Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
At Blank Rome, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and high-performing culture in which all of our colleagues feel a sense of belonging and empowerment to do their best work, while also presenting growth opportunities so they can have a thriving and fulfilling career.
We value diversity of identities, experiences, and backgrounds, which create a more vibrant and dynamic work environment and drive business and service excellence. Our firm’s culture is centered around collaboration, collegiality, entrepreneurial and familial spirit, and giving back to our local communities through service. Blank Rome was founded in 1946 by two attorneys that were barred from practicing law at established law firms because of their religion who decided to create a law firm where attorneys of all backgrounds could practice law and be the best attorney they could be. Our firm continuously works to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion ("DEI") within our firm and beyond while “answering the call” for racial equity and social justice set out by our first and former Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Judge Nathaniel R. Jones, who was a civil rights trailblazer, a former chief legal spokesman for the civil rights movement, a federal appeals court judge who devoted his long career to eradicating the legacy of slavery, and the general counsel of the NAACP.
We work to recruit, hire, promote, and retain—on the basis of demonstrated talent and initiative—individuals throughout our firm representing a multidimensional workforce and a broad range of identities, among other things, different races, genders, ethnic groups, religions, sexual orientations, ages, abilities, and national origins.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Committee and team manage strategy, conduct programs, host events, share resources, provide guidance, address policy issues, and work with firm leadership to grow the firm.
We have an affinity group network comprised of eight employee-led groups: BR Asian, BR Black, BR Latinx, BR MENA, BR Parents, BR Pride, BR United, and BR Women. Through our affinity group network, we are able to build an organizational understanding of DEI and have a broader, collective impact that grounds our overarching DEI strategy.
Awards we have received:
- Aspire Diversity Award by Lawyers of Color (2023)
- Outstanding Diverse Organization by Houston Business Journal (2023)
- Mansfield 5.0 Certified by Diversity Lab (2022)
- Best Law Firm for Women by Seramount (2022)
- Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index (2022)
- #34 on Law360's Social Impact Ratings (2022)
- Top Firm for Part-Time Options by Yale Law Women’s Top Firms for Gender Equity & Family Friendliness Report (2021)
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Honor Roll by Exelon (2021)
To learn more about DEI at Blank Rome, please contact Krystal Studavent Ramsey at krystal.studaventramsey@blankrome.com, 713.632.8654.
Read our 2022–2023 diversity, equity, and inclusion magazine, Perspectives, below.
