native American Heritage Month
Inclusion Training
We provide a range of opportunities aimed at helping our team work together, recruit and retain employees from varied backgrounds, and create a positive and inclusive culture. In addition, we offer on-demand inclusion training through a partnership with Paradigm REACH, a virtual training platform built by inclusion and engagement experts.