Fennemore Craig's diversity strategy is not limited to the creation of a Diversity Council. Rather, diversity and inclusion are foundations of our values and of our business plan. Fennemore Craig's strong commitment to inclusion at all levels of the firm permeates how we do business, treat our clients and treat one another.
Traditionally, law firm diversity has been thought of as including efforts to attract and retain minorities and women. At Fennemore Craig, we are actively working to recruit, develop and retain a diverse mix of talented lawyers and staff. We understand that everyone falls somewhere on the diversity spectrum; therefore, our goal is not only to welcome and include minorities, women, and others who have historically been underrepresented in law firms, but also to make sure that all of our clients, attorneys, and staff members feel welcome at Fennemore Craig.
Firm Leadership
As with any successful business initiative, Fennemore Craig's diversity strategy begins with leadership. Fennemore Craig's Management Committee recognizes that our success in sustaining a dynamic and inclusive firm culture depends upon our ability to recruit, retain, develop and advance a diverse pool of talented lawyers and staff.
A History of Inclusion
Perhaps the best evidence of success of our Diversity Strategy lies in the number of minority and women directors and in the number of leadership positions held by minorities and women. Fennemore Craig has a strong track record of advancing women and minority lawyers to positions of leadership within the firm and within the legal community.
Fennemore Craig hired its first female lawyer in 1974 when few women were licensed to practice law. In 1980, Fennemore Craig was one of the first Arizona law firms to elect a female director. In the late 1980s, Fennemore Craig became one of the first large law firms in the Southwest to appoint a woman to its Management Committee.
Fennemore Craig's tradition of inclusion permeates its culture to this day. Currently, Sarah Strunk serves on our three-person Management Committee. As of October, 2008, approximately 35% of our attorneys are women. Women directors make up approximately 31% percent of our director ranks. Approximately 7% of our directors and 20% of our associates are members of minority groups.
Numerous key leadership roles in the firm are currently held by women. For example, in addition to Sarah Strunk who serves on the Management Committee, our women and minority attorneys hold key leadership positions within the firm and manage a number of our top client relationships. Kendis Key Muscheid and Amy Abdo serve on the firm's Compensation Committee. Kathy Hancock serves as Executive Director of the firm. Cathy Reece is Chair of the Bankruptcy and Creditor's Rights practice group. Sue Chetlin is Chair of the Intellectual Property practice group. Susan Wissink is Chair of the Business and Finance practice group, one of the largest in the firm. Finally, of 51 Fennemore Craig attorneys chosen by their peers for inclusion in the 2009 Best Lawyers In America list, 12 were women and minorities, a testament to the skill and talent of our women and minority lawyers.
Recruiting, Retaining, Developing and Advancing a Diverse Mix of Talented Lawyers and Staff
We actively seek to recruit, retain, develop and advance a diverse mix of talented lawyers and staff through various initiatives, including scholarship, internship, training and mentoring opportunities. As part of these initiatives, we participate in the following:
- ASU's Annual Diversity Scholarship Program including pairing each scholarship recipient with an attorney mentor;
- minority legal writing internship programs at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona;
- a formal mentoring program for all associates and of counsel attorneys;
- training for mentors and mentees to ensure a productive and effective mentor/ mentee relationship.
We have also developed the FC Training and Development Roadmap which outlines the core skills as the well as the courses, readings, and training opportunities that are recommended to develop the skills of every individual at every level of the firm. The FC Training and Development Roadmap emphasizes diversity competency as a core skill for every position within the firm.
Finally, we support work life balance through policies such as reduced-schedule options, an employee assistance program, and a parental leave policy.
Commitment to the Community
Fennemore Craig attorneys and staff are known as leaders throughout the communities where they live and work. They are active in more than 400 professional and civic organizations. In addition, the firm has an active Pro Bono Committee, which coordinates pro bono services in the communities where the firm has offices.
Firm involvement ranges from service as officers in the American Bar Association to chairing state bar organizations as well as a wide range of boards of directors for nonprofit and civic organizations. The firm generously contributes to worthwhile charitable organizations, concentrating on those in which firm attorneys are personally active.
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Knowledge Management
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Does the firm have a knowledge management program?
Yes
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Number of Of Counsel who are...
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Non-minority Males
6
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Minority Males
1
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Non-minority Females
8
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Minority Females
1
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Litigation eDiscovery Best Practices
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Does the firm have an established eDiscovery Committee?
Yes
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Does your firm have any educational programs designed to address the changing federal rules of civil procedure?
Yes
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Number of Marketing Professionals who are...
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Non-minority Males
0
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Minority Males
0
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Non-minority Females
4
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Minority Females
0
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Disaster Recovery
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Does the firm have a disaster recovery plan in place?
Yes
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Number of Other Lawyers who are...
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Non-minority Males
0
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Minority Males
0
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Non-minority Females
0
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Minority Females
0
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Number of Administrative Professionals who are...
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Non-minority Males
2
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Minority Males
0
-
Non-minority Females
8
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Minority Females
0
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Number of Paralegals who are...
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Non-minority Males
3
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Minority Males
0
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Non-minority Females
30
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Minority Females
3
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Number of partnerships with minority owned law firms?
0
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Number of Human Resources Professionals who are...
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Non-minority Males
0
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Minority Males
0
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Non-minority Females
10
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Minority Females
0
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Number of Technology Professionals who are...
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Non-minority Males
6
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Minority Males
2
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Non-minority Females
5
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Minority Females
1
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Litigation General Best Practices
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Does the firm have a formalized new associate litigation training/mentoring program?
Yes
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Number of Partners who are...
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Non-minority Males
79
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Minority Males
7
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Non-minority Females
26
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Minority Females
2
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Number of Associates who are...
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Non-minority Males
34
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Minority Males
5
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Non-minority Females
14
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Minority Females
5
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Number of Librarians who are...
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Non-minority Males
0
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Minority Males
0
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Non-minority Females
3
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Minority Females
0
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Number of Finance Professionals who are...
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Non-minority Males
1
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Minority Males
1
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Non-minority Females
12
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Minority Females
3
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Plan on partnering with minority owned law firms?
Yes
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Number of partnerships with women owned law firms?
0
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Plan on partnering with women owned law firms?
Yes
