Ogletree Deakins has a long tradition of premier client service. It was founded on principles that remain core values of the firm today: premier client service; teamwork and collaboration; treating each other with respect; hard work; and open governance. As Kim Ebert, Ogletree Deakins' Managing Shareholder, recently said: “These core values permeate the firm’s culture and are the bedrock upon which we build our diversity and inclusion initiatives.”
Ogletree Deakins solicits, values, and incorporates myriad viewpoints as part of its philosophy and practice of inclusion. This ensures ongoing creativity, innovation and efficiency in responding to changing global needs.
Ogletree Deakins is proud to be a member of the following nationally recognized organizations that promote diversity and inclusion in the legal industry.
FAN, the Law Firm Affiliate Network of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA). To be a FAN member, MCCA requires an express commitment to 10 Basic Principles, which MCCA research has determined to be hallmarks to advancing diversity.
The Center for Legal Inclusiveness is dedicated to advancing diversity in the legal profession by actively educating and supporting private and public sector legal organizations in their own individual campaigns to create cultures of inclusion. Its focused work in Colorado is on-going and forms the basis for all of its innovative programs and initiatives, many of which have become national models.
Ogletree Deakins is also a member of VAULT, whose stated mission is to “be the indispensable provider of information and solutions for professionals and students who are pursuing and managing high-potential careers.”
Membership in the Project for Attorney Retention (PAR), now Diversity & Flexibility Alliance (DFA), demonstrates Ogletree Deakins’ support for retaining and advancing women in law and for work/life balance for all attorneys, which is key to retaining top talent.
Ogletree Deakins also encourages and supports membership and participation in local, state, national, and international professional associations. In the United States and Europe, our lawyers are active in organizations such as the following:
• National Bar Association (NBA)
• National Asian-Pacific Bar Association (NASABA)
• European Employment Lawyers Association (EELA)
• International Bar Association (IBA)
• The Law Society of England and Wales
• The City of London Law Society
• The American Bar Association
• The National Lesbian and Gay Law Association
• The Cuban American Bar Association
• Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats (AIJA)
• Lambda Legal
• The National LGBT Bar Association
• The Hispanic Bar Association
Furthermore, Ogletree Deakins lawyers have held the following positions among others:
• The former Chair of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the NBA
• The former Chair of the Black Solicitors Network
• Member of the Management Board of The Law Society
• An Officer and Board member of the Korean American Bar Association of Southern California
Ogletree Deakins’ lawyers regularly participate in firm-sponsored conferences and seminars hosted by the National Employment Law Council (NELC), the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP), and Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC).
An Ogletree Deakins lawyer also serves as the editor of the Diversity Table, an award-winning survey analyzing the demographics of top firms in the United Kingdom.
In addition, Ogletree Deakins partners with its clients in the area of diversity and inclusion by inviting clients to attend events hosted by many of the above mentioned organizations. The firm also provides counseling and offers on-site and remote training to create and support in-house diversity and inclusion efforts.
Throughout the firm, lawyers of diverse backgrounds, gender, sexual orientation, race, and physical ability have positions of responsibility. This includes lawyers who hold positions as Managing Shareholders in our offices and 20% of our Board of Directors are diverse.
Ogletree Deakins’ commitment to diversity and inclusion has won broad recognition. In 2012 MultiCultural Law Magazine ranked Ogletree Deakins as follows:
• #53 in the Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity and Inclusion
• #39 in the Top 50 Law Firms for Partners
• #4 in the Top 100 Law Firms for Women
• #2 in the Top 25 Law Firms for African-Americans
The firm also has a five-member dedicated Professional Development and Inclusion Department (PD&I), whose primary focus is to establish and monitor programming and initiatives that will sustain productive and all-inclusive work-environment in every office location. This team is led by the by a Director of Professional Development and Inclusion, who is part of the senior management team and reports directly to the Managing Shareholder and the Board of Directors.
There is also a twelve-member Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee that guides the firm in creating programming and initiatives to recruit, hire, retain, promote and advance lawyers within the firm.
To conclude, Ogletree Deakins believes that diversity and inclusion are integral to the firm’s outstanding performance and premier client service. The firm’s top-talented, vibrant workforce reflects the growing diversity of our communities and clients and contributes unique perspectives and creative approaches. This, in turn, generates the highest quality of service, propels outstanding business results, and serves the needs of our clients and the communities in which we live and work.
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Vendor Management
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Does the firm have preferred vendor relationships?
Yes
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Quality Management
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Does the firm conduct end of matter reviews?
Yes
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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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Does the firm's litigation department have a structured approach to early case assessment? For example: Does your firm implement a standard approach to determine risks and strengths early in a case to assess trial or settlement options?
Yes
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Does the firm have an established records management team to assist clients with records retention, compliance and litigation preparedness?
Yes
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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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Does the firm have a standardized litigation hold program in place for its clients?
Yes
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Does your firm have a standardized protocol to guide client data collection? (i.e. Maintaining chain of custody, utilizing forensically sound procedures)
Yes
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Does the firm have a standardized protocol to guide processing clients' edata? (i.e. all data produced in PDF, meta data preserved?)
Yes
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Does the firm have a standardized approach for document reviews across practice groups (i.e. established protocol for eDiscovery review depending on the needs of the case)
Yes
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Matter Budgeting and Financial Management
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Does the firm establish formal budgets for client engagements?
Yes
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Are bills submitted electronically?
Yes
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Knowledge Management
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Does the firm have a knowledge management program?
No
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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 Partners who are...
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Non-minority Males
210
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Minority Males
19
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Non-minority Females
68
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Minority Females
9
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Number of Associates who are...
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Non-minority Males
64
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Minority Males
16
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Non-minority Females
92
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Minority Females
29
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Number of Of Counsel who are...
-
Non-minority Males
34
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Minority Males
7
-
Non-minority Females
38
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Minority Females
11
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Number of Paralegals who are...
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Non-minority Males
9
-
Minority Males
4
-
Non-minority Females
56
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Minority Females
11
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Number of Marketing Professionals who are...
-
Non-minority Males
6
-
Minority Males
3
-
Non-minority Females
9
-
Minority Females
2
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Number of Technology Professionals who are...
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Non-minority Males
22
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Minority Males
6
-
Non-minority Females
9
-
Minority Females
2
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Number of Librarians who are...
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Non-minority Males
3
-
Minority Males
1
-
Non-minority Females
7
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Number of Finance Professionals who are...
-
Non-minority Males
1
-
Non-minority Females
16
-
Minority Females
1
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Number of Administrative Professionals who are...
-
Non-minority Males
11
-
Minority Males
10
-
Non-minority Females
229
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Minority Females
74
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Number of Human Resources Professionals who are...
