DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Diversity and equity are essential to the support of Bradley Arant’s core values, business strategies, professional behavior, and to its relationships with clients and the communities in which we work and live.

Bradley Arant Rose & White LLP is a limited liability partnership in which minorities and women hold ownership interests. The firm’s partners set high expectations and empower individuals within the firm – and always have. We have a strong nondiscrimination hiring policy and actively recruit qualified women and minority candidates. We hire applicants without regard to age, ancestry, gender, color, national origin, disability, place of birth, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. Once we employ an individual, these factors are simply not an issue. Our culture is one in which the unique talents and perspectives of attorneys and employees are understood, valued, and leveraged.

Our commitment to diversity began more than fifty years ago when Bradley Arant elected Miss Ellene Winn as the firm’s first female partner (and the first female partner in a law firm of any size in the South). Today, there are 29 women partners in our firm, and many women in the associate ranks. Women chair practice groups and hold positions on the firm’s executive and other key committees. Building on this strong foundation, the firm has established the Winn Initiative, which is a collaborative effort of women and men at Bradley Arant dedicated to supporting women to become outstanding lawyers and dynamic partners. The Winn Initiative seeks to develop future women leaders of the firm by providing guidance in business, career, and leadership development. Recruitment and retention of top talent and mentoring of our young attorneys is also a focus of the Winn Initiative’s Steering Committee. We are very proud of the Winn Initiative because it honors our past and is a building block for our future.

To fully appreciate the firm’s commitment to diversity, one has only to look at the “The Birmingham Pledge,” written by our partner, Jim Rotch. The pledge is a statement of belief that seeks to eliminate racial prejudice, one person at a time. Tens of thousands of supporters worldwide have signed the pledge. Since its inception, the pledge has been upheld with a Joint Resolution of Congress and by Presidential Proclamation. In 2006, Jim Rotch participated in a presentation to Congress with the EEOC and spoke on the Pledge. Information about the Pledge can be found at www.birminghampledge.org

We constantly seek ways to attract, promote and retain talented lawyers with diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds at every level in the firm, from summer associate recruiting to succession planning. In principal and in practice, Bradley Arant commits time and resources to increasing the diversity of its workforce by:

• Hosting a panel discussion and lunch relating to women of color in the profession attended by over one hundred students and lawyers.
• Starting a mentoring program at Cumberland Law School.
• Assisting with mock interviews and a resume writing workshop for minority candidates at various law schools.
• Supporting the Black Law Students Association at both the University of Alabama and Cumberland Law Schools through sponsorships of banquet tables and community projects.
• Conducting a legal clinic in Jackson, Mississippi for the Stewpot Community Services organization.
• Actively participating in the Defense Research Institute’s Diversity Committee.
• Sponsoring the annual statewide ALAS Summit and Expo which brings together national experts and regional leaders to discuss issues such as new immigration laws and the economic impact of Alabama’s growing Hispanic/Latino community.
• Undertaking an outreach program, Youth Serve, to provide direct involvement with the education of minority students at risk in disadvantaged communities.
• Participating in minority recruitment fairs.
• Sponsoring two minority scholarships at the University of Alabama Law School and Ole Miss Law School. The Ole Miss scholarship established an endowment for the Bradley Arant/William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation Law School Scholarship and is the first of its kind.
• Instituting the Winn Initiative, named after Ellene Winn and designed to help mentor female lawyers in their practice development and assist in elevating them to positions of leadership. In developing the Winn Initiative, our lawyers have participated in national, state and local leadership and diversity programs. We are very excited about the Winn Initiative because it honors our past and is a building block for our future.
• Firm sponsorship of the Momentum Women’s Leadership Program.

Diversity is about values and relationships. The firm matches its commitment to diversity with its commitment to pro bono activities by involvement in cases advancing issues and concerns of people from diverse communities and backgrounds. Bradley Arant is the only Alabama-based law firm that is a member of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project, sponsored by the American Bar Association.

At Bradley Arant, building and maintaining a diversified group of professionals and staff is essential to our success because it brings together individuals who are judged by the quality of their character and contributions, and because it enriches the firm’s culture through the exchange of different ideas, beliefs and perspectives.

Diversity Statistics

Total attorneys:	253	22% Women 4% Minority
Partners:	165	18% Women 3% Minority
Associates & Counsel:	88	30% Women 4% Minority