Diversity

Diverse perspectives make an organization stronger. The diversity of Wildman Harrold grows through the firm’s continual efforts in recruitment, retention and promotion, community connection and leadership, education, and staff initiatives.

We are committed to cultivating a work environment that ensures equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion. By recruiting and maintaining a broad range of professionals at all levels of the firm, we are able to provide greater service to a more diverse client base. The business case is as compelling as the argument for fairness.

On the recruiting front, the firm works closely with law student groups, law schools, other law firms, corporate counsel groups, and bar organizations to promote the diversity of the profession and of large law firms in particular. Our “pipeline” projects encourage minority students to progress from high school through college and law school and into the profession. For more than 15 years, we were a leading organizer of the Cook County Bar Association’s Minority Job Fair, building connections between law students of color and Wildman Harrold, as well as introducing these students to other firms and corporations around the Midwest and the country.

We work to promote greater attorney retention by improving the work experience for everyone, as well as by responding to specific needs. Our formal mentoring program is augmented by leadership training opportunities for senior associates. The firm’s Director of Professional Development supports the career paths of all our associates. Gender neutral parental leave and “balanced hours” policies allow for infant care and flexible, part-time, or non-traditional work hours when possible. Benefits are extended to domestic partners.

We are a signatory to the Chicago Bar Association’s Call To Action, which articulates goals for women’s involvement in all levels of the legal profession, and the Chicago Bar Association’s Diversity Initiative, which sets similar goals for the inclusion of attorneys of color in Chicago law firms. We are also a signatory to the ABA's Pledge for Change: Disability Diversity in the Legal Profession. This pledge affirms the firm's commitment to diversity, including diversity regarding individuals with mental, physical and sensory disabilities, in the legal profession.

Affinity groups address specific needs. Our Women’s Initiative provides networking, leadership, training, and business development opportunities to the women of the firm; the Minority Counsel Initiative addresses similar subjects, as well as mentoring and connection of our minority attorneys with the firm and the larger legal community. Wildman Harrold was the first Chicago law firm to participate in Citywide Pride, a corporate-sponsored series of events to support the inclusion and progress of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons in the workplace. The firm is proud of its relationships with the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms, the Black Women’s Lawyers Association, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the Hispanic Lawyers’ Scholarship Fund, Equality Illinois and more.

In a society of many perspectives, Wildman Harrold and its people are empowered to accomplish more – as individuals and on behalf of the clients we represent.

The firm's Diversity Committee is chaired by Sarah L. Olson and includes partners, associates and staff members.