How We Can Help

What we have learned over the many decades during which the legal profession has sought to become more diverse is that simply wishing it won’t make it so. Even being sincerely committed to it is not enough. Diversity and inclusion must be worked on like any other professional challenge: through study, research, collaboration, and continuous learning. Often through trial and error.

Not every law firm and law department has the luxury of being able to devote staff to this exercise; to bring in the best thinkers, trainers and consultants in the field; to be able to experiment, fail and then to try something different. But by pooling our resources, our knowledge and our experience, we are able to raise all boats, to the benefit of us all.

“We are committed to serving the members of the coalition and meeting the needs of their diverse attorneys. To this end, we work with other organizations that share our vision of Pittsburgh as a more diverse and inclusive community. Together we will succeed.”

– General Counsel of Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh and Chair of the Coalition Board of Directors

Your partners in diversity.

It is difficult, too, for any one law firm or law department to meet the needs for community for its (typically) small number of diverse lawyers but together, we can provide the structure needed to make sure our diverse lawyers are plugged in to our city and our communities and each other, as well as the greater community of diverse professionals in the city.

In late 2018 and early 2019, the Community Building Committee of the Coalition brought diverse lawyers employed by our member law firms together with general counsel and other lawyers employed at our law department members for informal dinners for the simple purpose of getting to know each other.

The Committee brings diverse lawyers together for quarterly happy hours, too. Other events are also planned throughout the year.

Working together to transform our city.

The Coalition, working together with other organizations in the city, also reaches out a welcoming hand to diverse law students at our two Pittsburgh law schools, at the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University. We are currently exploring ways to partner with these and other law schools to attract more diverse students, enhance their employment opportunities here, and convince them that the Pittsburgh region is a great place not only to study, but also to build a career and a life.

By providing our members with tools for more inclusive recruiting, with better retention strategies, and active assistance in recruiting and retention, augmented by programs aimed at diverse lawyers employed by them, we are confident that together we will be able to create the legal community we have for many years wanted.

Join Us.

If you would like to learn more about how you would benefit from participating in the Coalition or how to go about joining, please…

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