Inclusion Initiative Companies Spend More than $240 Million in 2017 on Minority and Women Owned Law Firms
The Inclusion Initiative, a collaborative program among law departments
at major corporations across the country, announced today that member
companies spent over $240 million in 2017 with minority and women owned
(MWBE) law firms.
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In 2010, the initial year of the Inclusion Initiative, its members
collectively spent $42 million with MWBE law firms. Since then, the
program has grown significantly. Participating companies have spent more
than $1.4 billion with MWBE law firms since the inception of the
program. In addition, in every year since 2012, participating law
departments have spent over $200 million with MWBE law firms each year.
“Minority and women owned law firms have a substantial role in creating
a pipeline for diverse lawyers,” said Ann Kappler, Senior Vice President
and Deputy General Counsel of Prudential Financial, Inc., a founding
company of the Inclusion Initiative. “Programs like the Inclusion
Initiative have a multiplier effect—as the program has grown it has made
a meaningful, positive impact on our target firms and the legal
profession more broadly.”
At the heart of the Inclusion Initiative is the belief that MWBE law
firms (i) play a vital role in providing opportunity to diverse
attorneys and (ii) provide excellent, cost effective legal services that
meet the needs of corporate America. Inclusion Initiative members
believe that MWBE law firms provide a reliable pathway into the legal
profession for law students and young lawyers of diverse backgrounds and
house some of the nation’s most talented and seasoned attorneys capable
of handling significant matters.
Since its founding, participation in the Inclusion Initiative has nearly
tripled to 33 members. The current roster of participating companies
includes: 3M, Accenture, Allstate, American Airlines, AT&T, Bank of
America, CenterPoint Energy, The Coca-Cola Company, Comcast, Exelon,
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, General Mills, GlaxoSmithKline,
Google, JPMorgan Chase, McDonald’s Corporation, Macy’s, Merck,
Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide, NBCUniversal, Prudential
Financial, Sempra Energy, Shell Oil Company, State Farm, Target, Toyota
Financial Services, UPS, Verizon, Walmart, Wells Fargo, and Xerox.
Earlier this year, the Inclusion Initiative welcomed CenterPoint Energy
to its ranks.
“At CenterPoint Energy, we believe it is important to have a workforce
that reflects the diversity of our customers and the communities we
serve,” said Dana O’Brien, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of
CenterPoint Energy. “Our company is committed to actively and routinely
seeking qualified diverse suppliers that can provide competitive and
high-quality commodities and services. CenterPoint Energy’s Legal
Department is proud to support the Inclusion Initiative through its use
of minority and women owned law firms. Since our department began its
supplier diversity efforts over the past few years, NAMWOLF has played a
major role in providing support and awareness for our attorneys about
inclusion and diversity initiatives, and we are excited to support these
efforts by joining the Inclusion Initiative.”
The Inclusion Initiative is administered by the National Association of
Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF), which comprises over 193
certified MWBE law firms in 44 states.
“Corporate members of the Inclusion Initiative are a testament to the
adage of putting thought into action,” said William Delgado, Inclusion
Initiative Task Force Co-Chair and Board Member of NAMWOLF. “The
commitment exhibited by each company helps ensure the success of
minority and women owned law firms and furthers the important mission of
diversifying the legal profession. NAMWOLF is excited about its
continued collaboration with the Inclusion Initiative for years to come.”
Companies interested in joining or learning more about the Inclusion
Initiative can contact Joel Stern at the number or email address
provided below or visit: https://namwolf.org/in-house-counsel/inclusion-initiative.
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