Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity + Inclusion. Robinson+Cole is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where the diverse backgrounds of all of our lawyers and other professionals are respected and each individual is empowered to succeed. For Robinson+Cole, diversity refers to the spectrum of people who make up our firm, our clients, and the community we serve. Diversity reflects a culture of inclusion that welcomes people of all types, no matter their ethnicity, culture, race, color, gender, religion, national origin,ancestry, age, sexual orientation, disabilities, marital status, and veteran status, as well as people of diverse opinions, perspectives, lifestyles, ideas, and thinking.
Promoting a diverse and inclusive work environment is not just the right thing to do. The broad influx of ideas and perspectives that our increasingly diverse group of lawyers and other professionals bring to the practice of law better positions us to provide the best legal services for our clients.
Robinson+Cole's Diversity Action Plan calls for and sets goals to maintain an environment characterized by acceptance and respect for all individuals. The plan was implemented upon the recommendation of the Managing Committee and the vote of the partnership. As a result, it is embraced by the firm's leadership. To ensure the plan's success, a Diversity, Equity + Inclusion Committee composed of firm leaders and other parties was developed and charged with the task of carrying out the plan.
At its core, the plan focuses on a three-pronged approach to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment at the firm, namely, recruiting, retaining, and promoting diverse lawyers. Simply stated, at Robinson+Cole, we want you to join us, stay with us, and succeed with us.
Robinson+Cole's Women's Initiative is a firmwide effort to promote the success of women lawyers. As part of this effort, the firm conducts educational programs in areas such as professional development and business development and strongly encourages mentoring, networking, and community involvement. In several of our offices, the women lawyers participate in an informal internal lunch network where they share interests and learning experiences. In our larger offices, Hartford, Boston, and Stamford, our women lawyers have hosted a number of networking events, such as wine tastings and a chocolate-making class, to which women contacts and clients from the area are invited; local nonprofit organizations are honored at these events and attendees bring in-kind donations to support the charities.
While not unique to women attorneys, effective alternative work arrangements are often critical to the retention of attorneys who balance family and other outside responsibilities. Robinson+Cole supported the use of alternative work arrangements long before other firms recognized the need; our first formal alternative work arrangement began in 1988, and in 2001, a lawyer who was working an alternative work arrangement was elected partner.
Robinson+Cole's Women's Committee was created to complement the efforts of our Women's Initiative. It is dedicated to advancing and retaining the firm's women lawyers. The Women's Committee supports our women lawyers in accomplishing their professional goals and becoming leaders in a changing legal landscape.
One measure of firmwide support for women at any firm is the presence of women lawyers in positions of leadership. At Robinson+Cole, women are represented at the highest levels of firm governance, serving as members of the firm's Managing Committee, section chairs, and practice group leaders.
