Diversity
Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion MissionHinshaw & Culbertson LLP is committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting its attorneys and staff members regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, physical ability, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. Hinshaw believes that achieving this objective has positive business, economic and social consequences for our firm and our communities. We are committed to maintaining this objective in both the short and long terms. Always mindful of this mission, the firm actively and aggressively seeks to hire, retain and promote diverse attorneys, including African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, Women and LGBT attorneys.
Results Oriented Commitment
Hinshaw has a longstanding commitment to ensuring that our firm reflects the diversity of the world in which we practice. With a formal Diversity Initiative led by the firm’s
Diversity Committee and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, our recruiting and hiring programs, our partner promotions and management assignments reflect this result-oriented commitment to diversity:
- Approximately 75 lawyers in the firm are minorities, and our retention rate is historically strong
- Approximately 158 female lawyers practice with our firm
- Female partners serve as partners-in-charge of Hinshaw's offices in Boston (CharCretia V. Di Bartolo), Fort Lauderdale (Cheryl Wilke), Northwest Indiana-Schererville (Renee J. Mortimer), Rockford (Penelope M. Lechtenberg) and St. Louis (Terese A. Drew)
- Robert J. Romero, a minority partner, serves as partner-in-charge of Hinshaw's San Francisco office
- Three female partners: Bethany K. Culp (Specialty Litigation & Insurance Coverage), Marissa I. Delinks (Professional Lines) and Terese A. Drew (Defense Litigation) chair national practice groups
- A black female partner, Leslie Richards-Yellen, is the firm’s first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer as well as the chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee. Ms. Richards-Yellen is responsible for implementing firm-wide diversity initiatives along with the firm’s Diversity Committee, and developing best practices and supporting recruitment efforts for the firm
- Hinshaw ranks 95th among the 249 largest and highest grossing law firm in the Minority Law Journal's 2010 Diversity Scorecard
- MultiCultural Law Magazine ranked Hinshaw 40th nationwide in overall diversity in its 2011 “Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity.” Daily Business Review lists Hinshaw as the law firm in South Florida that experienced the highest percentage increase in minority attorney employment over the previous five years. The Diversity Scorecard also lists Hinshaw among the top 10 firms in the categories of “Firms With the Most Black Attorneys,” and “Firms With the Most Women Attorneys.”
- Hinshaw continues its long-standing tradition of recruiting diverse and female law students for its summer associate program
The foundation of our commitment to inclusion of all attorneys is a formal mentoring program, which ensures that all of our associates are mentored and trained thereby providing clients with the highest level of quality service. Our formal mentoring program is specifically tailored to support diverse associates in their advancement in the firm and in meeting their professional goals and aspirations.
Finally, reflecting our diversity and desire to serve our communities, our lawyers across the country are fluent in 20 different languages.
Established Affinity Networks
Hinshaw’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts have been expanded with the introduction of our Affinity Network Policy. Hinshaw now has established affinity networks that operate on a firmwide basis and work to enhance our diversity mission and goals. The affinity networks are based on various factors, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, and are intended to promote diversity and inclusion within our firm. They are the:
Hinshaw’s affinity networks have been active in the legal and business communities, sponsoring, presenting and attending events as well as supporting causes of concern to their particular communities.
Leaders in Professional OrganizationsAt Hinshaw, we encourage our attorneys to participate in organizations and associations that enhance their professional, civic and cultural development. As a result, many of our attorneys are active members in a wide variety of community, women- and minority-based organizations. Some serve as leaders of these organizations, including:
Members of our firm have also held top leadership positions in minority- and women-based organizations, including serving as:
- Board of Governors for the Asian Pacific American Bar Association (Angeli C. Aragon)
- Board Member of the Missouri Asian American Bar Association (John M. Hongs)
- Board Member of the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms (William Yu)
- Board Member of the Rhema Foundation (Untress L. Quinn)
- Vice-President of the Central Illinois Women's Bar Association (Geri Lynn Arrindell)
- President of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicagoland Area (William Yu)
- Founding Member and President of the National Hispanic Prosecutors Association (Sergio E. Acosta)
- President of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (Wendy Wen Yun Chang)
- Regional Governor for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (William Yu)
- Three-Term Officer of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois (Daniel A. Trevino)
- President of the Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association (Carlos A. Ortiz)
- President of the Dade Country Defense Bar Association (Ronald Pena)
- Regional Governor for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (William Yu)
- Board Member for the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois (Daniel A. Trevino)
- Board Member for the National Association of Women Lawyers (Leslie Richards-Yellen)
- Treasurer of the Philippine American Bar Association of Los Angeles (Angeli C. Aragon)
- President and Communications Director of the Sangamon County Bar Association (Raylene DeWitte Grischow)
Hinshaw is a participating signatory of the Chicago Bar Association's Alliance for Women's "Call to Action," a project to promote women's leadership in the legal profession. Hinshaw is also a participating signatory of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s No Glass Ceiling Initiative whose main goals include having at least 25 percent of women in partnership positions and at least 25 percent of women in management positions.
Recipients of Prestigious Awards
We are proud to say that our firm and diverse members have been recognized by prominent organizations as recipients of awards and honors. This year alone, the firm received both DRI's Law Firm Diversity Award and also the "Setting the Bar" Award from Equality Illinois for being "a leading law firm for LGBT Equality." In addition, female members of the firm have received the following designations in 2012:
- Stacy Campbell-Viamontes was selected to Just The Beginning Foundation’s 20 Under 40 List
- Diane E. Webster was named to Diversity MBA Magazine’s “2012 Top 100 Under 50 Diverse Executive & Emerging Leaders” list
- Benchmark Litigation named Beth K. Culp as one of its “Top 250 Women in Litigation"
- Leslie Richards-Yellen was awarded the DePaul Black Law Students Association 2012 Mentorship Award
Other mentions include:
- In 2010, Montel M. Gayles was awarded the Chicago Defender "Men of Excellence"
- In 2010, Leslie Richards-Yellen was awarded the Cook County Bar Association’s President’s Award
- In 2010, Carlos A. Ortiz was elected as a "Rising Star" by the Wisconsin Super Lawyer
- In 2010, Leslie Richards-Yellen was awarded Chicago Defender “Woman of Excellence” Award
- In 2010, Leslie Richards-Yellen was awarded the Black Women Lawyers Association of Greater Chicago Helping Hand Award
- In June 2009, DiversityMBA Magazine named Jennifer M. Ballard to the “Emerging Leader” section of its “Top 100 Under 50 Diverse Executive & Emerging Leaders” list
- In 2009, Wendy Wen Yun Chang was honored by NAPABA as one of its “Best Lawyers Under 40”
- In 2009, Wendy Wen Yun Chang was the recipient of NAPABA's Presidential Award
- In June 2009, Carlos A. Ortiz was selected by the Wisconsin Law Journal as an “Up and Coming Lawyer”
- In November 2008, Robert J. Romero was featured in the Diversity & The Bar publication of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association as one of 16 “leading law firm rainmakers” nationally.
- In 2008, Untress L. Quinn was awarded the 54th Annual NAACP’s Freedom Fund Award for Excellence in Law
- In 2008, Leslie Richards-Yellen was awarded the Cook County Bar Association’s President’s Award in 2008 for her work with the first-year minority law students’ reception.
- In 2008, Sergio E. Acosta became the Recipient of the Chicago Bar Foundation Richard J. Phelan Public Service Award
- In 2007, William Yu was honored by NAPABA as one of its “Best Lawyers Under 40”
- In 2007, Joel D. Bertocchi received the Helping Hand Award from the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago
Supporters of Diverse Organizations
Because of the firm’s national presence, we are involved in many national, state and local organizations, actively supporting them with both our time and financial contributions. These include:
- ABA Commission on Racial & Ethnic Diversity in the Profession
- Alliance of Minority Bar Associations
- American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Asian American Bar Association
- Asian American Bar Association of New York
- Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA)
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers
- Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago
- Boys and Girls Club of Chicago
- Charting Your Own Course Foundation
- Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms
- Chicago Urban League
- Cuban American Bar Association
- Defense Research Institute
- DePaul University Minority Scholarship Program
- DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar
- Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois
- Hispanic National Bar Association
- Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel
- Illinois Center for Autism
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Indian American Bar Association
- International Association of Korean Attorneys
- Jewish United Fund
- Korean American Bar Association
- La Raza Lawyers Association
- Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
- Minority Corporate Counsel Association
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)
- National Association of Women Lawyers
- National Bar Association
- New York City Bar Association
- New York County Lawyers Association
- New York State Bar Association
- Oregon Hispanic Bar Association
- Oregon Women Lawyers Palm Beach County Bar Association
- Pasadena Bar Association
- The American Health Lawyers Association
- The Florida Bar
- T.J. Reddick Bar Association
- Women’s Bar Association of Illinois
- Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA)