Diversity

Sherman & Howard L.L.C. recognizes that diversity is critical to the success of the firm and our clients. We are mindful that a multiplicity of characteristics and skills enhance any organization and that recruiting, retaining and promoting a diverse group of professionals whose talents are drawn from a broad cross-section of backgrounds enhances our capacity for offering the highest quality legal services to our clients.

Our initiatives include:

Recruiting

Sherman & Howard is a charter signatory and active participant in The Colorado Pledge to Diversity Legal Group, which emphasizes the importance of increasing the number of racially and ethnically diverse attorneys recruited, hired and promoted by law firms in Colorado.

Sherman & Howard also participates in the 1L Summer Clerkship Program, a fundamental program of the Colorado Pledge to Diversity. This program introduces diverse first year law students to large law firms and in-house corporate legal departments with the goal of increasing their participation in summer clerkship programs and, ultimately, their post graduate recruitment into these organizations. Since the Program began in 2001, the firm has hired six diverse first year students through the Program and has invited five of those students to return for their 2L summer and the opportunity to earn an Associate position at the firm following graduation. During the 2008 Program year, in which the firm will participate, AnaLisa Valle, a Sherman & Howard Corporate Associate and alumna of the 1L Summer Clerkship Program, will serve as the Program's chairperson.

Sherman & Howard is a sponsor and participant in the Rocky Mountain Diversity Legal Career Fair. The RMDLCF is an annual forum for legal employers, law students and law school graduates to meet and discuss employment options with the goal of expanding opportunities and assisting the legal profession in fulfilling its commitment to diversity.

Retention

Sherman & Howard has two formal professional mentoring programs for attorneys during their first 10 years of practice. These programs are designed to provide guidance to new attorneys and reduce attrition rates during the formative years of an attorney's career. They are operated at both the departmental and firm level.

The firm also encourages its attorneys to become active in minority bar associations by allowing attorneys to utilize their allotted practice development funds to pay for these associations' dues. Many of the firm's attorneys take advantage of this opportunity and are active members in the Colorado Womens' Bar and the Hispanic Bar Association. Specifically, Lorenzo Trujillo, a Corporate Attorney at Sherman & Howard, is a board member of the Hispanic Bar Association and was awarded the Christopher Miranda Outstanding Hispanic Lawyer Award earlier this year.

Promotion

Sherman & Howard is proud to have many diverse attorneys involved in management at both the firm and department level. Minority and women attorneys serve in roles including the Chief Executive, Executive Committee Member, Chairman of the Firm, Department Managers and Marketing Partners.

Oversight

The Sherman & Howard Diversity Committee, comprised of both attorneys and staff, is responsible for ensuring that the goal of a greater representation of diverse professionals is consistently reflected in the firm's recruiting, retention and training efforts.

Diversity Committee Members