Programs

Building Diverse Leadership.  FordHarrison believes that diversity has to be a top-down priority of the firm's leadership in order to be successful.  In an effort to meet our goal of developing and positioning a diverse group of lawyers in leadership roles across the firm, FordHarrison developed two programs for our partners - the Leadership Academy and LEAP. The objective of the Leadership Academy is to develop lawyers with exceptional leadership potential by providing individualized, focused resources and to facilitate relationships and teamwork across the firm by bringing this diverse talent pool together regularly.  LEAP provides focused client development training and resources to program participants ensuring the continued inclusion, balance, growth and development of our firm. 

Diversity Pipeline.  Under the Diversity Pipeline Mentoring program, minority associates are provided a consistent mentoring network of at least four lawyers for the first three years of the minority associate's employment. The network includes a partner in the minority associate's practice group or office, a partner outside of his or her office or practice group, at least one senior associate, and the minority associate's practice group leader, in addition to the recruiting attorney.  The goals of the mentoring network are to 1) to foster multiple meaningful relationships across the firm; 2) to ensure meaningful work assignments and an appropriate level of work; and 3) to accelerate the associate's overall professional development. FordHarrison's Diversity Pipeline Scholarship is part of the firm's comprehensive plan to increase attorney diversity at all levels of our firm. 

Community Activities.  FordHarrison ensures that our firm and our lawyers are actively involved in promoting diversity in the legal profession. We have sponsored a number of events in our different office markets for organizations such as the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the National Conference of Women's Bar Associations, the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources and the Annual Minority Mentoring Picnic in Miami.

Our commitment to diversity is also demonstrated by the involvement our attorneys have in a variety of associations that promote diversity in the legal profession, the business community and our individual cities. We encourage our lawyers to get involved on diversity organizations that interest them. Some representative examples are:

• African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida
• American Bar Association's Judicial Internship Opportunity Program
• American Bar Association Section of Litigation's Woman Advocate Committee
• Anti-Defamation League
• Arizona Women Lawyers Association
• Associated Builders and Contractors Women's Council
• Association of Women Attorneys
• Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association
• Birmingham Bar Association Women's Section
• Black Women in Sisterhood for Action, Inc.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of America
• California Women Lawyers Association
• Central Florida Association of Women Lawyers
• Cuban-American Bar Association
• DC Commission on Human Rights
• Disability Connections
• Florida Association for Women Lawyers
• Florida Diversity Council
• GAIN - Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network
• George Edgecomb Bar Association
• Georgia Association for Women Lawyers
• Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys
• Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America
• Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers
• Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Hispanic National Bar Association
• International Association of Defense Counsel Diversity Committee
• Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association
• J.L. Turner Legal Association (Dallas African-American Bar Association)
• Latin American Association
• Memphis Urban League Young Professionals
• Memphis Association of Women Attorneys
• Minnesota State Bar Association's Minority Clerkship Program
• Minnesota Women Lawyers
• National Association of African Americans in Human Resources
• National Bar Association
• National Conference of Women's Bar Associations
• National Employment Law Council
• New York Women's Bar Association
• South Carolina Black Lawyers Association
• South Florida Minority Law Student Mentoring Program
• Women in Pensions