Diversity: Phelps Dunbar LLP

Diversity At Phelps Dunbar

Phelps Dunbar is proud of its accomplishments in diversity and is committed to being the market leader among law firms throughout the country. We are dedicated to diversity at all levels throughout the firm, in our society and the communities that sustain our operations. Our commitment to diversity is unparalleled to any firm of comparable size throughout the continental United States. For example, in 2002 and 2004, Phelps Dunbar led a national survey of minority hiring, the culmination of efforts to increase minority hiring throughout the firm. The Minority Law Journal ranked Phelps Dunbar as having the highest percentage of African-American lawyers in 2002 and 2004, and one of the top three firms in 2003. Phelps Dunbar is also strongly committed to gender diversity, as women's contributions to the firm are significant. In fact, approximately one-third of the attorneys at the firm are women. This includes a female partner who is the Managing Partner of the Houston office and a member of the Operations Committee, as well as a female partner who serves as Practice Coordinator of the New Orleans Employment Law practice group. Phelps Dunbar received the first ever Defense Research Institute (DRI) National Diversity Award in 2002, which recognized the firm's outstanding diversity achievements. In addition, we were recognized in the April 2005 issue of the Multicultural Law Magazine, which ranked Phelps Dunbar in the following diversity categories: 31st out of the Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity, 2nd out of the Top 25 Law Firms for African Americans, 17th out of the Top 50 Law Firms for Women, and 34th out of the Top 50 Law Firms for Associates. These efforts are a credit to the work of the firm's hiring committee, as well as contributions by the firm's partners and associates. We are active and aggressive in our approach to hiring diverse attorneys based on talent, accomplishments, and experience. In the same regard, Phelps Dunbar does not discriminate based upon gender, race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability or sexual orientation in hiring, promotion or any other aspect of employment.

Phelps Dunbar recognizes that racial and gender diversity provides the firm with outstanding resources to serve its diverse and growing client base. Our multifaceted legal backgrounds, business experience, and commitment to the law have contributed immensely to the firm's recent success in business growth, client service and community participation. Our attorneys are the key factor in Phelps Dunbar's diversity accomplishments. Collectively, they play an integral part in law firm recruiting and retention of top-level talent through community involvement and leadership roles within the firm as well as numerous professional and civic organizations.