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Welcome from the Fennemore Craig Diversity Council
Fennemore Craig's diversity strategy is not limited to the creation of a Diversity Council. Rather, diversity and inclusion are foundations of our values and of our business plan. Fennemore Craig's strong commitment to inclusion at all levels of the firm permeates how we do business, treat our clients and treat one another.
Traditionally, law firm diversity has been thought of as including efforts to attract and retain minorities and women. At Fennemore Craig, we are actively working to recruit, develop and retain a diverse mix of talented lawyers and staff. We understand that everyone falls somewhere on the diversity spectrum; therefore, our goal is not only to welcome and include minorities, women, and others who have historically been underrepresented in law firms, but also to make sure that all of our clients, attorneys, and staff members feel welcome at Fennemore Craig.
For more information regarding Fennemore Craig's inclusive firm culture, please click on the following links:
Firm Leadership
A History of Inclusion
Perhaps the best evidence of success of our Diversity Strategy lies in the number of minority and women directors and in the number of leadership positions held by minorities and women. Fennemore Craig has a strong track record of advancing women and minority lawyers to positions of leadership within the firm and within the legal community.
Fennemore Craig hired its first female lawyer in 1974 when few women were licensed to practice law. In 1980, Fennemore Craig was one of the first Arizona law firms to elect a female director. In the late 1980s, Fennemore Craig became one of the first large law firms in the Southwest to appoint a woman to its Management Committee.
Fennemore Craig’s tradition of inclusion permeates its culture to this day. Currently, firm directors Sarah Strunk and Laurel Davis serve on our four-person Management Committee. Approximately 32 percent of our attorneys are women. Women make up approximately 25 percent of the firm’s director ranks. Approximately 8 percent of the directors and 19 percent of the associates are members of minority groups.
Women and minorities hold key leadership positions within the firm and manage a number of our top client relationships. Kendis Muscheid and Amy Abdo serve on the firm’s Compensation Committee. Kathy Hancock serves as the firm’s Executive Director. Cathy Reece is chair of the Bankruptcy and Creditor’s Rights practice group. Sue Chetlin is chair of the Intellectual Property practice group. Susan Wissink is chair of the Business and Finance practice group, one of the largest groups in the firm. Of 61 Fennemore Craig attorneys whose skill and talent led them to be chosen by their peers for inclusion in the 2012 Best Lawyers of America list, 16 are women and minorities.
Recruiting, Retaining, Developing and Advancing a Diverse Mix of Talented Lawyers and Staff
We actively seek to recruit, retain, develop and advance a diverse mix of talented lawyers and staff through various initiatives, including scholarship, internship, training and mentoring opportunities. As part of these initiatives, we participate in:
- Arizona State University's Annual Diversity Scholarship Program, including paring each scholarship recipient with an attorney mentor;
- Minority legal writing internship programs at ASU and the University of Arizona;
- A formal mentoring program for all associates and of counsel attorneys;
- Training for mentors and mentees to ensure productive and effective mentor/mentee relationships;
- Sponsorship of ASU Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law Chicano Latino Law Students Association events
We also have developed the Fennemore Craig Leadership Institute emphasizing information and training focusing on internal and external client service, confidentiality, professionalism in the law firm, law firm image and personal growth.
Finally, we support work-life balance through policies such as reduced-schedule options, an employee assistance program, and a parental leave policy.
Fennemore Craig attorneys and staff are known as leaders throughout the communities where they live and work. They are active in more than 400 professional, civic and philanthropic organizations. In addition, the firm has an active Pro Bono Committee, which coordinates pro bono services in the communities where the firm has offices.
Firm involvement ranges from service as officers in the American Bar Association to chairing state bar organizations, as well as a wide range of boards of directors for non-profit and civic organizations. The firm generously contributes to worthwhile charitable organizations, concentrating on those in which firm attorneys and staff are personally active.
Chief Diversity Officer
Marc H. Lamber
Director
P: (602) 916-5332
E: mlamber@fclaw.com
Diversity Council Chairman
Kevin M. Green
Associate
P: (602) 916-5466
E: kgreen@fclaw.com
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