Disability Inclusion Commitments
Fostering a Culture of Inclusion for People with Disabilities
21% of individuals in the U.S. workforce identify as having a disability, but only 1.4% of lawyers in law firms do so. The gap between the overall workforce and law firms is likely due to a number of reasons, including that disability inclusivity is often overlooked or overshadowed in broad organizational diversity efforts.
To increase the focus on this important underrepresented group of amazing talent, the Diversity Lab Disability Inclusion Advisory Group — including world-renowned advocates and leaders — leveraged their insights and experiences to create a list of 10 actions that law firms, legal departments, and other organizations can take to increase inclusion and equitable access to opportunities for disabled individuals in the legal profession.
The list of actions, the law firms committed to this effort, and knowledge sharing webinar links follow.
Disability Inclusion Actions
More than 90 leading law firms (listed below) in the US, UK, and Canada are partnering with Diversity Lab to continue building a culture of inclusion for people with disabilities by implementing one or more of the actions listed in the Disability Inclusion Commitments.
Our team at Diversity Lab is also on this journey to improve disability inclusion, including launching an updated, digitally accessible website early next year. Our team is in the midst of training conducted by the Perkins Access Group to ensure that all of our work is digitally accessible. If you find any flaws on that front (or any other accessibility issues), please let us know. We are committed to creating a culture of inclusion for people with disabilities in the legal profession and beyond.
Our sincere gratitude goes to the following firms as well as the legal departments — including McDonald’s, Discover, Astellas, and more — that are partnering with us to cultivate a culture of inclusion for all.
Law Firms Committed to Disability Inclusion
The following law firms, announced in December 2023, have committed to increasing inclusivity for people with disabilities by taking action on one or more of the Disability Inclusion Commitments. We invite all organizations to take these actions to foster a more inclusive environment for those with visible and invisible disabilities. To get involved, please contact Kavita Ramakrishnan at kavita@diversitylab.com.
- Allen & Overy (US and UK)
- ArentFox Schiff
- Baker Botts
- Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz
- Baker McKenzie
- Ballard Spahr
- Barnes & Thornburg
- Brooks Kushman
- Brown & James
- Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
- Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (US and UK)
- Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
- Carter Ledyard & Milburn
- Cassels Brock & Blackwell
- Chapman and Cutler
- Clifford Chance (US and UK)
- Clyde & Co
- Cooley
- Covington & Burling
- Cozen O’Connor
- Crowell & Moring
- Davis+Gilbert
- Dechert
- Dentons (US)
- Dinsmore & Shohl
- Dorsey & Whitney
- Duane Morris
- Epstein Becker & Green
- Eversheds Sutherland (US)
- Finn Dixon & Herling
- Fish & Richardson
- Fox Rothschild
- Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (US and UK)
- Frost Brown Todd
- Greenberg Traurig
- Hahn Loeser & Parks
- Hall Render
- Hanson Bridgett
- Harter Secrest & Emery
- Hogan Lovells
- Holland & Hart
- Holland & Knight
- Hurwitz Fine
- Ivins, Phillips & Barker
- Jackson Lewis
- Kaufman Dolowich
- Kennedys (US and UK)
- Klinedinst
- Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
- Lathrop GPM
- Lewis Brisbois
- Lewis Roca
- Littler
- Locke Lord
- Loeb & Loeb
- Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
- Mayer Brown (US and International)
- McAndrews, Held & Malloy
- McCarter & English
- Miller Nash
- Mintz
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
- Morrison Foerster
- Much Shelist
- Neal Gerber Eisenberg
- Nelson Mullins
- Nixon Peabody
- Nossaman
- O’Hagan Meyer
- Ogletree Deakins
- Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
- Perkins Coie
- Reed Smith
- Robinson+Cole
- Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard
- Saul Ewing
- Seyfarth Shaw
- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
- Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
- Stoel Rives
- Sullivan & Worcester
- Tiber Hudson
- Tucker Ellis
- Ulmer & Berne
- Venable
- Waldon Adelman Castilla McNamara & Prout
- Wilkinson Barker Knauer
- WilmerHale
- Winston & Strawn
- Womble Bond Dickinson (US)
Knowledge Sharing Webinars
Disability Inclusion I: Introduction to Language, Definitions & Self Identification
Panelists: David Cross, Partner and Chair of the Antitrust Litigation Practice at Morrison Foerster; Janice Ta, Partner at Perkins Coie; and Kareem Dale, Director & Senior Counsel at Discover Financial Services and Former Top Advisor to President Obama on Disability Policy at the White House
Disability Inclusion II: Removing Physical and Digital Barriers to Accessibility
Panelists: Chris Fawcett, Clifford Chance Inclusion Manager and UK Law Society’s Disabled Solicitors Network Advisory Committee Member, Geoff Freed, Director, Digital Accessibility Consulting at Perkins Access, Michael Hatcher, Sidley Partner and Diversity Lab Disability Inclusion Advisory Group Member, and Kate Strickland, Harvard Law School Student and Harvard Disabled Law Students Association Board Member