Leaders in Diversity

Vorys has been a leader in diversity for decades.  We were among the first law firms in Ohio to hire women and African-American attorneys, and we have continued this commitment through the years, recruiting and promoting lawyers of all backgrounds, and thus becoming a firm of both historic “firsts” and continuing distinction.  To name only a few examples, Vorys lawyers include:

• The first African-American president of the Columbus Bar Association
• The first African-American woman elected to the Columbus Bar Association’s Board of Governors
• The first woman in Ohio elected as a fellow to the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers
• One of the National Law Journal’s 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America for 2007
• A former president of the Ohio Human Rights Bar Association, a statewide gay and lesbian bar association
• A former chair of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession
• The 2007-2008 President of the American Bankruptcy Institute, who is one of our African-American partners
• A member of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Advisory Council on Diversity Initiatives

In addition, two of our former African-American partners are now federal judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Our firm governance also reflects our commitment to diversity.  The firm’s Diversity Committee brings together partners and associates to develop and implement strategies for attracting, retaining, and promoting a diverse team of professionals and staff, and to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of those strategies.  Our Managing Partner, Russell Gertmenian, serves as a member of the Diversity Committee.  The Diversity Committee works with our firm’s leadership to encourage open dialogue on diversity issues and to maintain an environment in which diversity of all types can flourish.

Women and minorities are well represented on the firm’s committees, including the Management Committee and the committees responsible for hiring and evaluating associates.