Building RSHC: Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP 2017 Annual Report - Report - Page 12
Diversity
In December 2017, Patricia Brown Holmes and Joseph McCoy were recognized in Crain’s Chicago Business
as two of Chicago’s Most Influential Minority Lawyers for their impressive achievements and dedication to
diversity initiatives.
We value diversity in all its forms and are taking positive steps to reflect the type of diversity our clients desire
and the profession needs. We are also well aware, however, that the statistics in our profession are abysmal.
Women account for half the students in law school but fewer than one in five of the partners in private law firms.
The number of minority law students is falling, and their professional success in the private bar is distressingly
rare—they account for barely one in twenty law firm partners.
From the start, we were determined to do better. One-third of our founding partners are women; one is an
African American woman whose name is on the door—Patricia Brown Holmes. We cannot find another large
law firm that has done the same. As we write, 42 percent of our current partners are women, and 33 percent are
members of minority groups. Across the firm, 50 percent of our lawyers are women, and 31 percent are racially
diverse. We don’t just have goals, we have demonstrated results.
Experience teaches that we will deliver more creative and effective solutions to our clients’ problems by working
in diverse groups. Our lawyers share superb academic records and professional experience, but they also bring
a great variety of different perspectives and life experiences to the table.
Our clients recognize the inherent value of diversity, and they ask for diverse teams. They want great lawyers
who mirror their own diverse organizations and business partners. We are committed to making it happen.
Finally, we value diversity for its own sake and for our sake. We’re energized and inspired by working closely with
people who are not all the same. We are fully committed to proving that diverse teams are simply better—better
for our clients, better for our communities, better for results, and better for us.
A law firm built for clients.®
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