The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/480238
WWW.ILTANET.ORG 35 BUY-IN FROM THE TOP Building relationships within the firm is as important as building relationships with our clients and our community. Calfee's goal is to treat everyone with understanding and respect to ensure a welcoming work atmosphere. The firm has long provided opportunities for women to move into management roles. Over time, we realized the importance of retaining minorities and being perceived as a progressive firm in order to remain competitive. Our firm's diversity and inclusion work began with a retreat for the executive committee. The firm's management and executive committee acknowledged that our efforts must start at the top. In 2010, Calfee developed a diversity committee comprising lawyers and staff members. A key component of our success has been the involvement and support of Calfee's managing partner, Brent Ballard, who is also a member of the 2014 Greater Cleveland Partnership Board of Directors Resolution on Diversity and Inclusion. Ballard has said, "Calfee's leadership is proactive in promoting diversity and inclusion and supportive of efforts by attorneys and staff alike to sustain progress in this vital initiative." Calfee's Diversity Committee is co-chaired by partners Marcia Wexberg and Teresa Metcalf Beasley. They believe, "Diversity is a core value at Calfee. We are stronger and we better represent our clients when we reflect the diversity of our community within Calfee." GETTING STRATEGIC ABOUT DIVERSITY Jacqueline McLemore, Ph.D., is also on the diversity committee and has been with the firm for four years. She is a consultant who helps guide the committee, providing coaching, team-building and planning to help Calfee move forward with its program. In addition to the diversity committee, affinity groups (aka employee resources groups) have been developed to give attorneys with similar backgrounds the opportunity to share experiences and build relationships. Getting people to understand that diversity goes far beyond gender and race issues is just one of the challenges our firm faces. Once the diversity committee was developed, the firm organized focus groups with attorneys and staff. The focus groups gave each person the opportunity to speak candidly and share his or her experiences at Calfee. These candid discussions allowed the firm to identify issues so that training, development, coaching and mentoring programs could be more effective at addressing problems. Chris Williams, a Calfee partner, is also very involved in our diversity plan. As a member of the prospecting group, CASE STUDIES About the Author Susan Zavesky, User Services Manager, is a member of the information technology department at Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP. She has been with Calfee for 37 years, moving through several levels of supervisory positions and into her current management role. Susan is primarily responsible for technology training and helpdesk management. Contact her at szavesky@calfee.com. Calfee's Diversity Initiative When I hear the phrase "professional evolution," I cannot help but think of how diversity and inclusion play a major role in the process. At Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP, a 300-plus-employee firm based in Cleveland, Ohio, diversity and inclusion have been influential factors in the firm's success.