The whole is greater than the sum of our parts.
At Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, our goal is simple: to represent our clients’ interests to the very best of our collective abilities. We know that one of the best ways to accomplish this goal is to bring together people with different experiences and insight, people who can contribute their individual strengths to ensure complete coverage of any negotiation, transaction, litigation or representation. Diversity among our attorneys and staff members makes us a stronger, more responsive law firm where the whole is indeed greater than the sum of our parts.
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We are proud to say that women and minority attorneys serve on our Board of Directors and in other key leadership positions in the firm. We continuously look for opportunities for firm attorneys and government relations professionals of diverse backgrounds to join firm committees and fill leadership roles.
Outside of the firm, Buchanan has proudly partnered with various professional, educational and community groups which are dedicated to diversity, such as the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Race and Social Problems, the Urban League of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group and the Allegheny County Bar Association. Buchanan is a member in good standing of the Law Firm Affiliate Network of the
Minority Corporate Counsel Association and has signed onto the Association's core diversity principles.
Buchanan seeks to achieve its goal of promoting diversity through various means, including:
The Diversity Committee
The firm's Diversity Committee is tasked with promoting and nurturing diversity within the firm. With over 40 members at all levels of service, the Committee reviews issues with respect to the recruitment, retention and promotion of diverse attorneys. Internal initiatives of the Committee include hosting affinity group meetings, supporting alternative work options and seeking out training opportunities for women and diverse attorneys. In conjunction with the firm's Director of Professional Development & Diversity, the Diversity Committee and the firm's Associates' Committee offer formal mentoring to our associates, including those who are diverse.
Strategic Planning
Diversity is a key component of our firm’s Strategic Plan. The firm is currently working with a nationally recognized diversity consultant to reach our goals of improving our recruitment, retention, and promotion of diverse attorneys and government relations professionals.
Much of our success moving forward depends on the strong commitment and cooperation of the firm’s leadership, working together with the Diversity Committee, the Legal Recruiting Department and the Professional Development Department. Diversity is a key factor in all our business decisions. Attorneys and government relations professionals are encouraged to contact members of those departments for assistance and with ideas for advancing our goals.
The firm sends several participants to conferences and other training programs to understand the challenges that women and diverse attorneys face. These participants are asked to share their knowledge with others at the firm.
Women's Initiatives
The chair of the Diversity Committee along with the Director of Professional Development & Diversity meet with women regularly to discuss their integration, work satisfaction and goals. The firm's larger offices have a women's liaison who coordinates social, educational and professional programs for the women at a local level.
Our Women’s Business Development Committee (WBDC) is another example of the support women receive at Buchanan. Among other things, the WBDC:
- Fosters an environment of inclusion and mentoring with the firm.
- Provides networking opportunities between Buchanan women and their colleagues in business, industry, government and the nonprofit sector.
- Raises the profile of Buchanan women in the business and legal communities.
- Encourages the development of leadership skills, service excellence and entrepreneurial creativity.