Fisher Phillips Releases First Firmwide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report

Fisher Phillips, one of the country’s preeminent labor and employment law firms representing employers, has released its first ever detailed report outlining diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) advances at the firm. The full report is available here.

“It is a pleasure to share this report with the Fisher Phillips family as well as our clients and friends,” said Regina Petty, Partner and the firm’s first Chief Diversity Officer. “Our strategies and initiatives for diversity, equity and inclusion are multi-faceted and evolving — we strive to not only support, but also to champion the people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and persons with disabilities who contribute to propelling the firm to achieve its commitment to excellence each and every day.”

Created with input from a 19-member committee chaired by Atlanta Partner Shanon Stevenson, the report outlines the numerous programs at Fisher Phillips designed to enhance DE&I in the workplace, in the legal profession, and in our communities. These include:

• Identifying and recruiting diverse candidates by sponsoring activities for diverse law students and young attorneys across the nation, attending diversity job fairs, interviewing at law schools with large populations of diverse students, and participating in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (LCLD) 1L Scholar summer program.
• Educating our attorneys and professional staff to promote awareness of diversity and inclusiveness issues and celebrate the differences among us.
• Targeting and laterally recruiting diverse partners and associates across the country to build a diverse workforce across all experience levels.
• Focusing on retaining and advancing diverse talent, including a firm-wide mentoring, sponsorship, and training program that seeks to support and develop all firm attorneys and participating in the Women, Influence & Power in Law (WIPL), Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC), LCLD Pathfinder program and Fellow program.
• Reaching out to our communities to support and connect with diverse businesses, diverse bar and professional organizations, and diverse populations.

According to the report, the percentage of diverse attorneys at the firm has increased by eight percent from 2016 to 2022, while overall diversity for both attorneys and staff increased by four percent. In addition, 56% of practice group and industry chairs are diverse, as well as 33% of the management committee and 42% of regional managing partners.

Fisher Phillips also embraces the legal industry’s Mansfield Rule philosophy and has made it a cornerstone of its diversity plan. In 2021 the firm earned Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certification by achieving diverse candidate pools of at least 30 percent women, underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, formal client pitch opportunities, and senior lateral positions. In addition to the 4.0 Certification, Fisher Phillips earned “Mansfield Plus” status, which recognized the firm for successfully reaching at least 30% diverse lawyer representation in a notable number of the firm’s leadership roles. And in 2021 the firm’s Immigration Practice was named a Diversity Lab “Inclusion Blueprint Champion” for its efforts to proactively track and take action on inclusion practices that ensure underrepresented lawyers have fair and equal access to quality work, influential sponsors, and other opportunities.

"Fisher Phillips is deeply committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and I am proud of the work that we have done to ensure that we are broadening our pipeline for diverse lawyers, as well as increasing diversity in firm leadership and in our C-Suite,” said Roger Quillen, Chairman and Managing Partner of Fisher Phillips. “This work is never done, and we have much yet to do — but it is demanding, energizing, and vital work, and we pledge to see it through.”