Diversity & Inclusion

We have a short version of our diversity philosophy and a longer version. The short version is that the Connecticut bar's demographics have changed more slowly than the state's have, and that a Hartford firm hiring out of the Northeast law schools in 2026 has no excuse for an associate class that does not reflect the labor market the firm actually draws from. The longer version is the programs below, which are how we are trying to close the gap on something other than self-congratulation. Our diversity committee is chaired by Courtney Davidson, the firm's HR Director, and meets quarterly with at least one partner from each practice group.

Pipeline partnerships

The firm has been a participating employer in the Connecticut Bar Association's Diversity Initiative since 2016. The program connects Hartford-area students considering legal careers with practicing attorneys for mentorship and paid internship placements. Our staffing contribution has typically been two or three attorneys per year, most recently including Roxanne Patterson (Senior Associate, Corporate) and Claire Park (Associate, Litigation).

We have partnered since 2019 with Hartford Youth Scholars, a Hartford-based college-access nonprofit that works with high-performing students from underserved Hartford public and magnet schools. Lance Harrington, the firm's Deputy Managing Partner, sits on the Hartford Youth Scholars board. The firm hosts the program's annual legal-careers afternoon at 280 Trumbull Street and provides stipends for two of the program's summer intern placements each year.

UConn Law scholarship

The Oak, Elm & Birch Diversity Scholarship at the University of Connecticut School of Law was established in 2020 and is awarded annually to a rising third-year student whose background — first-generation status, demonstrated commitment to public interest work in Connecticut, or membership in a group underrepresented in the Connecticut bar — contributes to the diversity of the legal profession in the state. The scholarship is funded by the firm's partnership and administered through the UConn Law financial aid office. Award recipients are not required to interview with the firm.

Recent hiring data

We report the numbers because the programs above have to be measured against something. Of the five associates who joined the firm in the 2023 and 2024 classes combined, three identified as women and two as first-generation professionals. Our entering 2025 class of four associates included two women, one attorney of color, and one first-generation professional. We are not going to pretend those are large numbers in absolute terms — the firm hires a handful of associates a year — but the ratios have moved, and the programs we invest in have been a meaningful part of that movement.

We are less satisfied with partnership-level diversity and have said so in writing in the firm's most recent management-committee minutes. Two of the firm's six practice groups are led by women partners, and associate retention on the path toward partnership is a current focus of the firm's review work. Progress at the partnership tier takes years. We are paying attention to it on the timeline it actually moves on.

Reporting

Hiring composition, promotion-eligibility pipeline figures, and the current year's pipeline-program participation data are published annually in the firm's diversity and inclusion report. The most recent edition is our 2024 D&I Report.