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.
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.
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.
Spearheads diversity strategies and initiatives. Comprised of Managing Partner, Diversity Partner and attorneys from all of the firm’s offices.
Promotes networking, mentorship and training for women attorneys.
Regularly participate in diversity programs at law schools and bar associations including regional and national minority job fairs.
Attorneys on boards of organizations that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, including the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession.
Provide legal services to low-income and disadvantaged individuals and families, and not-for-profit groups.
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.
Partner with clients on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in various industries.
Commitment to programs such as PeaceOut! which has impacted 1,500+ students in disadvantaged communities since 2011.
Engagement with affinity bar organizations and diversity conferences and events.
Member of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (LFAA).
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.
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.
Our firm participates in national, regional, and minority bar associations job fairs and events.
We share each of our perspectives to support the delivery of superior legal services.
We provide skills-based and practical training programs, as well as dedicated mentorship.
We have awarded diversity scholarships to 95 promising law school students.
12 women are leaders/co-leaders of the firm’s 18 Industry Teams and Practices.
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.
Champion sponsor of the Empire State Legal Diversity Career Fair, the first ever minority job fair for the legal field in Western New York.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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