Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion

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Our Vision

At Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP, we strive to be a leader among peer law firms in our diversity initiatives. We are proudly committed to diversity and to providing equal opportunities for all to succeed. We define diversity broadly as the differences among people, including race, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, religion, language and experiences.

We recognize that diversity among our attorneys enriches the quality of the services the Firm provides to our clients. We recognize that every employee is a vital part of the organization, and we recognize that diversity throughout the entire Firm is essential to our continued success.

Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr provides forums for championing the perspectives and experiences of our attorneys and promoting their inclusion in opportunities for significant work and advancement at the Firm through our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, Women's Development Initiative (WDI), LGBTQ+ Resource Group and the Minority Attorney Resource Group.

Text: 
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

Overseeing the implementation of diversity and inclusion related strategic planning, policies and programming

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Women's Development Initiative

Focusing on maximizing women’s contributions to the Firm

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Minority Attorneys Resource Group

Providing a support network, mentoring and training for racially or ethnically diverse attorneys

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LGBTQ+ Resource Group

Creating a support network to ensure equal opportunities for LGBTQ+ attorneys

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Working Parents Committee

Offering support for parents managing the challenges of professional and parental responsibilities

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Our Work
Our Commitment

Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr embraces diversity as one of its core values and is committed to sustaining and expanding a working environment that supports all of our attorneys and staff.  Our Strategic Plan embodies an overarching goal of incorporating diversity and inclusion management principles into all systems, policies, practices and procedures that form the fabric of day-to-day life at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr. We fully recognize that achieving a diverse and inclusive workplace is a long process that requires determination and sustained effort. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion remains strong. 

Recruitment and Retention

We pride ourselves on consistently hiring law students from a wide variety of backgrounds for our summer program, and rely on many resources to ensure that we consider diverse pools of lateral candidates. In addition, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr uses executive recruiting/search firms to identify potential lateral diverse attorneys, along with referrals from our attorneys through their individual networks developed through substantive involvement in diversity and inclusion focused organizations and initiatives.

We have formally integrated our diversity and inclusion initiatives with our career development initiatives for greater impact. We believe that we cannot achieve our diversity and inclusion goals without addressing the career development needs of our diverse lawyers, nor can our non-diverse lawyers develop professionally without increasing their cultural competence and inclusion proficiency.

Our firm is a proud participant in the Diversity Lab's Mansfield Rule 5.0, and is a 2020 Mansfield Certified Plus firm. In addition, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr has a formal Program for the Retention of Minority Lawyers, which is tied to the firm's Strategic Plan. This program provides oversight of the mentoring and sponsorship opportunities for our minority lawyers, how work is distributed, and who is chosen for business development and professional development opportunities.

Community Outreach

Our approach to diversity and inclusion extends to financial support of, and involvement in, organizations that provide services to underserved and diverse populations, including encouraging the participation of our lawyers on panels at law schools, numerous national and local minority bar associations, and conferences/programs.  Some of our sponsorships include the following:

  • South Asian Bar Association of DC Public Interest Fellowship
  • The Barristers' Association of Philadelphia Scholarship
  • The Chicago Committee
  • Philadelphia Diversity Law Group
  • Harrisburg Minority Job Fair
  • Delaware Minority Job Fair
  • Lavender Law Career Fair
  • Greater Baltimore Committee Bridging the Gap
  • Washington Area Legal Recruiters Administrators Association (WALRAA) Annual Diversity Networking Event
  • Black Law Students Association at the University of Maryland School of Law
  • Asian Pacific American Law Student Association at the University of Maryland School of Law
  • Dauphin County CAMP 1L Program
  • Delaware Futures
  • Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program (DAPP)

We are fortunate to have strong relationships with so many wonderful diversity and inclusion focused organizations and we continue building on those strengths. Many of our attorneys have represented Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr in local and regional roundtables and programming and continue to be at the forefront of the rapidly evolving intersection of diversity and inclusion and the law. The firm is an active member of the following organizations: 

  • The Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity (LCLD)
  • Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA)
  • National Association for Law Placement (NALP)
  • Stakeholders Charting Your Own Course (CYOC)
  • Law Firm Anti-Racism Alliance
  • The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance
Annual Diversity & Inclusion Retreat

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee sponsors what has evolved into one of the Firm’s biggest internal events of the year, an annual Diversity & Inclusion Retreat for all attorneys. This retreat brings together Firm leaders, partners, associates and management to discuss diversity and inclusion as it relates to daily life at the Firm, attorney development and our clients' needs. We use our Diversity & Inclusion Retreat to provide annual training around topics tied to unconscious bias and cultural competency. We continue to deepen these discussions by strategically building upon the discussions from prior retreats and by reinforcing what we learn through the annual retreat in our training and development initiatives.

Our Commitment

Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr embraces diversity as one of its core values and is committed to sustaining and expanding a working environment that supports all of our attorneys and staff.  Our Strategic Plan embodies an overarching goal of incorporating diversity and inclusion management principles into all systems, policies, practices and procedures that form the fabric of day-to-day life at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr. We fully recognize that achieving a diverse and inclusive workplace is a long process that requires determination and sustained effort. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion remains strong. 

Recruitment and Retention

We pride ourselves on consistently hiring law students from a wide variety of backgrounds for our summer program, and rely on many resources to ensure that we consider diverse pools of lateral candidates. In addition, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr uses executive recruiting/search firms to identify potential lateral diverse attorneys, along with referrals from our attorneys through their individual networks developed through substantive involvement in diversity and inclusion focused organizations and initiatives.

We have formally integrated our diversity and inclusion initiatives with our career development initiatives for greater impact. We believe that we cannot achieve our diversity and inclusion goals without addressing the career development needs of our diverse lawyers, nor can our non-diverse lawyers develop professionally without increasing their cultural competence and inclusion proficiency.

Our firm is a proud participant in the Diversity Lab's Mansfield Rule 5.0, and is a 2020 Mansfield Certified Plus firm. In addition, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr has a formal Program for the Retention of Minority Lawyers, which is tied to the firm's Strategic Plan. This program provides oversight of the mentoring and sponsorship opportunities for our minority lawyers, how work is distributed, and who is chosen for business development and professional development opportunities.

Community Outreach

Our approach to diversity and inclusion extends to financial support of, and involvement in, organizations that provide services to underserved and diverse populations, including encouraging the participation of our lawyers on panels at law schools, numerous national and local minority bar associations, and conferences/programs.  Some of our sponsorships include the following:

  • South Asian Bar Association of DC Public Interest Fellowship
  • The Barristers' Association of Philadelphia Scholarship
  • The Chicago Committee
  • Philadelphia Diversity Law Group
  • Harrisburg Minority Job Fair
  • Delaware Minority Job Fair
  • Lavender Law Career Fair
  • Greater Baltimore Committee Bridging the Gap
  • Washington Area Legal Recruiters Administrators Association (WALRAA) Annual Diversity Networking Event
  • Black Law Students Association at the University of Maryland School of Law
  • Asian Pacific American Law Student Association at the University of Maryland School of Law
  • Dauphin County CAMP 1L Program
  • Delaware Futures
  • Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program (DAPP)

We are fortunate to have strong relationships with so many wonderful diversity and inclusion focused organizations and we continue building on those strengths. Many of our attorneys have represented Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr in local and regional roundtables and programming and continue to be at the forefront of the rapidly evolving intersection of diversity and inclusion and the law. The firm is an active member of the following organizations: 

  • The Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity (LCLD)
  • Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA)
  • National Association for Law Placement (NALP)
  • Stakeholders Charting Your Own Course (CYOC)
  • Law Firm Anti-Racism Alliance
  • The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance
Annual Diversity & Inclusion Retreat

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee sponsors what has evolved into one of the Firm’s biggest internal events of the year, an annual Diversity & Inclusion Retreat for all attorneys. This retreat brings together Firm leaders, partners, associates and management to discuss diversity and inclusion as it relates to daily life at the Firm, attorney development and our clients' needs. We use our Diversity & Inclusion Retreat to provide annual training around topics tied to unconscious bias and cultural competency. We continue to deepen these discussions by strategically building upon the discussions from prior retreats and by reinforcing what we learn through the annual retreat in our training and development initiatives.

Testimonial Body: 

Without diversity, we would all look the same, act the same and think the same.

Testimonial Attribution: 

Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr Managing Partner Barry F. Levin

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