At Robinson Bradshaw, we are committed to fostering a welcoming culture that values all people, regardless of race, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, creed or disability. Our ultimate goal is to create and sustain a firm that provides first-rate legal services to our clients while giving all our lawyers and professional staff alike the opportunity to reach their full professional potential in a mutually supportive environment. Being faithful to this vision demands our unwavering commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion — not only as a moral imperative, but also because we serve our clients best when we bring a range of different backgrounds and experiences to bear on any particular legal issue. Our efforts take many shapes, including enhancing recruitment and retention practices, implementing internal structures and practices to support all our employees, and championing community initiatives that promote diversity-related causes.
Our practice stretches across the globe, and we believe our firm should reflect the diverse world we serve. There is always room for growth, and we remain committed to our pursuit of a diverse, equitable and inclusive firm. For questions about DEI at Robinson Bradshaw, please contact Megan Belote, director of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Internal Initiatives
Robinson Bradshaw is Mansfield Certified, a national designation and initiative designed to boost the representation of historically underrepresented lawyers in law firm leadership. This achievement demonstrates that the firm considers a diverse group of lawyers – including underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, women lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers and lawyers with disabilities – for job openings, promotions, leadership roles and more, and that we are taking necessary steps to increase transparency and structure around leadership appointments and succession planning. Robinson Bradshaw collaborated with Diversity Lab, the organization that oversees Mansfield Certification, to create, implement and maintain built-in measurement, transparency and accountability mechanisms that further the firm’s goals.
A number of diverse and women attorneys hold leadership roles within Robinson Bradshaw, including as members of our board of directors, general counsel, practice group leaders and firm committee chairs. Our Recruiting and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committees actively work together to improve the diversity of our pool of candidates and to ensure attorneys receive continual support and encouragement once they join the firm. This includes affinity groups to provide support, mentoring and relationship building for various diverse groups within the firm. We also recognize the importance of continual engagement on diversity, equity and inclusion, which is advanced by regular outside programming and firmwide conversations. To that end, we recently partnered with a consulting firm that conducted a cultural assessment of our firm to help us understand how we can continue to support and enhance the ways in which we work together and foster an inclusive workplace.
External Efforts
Robinson Bradshaw is committed to promoting diversity in our legal communities.
- We work alongside the Mecklenburg County Bar and other law firms to increase bar diversity in many ways, including by supporting the bar's Diversity & Inclusion Committee at the highest level. Robinson Bradshaw was an original signatory of the bar's 2004 Call to Action, and firm attorney Robert E. Harrington served as one of the committee’s founding co-chairs.
- We have participated in the Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship program since 2006. The program attracts top first-year law students with diverse backgrounds to Charlotte through corporate and law firm summer internships, including at Robinson Bradshaw.
- The firm recently established the Robinson Bradshaw Diversity and Opportunity Fellowship program, which furthers the firm’s commitment to recruit and promote talented individuals with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, and offers up to $25,000 in scholarship funds, a paid clerkship in our summer program and the opportunity to participate in an enrichment experience of the Fellow’s choosing. More on the Robinson Bradshaw Diversity and Opportunity Fellowship can be found here.
- The firm is proud to be a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, an organization of more than 400 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who are committed to building a truly diverse legal profession. Through this membership, our attorneys have access to networking opportunities and development programs with peers across the country.
- Robinson Bradshaw is also a proud member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, an organization founded to champion the hiring, retention and promotion of diverse attorneys in corporate law departments and law firms.
- We participate in the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program, which is designed to provide Charlotte youth with equitable career development opportunities to explore the world of work, build social capital and enhance economic mobility.
- The firm partners with the Community Building Initiative through participation in several of their programs including equity impact circles and bus tours, which highlight the ways our political and economic history has physically shaped Charlotte as a city.
Affinity Groups
Our affinity groups serve as a source of support, connection and action for various diverse groups within our firm.
Robinson Bradshaw Women’s Initiative creates and supports opportunities for female attorney mentorship and relationship building, both internally and externally. The affinity group aims to promote open communication and support at all levels to better assist women attorneys on their individual paths to success. Through community involvement, educational programming and professional networking, the Robinson Bradshaw Women’s Initiative continues to foster the inclusive environment that our firm prides itself in upholding.
Our Lawyers of Color Affinity Group provides community and support for Robinson Bradshaw lawyers of color. The affinity group supports the efforts of lawyers of color to expand their networks and form relationships within and outside of the firm. Through networking activities, programming and outreach, the group endeavors to make a lasting impact on our attorneys and our community. The Lawyers of Color Affinity Group works closely with Robinson Bradshaw’s other diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to further the firm’s goals.
RB+PRIDE is an affinity group for LGBTQ+ lawyers and staff, along with their committed allies. RB+PRIDE aims to further advance Robinson Bradshaw’s goal of maintaining an environment where attorneys and staff with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities can thrive. To do so, the group focuses on promoting mentoring and sponsorship opportunities for LGBTQ+ attorneys and staff within the firm; providing opportunities to socialize, connect and deepen ties among LGBTQ+ legal professionals in the broader community; facilitating volunteer efforts and providing pro bono opportunities related to challenges and legal issues facing the LGBTQ+ community; and advocating for policies and practices within the firm and beyond to further the success and retention of LGBTQ+ individuals.
Robinson Bradshaw’s Multicultural Staff Alliance celebrates, advocates for and empowers professional staff of all colors and cultures. Through fellowship, volunteerism and engagement, the group promotes cultural awareness and community throughout Robinson Bradshaw and beyond. The Multicultural Staff Alliance works together with the firm’s DEI committee to create an inclusive, supportive environment at the firm.
