Michael Rennock
Partner
Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. committed itself to diversity in the workplace over a decade ago. The result? SHB has doubled the number of its minority hires since 1999, and forged greater resources, insight and change as it continues its exceptional growth rate.
Among the top 50 firms in America, SHB has over 560 attorneys in nine offices and more than 1800 people worldwide.
Not resting on the laurels of receiving the Thomas L. Sager Annual Diversity Award by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association last year, SHB has stepped up its efforts even more to recruit, train, and retain attorneys from diverse backgrounds.
Driven by its 12-member Diversity Committee, SHB emphasizes the belief that a diverse environment is a high-performing and inclusive workplace. The committee sets ambitious goals and is expected to get results. Decision-making includes top management, and the firm awards discretionary bonuses and incentives to those who further the firms recruitment, training, and retention goals.
Drawing from national research, advocacy and association- based sources, SHB developed a diversity plan that included: recruiting from a more diverse pool of candidates; diversity training for all employees; firmwide speaker series on diversity; community-wide law student mentoring and high school legal intern programs; and enhancing the development of skills that lead to partner.
Through active participation in conferences and seminars, SHB continues to heighten its awareness and influence of diversity with a view toward achieving the highest level of professional service for its clients and commitment to its community.
Return to List of 2001 Award Winners
From the March 2002 issue of Diversity & The Bar®