DEI

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Our firm has a long-standing commitment to DEI and believe that our people are our most valuable resource. As such, we accept every individual regardless of ethnicity, cultural background, socioeconomic status, gender identity, physical condition, sexual orientation, or other protected class or characteristic. As a diverse organization we recognize that each person brings their unique beliefs, values, and ideas that ultimately create an innovative workforce and more competitive firm. We seek to establish an inclusive environment that encourages collaboration and fairness, where each person can contribute to their full potential. We are committed to fostering diversity not only because it is the right thing to do, but because sustaining a culture of inclusion aids our firm in attracting and retaining the best talent, and is integral to delivering the best possible service to our clients.

COLLEAGUES

At FordHarrison, we believe in the power of diversity, the strength of equity, and the importance of inclusion. We are not just a team; we are a family of legal professionals committed to fostering an environment where every voice is heard, every perspective is valued, and every colleague is empowered.

John L. Monroe, Jr.

Firm Managing Partner

Vision: To be a workplace where our people feel valued and included. A workplace where our people are open to sharing their beliefs and values and receptive to learning and growing from exploring the backgrounds and experiences of their peers. A workplace where diverse ideas are generated to create positive change in our firm and innovative solutions for our clients.

Mission: To create an inclusive environment where each individual can be their “true” self and work together with their practice group or department to create original ideas that place the firm at the forefront as a leader in the legal field.

Strategic Objectives. We believe in being on the cutting edge of everything that we do and to continue to guide our path toward that goal, we have focused our diversity and inclusion efforts on three distinct, yet intertwined objectives:

Recruit, Retain, Advance

Integrate recruitment, retention, and advancement into our firm's overall objectives, through continuing to create partnerships within the community, developing an environment that is truly supportive of change and fosters good working relationships, and creating an achievable pathway to advancement within the firm.

Create a Better Workplace

Foster a culture and work environment that focuses on developing a tailored plan for internal and external mentoring and opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue to eliminate subtle bias and stereotyping and to open minds to alternative solutions

Create an Engaged and Active Workforce

Develop and implement a plan for utilizing the firm's "assets" – its members - to create a culture of inclusion through innovation, collaboration, and risk-taking for change

Aided by the advocacy and diligence of FordHarrison's Diversity Executive Council and Diversity Advisory Board, our firm strives to meet these goals and recognizes the beneficial impact a successful diversity and inclusion program will have on firm morale, productivity, strategies and success.

Building Diverse Leadership

FordHarrison believes that diversity has to be a top-down priority of the firm's leadership in order to be successful.

It has always been our goal to develop and position diverse lawyers and staff in leadership roles throughout the firm. To that end, FordHarrison created two core leadership groups that are focused on identifying innovative ways to further engrain diversity into the fabric of our firm's culture.

The Diversity Executive Council is a group comprising some of the firm's highest-ranking partners (the firm's Managing Partner, General Counsel, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Partner, and Deputy Diversity Partner) as well as two staff executives: the firm's Talent and Recruiting Partner and the firm's Chief Client Development Officer. The Diversity Executive Council is responsible for high-level strategic planning in the area of DEI, including determining how the firm invests its most valuable resources in this area. The Diversity Advisory Board is composed of attorneys from diverse backgrounds and geographic locations. Due to their physical locations and their unique perspectives, these attorneys aid us in crafting meaningful DEI programs that resonate with all of FordHarrison's lawyers.

Diversity Executive Council

C. Lash Harrison

Founding Partner - Senior Status

Profile

404-888-3801

Jennifer Martinez

Human Resources Director

407-418-2318

John L. Monroe, Jr.

Partner

Profile

404-888-3881

Luis A. Santos

Partner

Profile

813-261-7852

Dawn Siler-Nixon

Partner

Profile

813-261-7834

Melodie L. Tilley

Chief Client Development Officer

404-888-3858

Lavern J. Wilson

Talent and Recruiting Partner

Profile

Profile

860-740-1361

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CLIENTS

At FordHarrison, we understand the significance of ensuring that our client teams exceed our clients’ and the legal industry’s standards for equity and inclusivity, affording opportunities for legal professionals of all backgrounds to excel. We are honored to have had our efforts recognized by clients, such as McDonalds, and legal industry diversity organizations, such as the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.

McDonald's Legal

FordHarrison received the inaugural McDonald's Legal EMPOWER Award for mid-size firms in 2021. The award was created to highlight McDonald's external legal suppliers who demonstrate an innovative and genuine commitment to DEI.

Leadership Council on Legal Diversity

LCLD is an organization of more than 400 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who have pledged themselves, through to creating a truly diverse U.S. legal profession. FordHarrison has been actively involved in LCLD's programs for many years.

Since 2015, we have appointed an LCLD Fellow every year. A total of nine FH attorneys have been named as Fellows since 2016 including Nicole Falcey, David Cheng, Kristin Gray, Paige Lyle, and Lavern Wilson.
Since 2020, we have appointed LCLD Pathfinders each year. A total of seven FH attorneys have been named as Pathfinders including Richard Bahrenburg and Min Kim.
Since 2016, we have participated in LCLD’s 1L Scholars program, working with LCLD member companies to provide meaningful summer internships to first-year law students.
Through our LCLD partnership, FH attorneys have also been involved in LCLD’s Success in Law School mentoring program.

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OUR DEI PRACTICE

FordHarrison is committed to working with employers to continue pushing diversity forward. Our goal is to provide a menu of services and in-depth assessments to develop and implement proven strategies that align with organizational objectives, ensuring that diversity, equity and inclusion is not just a concept but a practical driver of success for our clients.

Dawn Siler-Nixon

Diversity Equity & Inclusion Partner

Our attorneys partner with employers to provide DEI solutions designed to enhance and improve an organization's culture.

FordHarrison is committed to maintaining a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we operate and recognizes that our internal work to foster DEI is as critical to the success of our business as it is to the satisfaction of our attorneys and staff. Through our own internal programs, we have seen firsthand that DEI can provide bountiful returns to both the employer and employees alike. With that experience in mind, our attorneys believe DEI programs are more than just something employers need to meet legal and regulatory obligations.

To learn more about FordHarrison’s DEI practice group, click here.

FordHarrison Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Audit (FH DEIA) Taskforce. The FH DEIA Taskforce guides employers through a proactive analysis of proposed and ongoing programs and initiatives to continue increasing diversity while remaining in compliance with federal, state and local employment laws. To learn more about the FH DEIA Taskforce, click here.

DEI PRACTICE GROUP RESOURCES

Pam Bondi's Memo to DOJ on DEI: What it Means for Private Employers

NEWS | 02.13.25

How Will the President's Executive Order on "Gender Ideology" Impact Employers?

NEWS | 02.05.25

New Executive Order Revokes 60-Year Old Executive Order 11246 and Targets "Illegal" DEI Efforts: What This Means for Employers

NEWS | 01.31.25

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COMMUNITIES

We at FordHarrison partner with local, regional, and global organizations to actively promote diversity in the legal profession and advance diverse attorneys into leadership positions. By building diverse leadership through internal mentoring and training and also through involvement in charitable organizations in our different office markets, we are paving the way for a culture where every employee thrives, regardless of background.

Luis A. Santos

Deputy Diversity Equity & Inclusion Partner

At the national, local, and state levels, we actively engage with charitable, DEI, and legal industry organizations that align with our mission to create positive social impact. Our dedication to DEI has not gone unnoticed, as our firm has been honored and recognized by organizations and publications for our significant strides in promoting diversity and inclusivity within our firm and the legal industry. These accolades serve as a testament to our ongoing efforts to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of DEI both within our firm and in the broader community. Below is a sampling of our more recent accolades in DEI, for information on our past recognitions, read more here.

LCLD 2024 Top Performer & Compass Award Recipient

FordHarrison is a proud recipient of LCLD's 2024 Top Performer & Compass Award recipient recognizing the firm's involvement in and commitment to the organization.

LCLD 2024 Atlas Award

FordHarrison's 2024 Fellow, Nicole Falcey, was a recipient of LCLD's Atlas Award for 2024. The Atlas Award commends participants who showed the highest levels of dedication throughout their Fellows program.

National Law Journal 2024 Women's Scorecard

The National Law Journal listed FordHarrison as number 11 on its 2024 Women's Scorecard, a part of the NLJ 500 firm headcount report.

Law360

The 2024 Law360 Diversity Snapshot ranked FordHarrison #19 for law firms with 101-250 attorneys. In the report, law firms were separated into size categories and ranked by their precentages of both minority partners and minority associates.

FodHarrison Women Leaders Forum Awarded Top 10 Innovations in Diversity

The Profiles in Diversity Journal's awarded the firm's Women Leaders Forum a Top 10 recognition for their 16th Annual Innovation in Diversity Awards. To see the recognition, please click here.

Diversity Journal's 2020 Diversity Teams Award

In its Spring 2020 issue, Profiles in Diversity Journal recognized FordHarrison with its 2020 Diversity Teams Award for the progress that the firm's diversity and inclusion team has achieved.

Litigation Counsel of America Diversity Partner

FordHarrison is recognized as a Diversity Partner by the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA). To qualify for this designation, a law firm must have a minimum of four attorneys recognized as Fellows by the Litigation Counsel of America.

Profiles in Diversity Journal "Women Worth Watching in Leadership"

In 2024, Hartford partner Johanna Zelman was selected for the Profiles in Diversity Journal's annual "Women Worth Watching in Leadership" list which is published annually to honor the accomplishments of women from a variety of industries. To see our full list of "Women Worth Watching" designees, please click here.

Profiles in Diversity Journal "Asian Leadership International Award"

In 2024, Los Angeles partner Geetha Adinata was featured in the Profiles in Diversity Journal's "Asian Leadership International Award" list. To see the full list of FordHarrison attorneys who have received Diversity Journal recognitions, click here.

Our firm is committed to maintaining a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we operate. For this reason, we ensure that our firm and our lawyers are actively involved in promoting diversity in the legal profession. We regularly participate in and sponsor local, regional, national, and international organizations that exist to mentor and advance attorneys of all backgrounds and ethnicities into leadership positions.

Programs

Fostering Philanthropy

Since 2013, FordHarrison’s annual holiday card has highlighted a charitable organization with special significance at our firm. The selected organizations support missions in alignment with our firm’s sense of social responsibility, and their inclusion in our holiday cards helps raise awareness of their goals. Below, you will find more information about these organizations and links to the FordHarrison holiday cards that celebrate them.

2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 – From 2013 through 2016, our annual holiday cards highlighted the FordHarrison School in Prey Veng, Cambodia. The school was established in partnership with World Assistance for Cambodia after an intensive fundraising effort conducted by FordHarrison, which provided enough funds to construct and outfit the school, as well as cover its operating costs for the first several years. These holiday cards showcased the artwork created by the children of the FordHarrison school in their very first art lessons. Additionally, these cards noted the firm’s annual donation to Feeding America in honor of our clients and friends.
2017, 2021 – In 2017 and 2021, the firm asked attorneys, staff, clients, and friends of the firm to send holiday messages and words of encouragement to the students of the FordHarrison school. The firm also made donations to the FH School in honor of our clients and friends during the 2017 and 2021 holidays to bolster the school’s operating budget for future years.
2018, 2019, 2020 – From 2018 through 2020, the FordHarrison holiday cards brought awareness to housing insecurity and our pro bono partnership with Habitat for Humanity International. Our annual gift in honor of our clients for each of those years was given to Habitat for Humanity to support the organization’s mission of addressing housing insecurity throughout the world.
2022 – In 2022, the FordHarrison holiday card was dedicated to the mission of World Central Kitchen, which addresses food insecurity in humanitarian crises and natural disasters throughout the world. FordHarrison’s annual holiday donation in honor of clients was provided to World Central Kitchen in 2022.

2023 – In 2023, the FordHarrison holiday card was dedicated to the missions of three organizations selected from nominations submitted by our employees—Kids in Need of Defense, National Association on Mental Illness, and World Central Kitchen. The varying missions of these organizations reflect the core values of our firm, and FordHarrison supported all three with our annual holiday donation in honor of our clients.
2024 – In 2024, the FordHarrison holiday card featured original artworks by children who have a relationship with a FordHarrison employee, selected by our employees from multiple submissions. Every vote on each artwork increased our annual holiday donation to three nonprofit organizations local to the four artists—Mobile Meals of Spartanburg, Food Bank of New York City, and Open Hand Atlanta.

FordHarrison Cambodia School Artwork Highlighted in FH Holiday Cards

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C. Lash Harrison

Founding Partner - Senior Status

Jennifer Martinez

Human Resources Director

John L. Monroe, Jr.

Partner

Luis A. Santos

Partner

Dawn Siler-Nixon

Partner

Melodie L. Tilley

Chief Client Development Officer

Lavern J. Wilson

Talent and Recruiting Partner

Geetha N. Adinata

Partner

Nancy Holt

Partner

Tracey K. Jaensch

Partner

Vista Lyons

Partner

Wes C. Redmond

Partner

Elizabeth M. Rodriguez

Partner

Amy R. Turci

Partner

Johanna G. Zelman

Partner

FordHarrison Cambodia School Artwork Highlighted in FH Holiday Cards