Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity cannot succeed without accountability. Enter CODIE: the Committee on Diversity, Inclusion & Equity. We established this governing body to cultivate a more diverse, equitable and inclusive Brownstein workforce through recruitment, retention and promotion. Beyond this main focus, CODIE also coordinates additional inclusion initiatives across our firm and is responsible for making sure that our benefit programs and firmwide policies support the wide-ranging and evolving needs of our diverse team.

Airina Rodrigues, CODIE Co-Chair
 

David Spaulding, CODIE Co-Chair

We launched our Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) in 2014 to foster greater connectivity amongst the women of our firm. With a motto of “Empowered Women, Empower Women” the WLI provides professional development tools for women and advocates for greater opportunities for women in benefits and policies, partnership elevation and leadership positions.

A few of WLI’s most noteworthy accomplishments include:

• Achieving Mansfield Rule Certification since 2018 as well as the Plus Certification since 2020. We have recommitted to the Mansfield Pledge for 2023-2024 and partnered with Diversity Lab to continue building a culture of inclusion for people with disabilities in the legal profession through recently launched disability inclusion commitments.
• Launching the ‘Daunting to Doable’ business development coaching program focused on expanding the group of female rainmakers.
• Implementing the “Transitions Matter” suite of programs to ease the transition to and from extended parental leave. This includes a gender-neutral, enhanced paid parental leave policies, mandatory ramp up / ramp down reduced work schedule surrounding the extended leave and ancillary benefits to support working parents, overseen by our Caregiving Committee.
• Facilitating mentoring and networking programs that foster new relationships and collaboration opportunities.

Sarah Auchterlonie, WLI Co-chair
 

Courtney Shephard, WLI Co-chair

Our clients expect smart legal and policy strategies from us. Delivering stellar results is only possible when you have a diverse team of individuals bringing their unique life experiences, worldviews, knowledge and skills to the table. We are committed to cultivating a diverse workforce and engage in a variety of efforts to increase our recruitment of diverse lawyers and policy professionals. These efforts are targeted towards both lateral recruitment and on-campus recruiting. Each year, the Colorado Pledge to Diversity Program facilitates at least one first year diverse law student to participate in our summer associate program. A similar program through William S. Boyd School of Law is deployed in Nevada, where a second-year diverse law student interns for the spring semester.

We are deeply committed to attracting and growing our diverse talent pipeline by providing access to resources towards a career path in the legal profession. We do this through partnerships with talent-feeder programs and financial investments, including sponsorship of pipeline/pre-law programs at:

• the University of Nevada Las Vegas,
• the University of Denver
• and Law School Yes We Can (LSYWC), a Denver-based pipeline development program.

In addition, we collaborate to host events that give diverse students opportunities to network with attorneys and learn about the firm culture and what it is like to work in a large law firm. And we host skill-building workshops, serve on panels and mentor students to prepare for college, law school and beyond through our participation with LSYWC.

Our people are our greatest asset. That’s why we devote substantial energy and resources to the development and advancement of all people at Brownstein. As members of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance and recipients of its 2023 Tipping the Scales recognition, we are committed to retaining top talent, strengthening organizational culture and enhancing performance through diversity and flexibility. Working parents at Brownstein benefit from a gender-neutral parental leave policy, parental leave transition support—which includes a ramp-down, ramp-up period for expectant and new parents—a reduced hours program, FlexCommute policy and access to the Caregiving Network. All employees participate in mandatory and elective diversity and inclusion training focused on understanding micro-inequities, implicit bias, effective mentoring for diverse associates and sponsorship engagement.

We recognize that our success relies on a diverse and inclusive culture both internally and externally. To cultivate our inclusive culture and be good corporate citizens, we support vendors who are equally committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce. We continue to strive to expand business with diverse suppliers and those who support diversity in the communities in which we live and work. Purchasing decisions are made after considering the diversity of the account team serving Brownstein and the vendor’s level of commitment to diversity in its workplace.