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Diversity Makes Us Better |
 Schwabe,
Williamson and Wyatt believes that the diversity of its people
enriches the fabric of its culture and promotes a high level
of workplace satisfaction. We are truly a better place, and
most assuredly a better firm, because we welcome and engage
individuals of diverse races, genders, sexual orientations,
religions, veteran status, backgrounds, viewpoints and national
origins. We are convinced that our advancements in diversity
have enhanced workplace satisfaction for all of us. Meeting
the challenge of a fully diverse workplace is far from complete,
but our commitment to diversity is resolute and sustained.
We are proud of our efforts to promote diversity in
our firm,
in the community and in the bar:
• Former Schwabe lawyer, Ancer Haggerty:
First-African American partner in a major law firm,
now a highly respected U.S. Federal District Court judge.
• Schwabe lawyer, Neva Campbell: among the
very first women to become a partner in an Oregon law
firm.
• The firm and its leadership played a pivotal
role in exerting its influence and powers of persuasion
to eliminate the exclusionary membership practices of
two of Portland’s prominent private clubs.
• Members of the firm have played leadership
roles in efforts to promote diversity in the bar. David
F. Bartz, Jr., firm president, founded and has remained
active in the Oregon State Bar's diversity programs
and initiatives.
• Schwabe offers domestic partner benefits.
• The firm has established a scholarship
for first-year minority law students.
• Schwabe participates in the Oregon State
Bar minority summer intern program.
• The firm has a long-standing commitment
to participation in local, regional and national minority
job fair programs.
• The firm and its lawyers have long supported
and participated in organizations and programs designed
to promote the professional careers of minority lawyers
(e.g., the National Hispanic Bar Association, of which
one of our lawyers is a regional president, and the
ABA Minority Law Conference).
• Our lawyers are active participants in
client-led initiatives to promote equality and professional
opportunities for women and minorities (e.g., participation
in and leadership of client-sponsored women's conferences,
minority conferences, minority job fairs, etc.).
• We reach out to and engage minority-owned
law firms in our market.
• We have pioneered a law firm community
outreach program by being the first law firm to create
and sponsor a clinic to provide pro bono legal services
to indigent and largely Hispanic members of our communities.
• We have sponsored and funded a scholarship
through the auspices of the Portland Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce.
• We support military reservists who are
called up to serve our country and the Department of
Defense has honored our firm for its efforts.
• The firm and several of our lawyers have
played leading roles in the support of and as activists
for gay and lesbian workplace equity, and against initiatives
and institutions which discriminate on the basis of
sexual orientation.
• The firm is actively participating in
a program to offer pro bono legal representation to
Guantanamo Bay detainees.
• We are a sponsor of the statewide WA Diversity
Conference and its community fair. The annual event
is a partnership with the Minority Bar Associations
of Washington to highlight commitment to diversity and
equality throughout the Northwest.
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