Troutman Sanders embraces diversity as a cornerstone of our future. It means, in part, a commitment by all of our attorneys and all other personnel to a shared vision and the establishment of a workplace environment that is fully inclusive. The Firm values diversity in that it enables the Firm both to take full advantage of the knowledge and talents of a multicultural team in order to meet and exceed individual and business goals and client expectations, and to meet the Firm’s obligation to provide the broadest possible range of opportunities to the members of the communities served by the Firm.
Troutman Sanders defines diversity as an environment of inclusion, in which race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability, background and social and ethnic group differences are accepted and valued, and all members of the Firm can contribute to their fullest potential to achieve the Firm’s business goals.
Troutman Sanders supports many initiatives that foster an inclusive environment and help all its personnel balance commitments to clients and family:
Domestic Partnership Benefits
Troutman Sanders offers domestic partnership insurance benefits and has a longstanding policy against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Women’s Forum
The Troutman Sanders Women’s Forum is a framework to increase the visibility of our women lawyers and their accomplishments, provide expanded professional and business development opportunities, and provide a supportive environment for the continued recruitment, promotion and retention of women lawyers firm-wide.
Moms' Group
The Moms' Group at Troutman Sanders includes both full and part-time women lawyers with children of all ages and provides the opportunity to discuss issues of common concern among a support network such as part-time employment options with the firm and child-care providers.
Charitable Giving
The firm allocates a significant amount of its annual charitable, diversity, and civic contributions budget toward nonprofit organizations and bar associations with a diverse constituency or whose mission directly influences the issue of diversity. These organizations include the Latin American Association, National Association of Chinese Americans, Stonewall Bar Association , Georgia Hispanic Chamber, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), Equality Virginia, Stakeholders, Inc., Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), YWCA, HRNEW, The Urban League, and Catalyst, Inc.
Recruiting
Troutman Sanders proactively recruits a diverse team of lawyers by visiting law school campuses and participating in minority job fairs, including the Lavender Law Job Fair, Southeast Minority Job Fair, Mid-Atlantic BLSA Minority Job Fair and Virginia Bar Association Minority Job Fair. The firm also sponsors a variety of associations that connect minority law students to internships and job opportunities in the legal industry.
Ongoing efforts to promote and foster an inclusive environment are lead by the Troutman Sanders Diversity Committee. Its primary goals are to implement the firm’s philosophy on diversity, ensure a welcoming workplace for all personnel, and make an impact on the community through charitable giving and pro bono service.
Members of the Diversity Committee are:
Sallie A. Daniel, Chief Diversity Officer
Ronald R. Ross, Chairperson **
Pamela S. Belleman **
Robert L. Bourguignon **
Julie L. Burgener **
Albert C. Hwang **
Molly F. James **
Jennifer Mathis **
Joseph M. Parker **
John M. Ramirez **
E. Fitzgerald Veira **
Sonia K. Bain
Sandra L. Brown
Michael D. Hobbs, Jr.
Roscoe C. Howard, Jr.
Prashant K. Khetan
M. Kevin McCusty
George L. Scruggs
Rebecca W. Shanlever
Wendelin W. Silliman
Anthony F. Troy
Jerome Walker
Farah S. Ahmed *
Meredith N. Baron *
George G. Booker *
Alonso J. Cisneros *
Tameka M. Collier *
Sara H. Doran *
Kaleen Serena Ford *
Becki F. Kieffer *
Adam S. Libove *
Christina M. Lucio *
Nora Garcia Nickel *
Tashwanda C. Pinchback *
S. Kaveh E. Rashidi-Yazd *
Jimmy R. Rock *
Tania S. Sebastian *
Ashante Latanya Smith *
Matt J. Sperling *
Juliet G. Sy *
Whitney S. Waldenberg *
* Elected by Associates
** Office Committee Chair
