Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

In service to our clients, our firm and our communities, Phillips Lytle’s vision is to attract diverse attorneys and staff and foster an equitable and inclusive culture where they can thrive for their entire careers.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Is a Core Value

DEI is more than a talking point at Phillips Lytle. It plays a prominent strategic role wherein we recognize the importance of diverse attorneys to our clients, our culture and our communities. We seek the perspectives of diverse attorneys, who help us provide the highest level of client service and make us a better law firm. Our firm leadership, including our governing committee, practice group leaders and executive team, is committed to prioritizing DEI in all we do. It is noteworthy that 67% of our Practice and Industry Team leaders/co-leaders are women. Our diversity partner is a member of our governing committee, the group of partners responsible for firm operations, reflecting the significance of DEI to the decisions we make.

DEI Committee

The firm promotes an equitable and inclusive workplace. Our DEI Committee is comprised of partners and associates collaborating on initiatives and events at our firm and in our communities, including offering equity training, sponsoring firm-wide activities to commemorate significant dates and events, and organizing food drives for underserved communities.

Supporting a Diverse Team

We provide robust training programs for associates, providing opportunities to learn from our highly skilled attorneys. Our mentoring program gives talented lawyers the tools and opportunities they need to grow professionally and advance at the firm.

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DEI
Committee

Spearheads diversity strategies and initiatives. Comprised of Managing Partner, Diversity Partner and attorneys from all of the firm’s offices.

Women's
Affinity
Group

Promotes networking, mentorship and training for women attorneys.

Recruiting

Regularly participate in diversity programs at law schools and bar associations including regional and national minority job fairs.

Advisory
Roles

Attorneys on boards of organizations that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, including the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession.

Pro Bono

Provide legal services to low-income and disadvantaged individuals and families, and not-for-profit groups.

Phillips Lytle
Inclusive Excellence
Scholarship and
Program

Annually award a University at Buffalo law student who demonstrates resilience and excellence while overcoming barriers to that success on their path toward a career in law.

Client
Collaboration

Partner with clients on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in various industries.

Community
Outreach

Commitment to programs such as PeaceOut! which has impacted 1,500+ students in disadvantaged communities since 2011.

Thought
Leadership

Engagement with affinity bar organizations and diversity conferences and events.

Alliances

Member of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (LFAA).

Allyship &
Mentoring
Program

Program that enables lawyers to learn from each other and share common interests and objectives on a personal level through monthly social and professional activities.

Phillips LytleDiversity, Equity
& Inclusion
DEI
Committee
Women's
Affinity
Group
Recruiting
Advisory
Roles
Pro Bono
Phillips Lytle
Inclusive Excellence
Scholarship and
Program
Client
Collaboration
Community
Outreach
Thought
Leadership
Alliances
Allyship &
Mentoring
Program

Promoting Diversity at Every Level

We recognize that our clients, our lawyers and our communities are best served by an inclusive culture, where individuals from diverse backgrounds can thrive.  Diversity, equity and inclusion are valued throughout Phillips Lytle and are at the core of our policies and practices, as we strive to attract, develop, retain and promote diverse talent at all levels at the firm.

Click on each color to learn more about our commitment to diversity.

Creating an Inclusive and Equitable Culture

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Recruitment Efforts

Our firm participates in national, regional, and minority bar associations job fairs and events.

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Promoting
Creative Thinking

We share each of our perspectives to support the delivery of superior legal services.

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Building a
Powerful Team

We provide skills-based and practical training programs, as well as dedicated mentorship.

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Ensuring a
Diverse Future

We have awarded diversity scholarships to 95 promising law school students.

67%

67%

12 women are leaders/co-leaders of the firm’s 18 Industry Teams and Practices.

  • Sharon Azurin
  • Holly Beecher
  • Anna Mercado Clark
  • Erin Connare
  • Lindsey Haubenreich
  • Amanda Lowe
  • Kelly Marks
  • Angela Miller
  • Kimberly Nason
  • Linda Prestegaard
  • Zabrina Reich
  • Lisa Smith

1,500+

1,500+

Phillips Lytle’s “Peace Out!” community engagement program has provided a hands-on experience in the practice of law to 1,500+ middle school students in underserved communities across New York State.

1st

1st

Champion sponsor of the Empire State Legal Diversity Career Fair, the first ever minority job fair for the legal field in Western New York.

$3M+

$3M+

Over the past three years, Phillips Lytle has rendered more than $3 million and over 10,000 hours in legal services to low-income, disadvantaged and underrepresented individuals and families, and not-for-profit groups.

100+

100+

Over the past three years, Phillips Lytle has donated time and resources to more than 100 events supporting organizations committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Phillips Lytle Pipeline

Phillips Lytle Inclusive Excellence Scholarship and Program

Annually award a University at Buffalo law student who demonstrates resilience and excellence while overcoming barriers to that success on their path toward a career in law.

Empire State Legal Diversity Career Fair

Phillips Lytle’s executives and attorneys co-sponsored, and helped to organize, the first legal diversity career fair in Western New York in 2022, which is now an annual event.

Phillips Lytle regularly participates in local, regional, and national legal diversity career fairs.

Women’s Affinity Group

The Phillips Lytle Women’s Affinity Group develops and promotes women lawyers and maximizes their opportunities for business development and leadership. Innovative programs and ongoing dialogue are at the core of this initiative. The group promotes networking, mentorship and training of women attorneys by hosting regular meetings discussing relevant and timely topics affecting women in the law.

Peace Out!

Phillips Lytle DEI Community Involvement

The Phillips Lytle Peace Out! program embodies Phillips Lytle’s commitment to our community. Peace Out! is an engaging mock-trial program designed and facilitated by Phillips Lytle’s attorneys for local students in underserved communities. While grappling with realistic case scenarios together with the students, our attorneys share their knowledge of the law and the art of creating a ‘winning’ argument. Ultimately, through this program, our attorneys demonstrate that carrying out justice in the legal profession depends on valuable ideas from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Since its inception in 2011, Phillips Lytle’s Peace Out! program has reached over 1,500 students, cultivating a future generation of diverse attorneys.

Phillips Lytle attorneys also participate in the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance. Many of our attorneys are board members of not-for-profit organizations in our office regions that serve minority and underserved communities.