I, Neil Batavia, personally commit to the following:
Personal Commitment
- I personally commit to keeping diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) a top priority for Dority & Manning and will continue pushing for positive change through strategic and tactical initiatives.
- I will use my voice to advocate for and sponsor historically underrepresented individuals, including individuals from underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds, women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
- I will meet annually with at least three of our clients to discuss how to collaborate on programs that advance DE&I in the legal community.
- I will support Dority’s Diverse Scholars programs which partner with multiple organizations to provide professional development, legal training, and mentoring for law students, and I will personally mentor at least one diverse scholar per year.
- I will work with Dority’s DE&I Committee to expand our education initiatives for historically underrepresented students which include a launch program for high school students and a cooperative education program for undergraduate students.
Organizational Commitment
- Dority will continue to foster an environment where each individual is equally accepted, valued, and empowered and the impact of these values is considered in the firm’s decisions.
- Dority will commit firm resources to administering an impactful DE&I Committee and DE&I Advisory Council to support our DE&I initiatives.
- Dority will commit resources to provide educational programming on DE&I topics.
- Dority will strive to remain Mansfield Rule certified and continue its commitment to the certification principles.
- Dority will require tracking on key DE&I metrics, including percentage of historically underrepresented attorneys considered for roles, promotions or leadership opportunities, involved in business development pitches, and considered for lawyer hiring. Our aim is that at least 30% historically underrepresented attorneys are considered.
- Dority will invest in a diverse future though our high-school, undergraduate, and law clerk programs aimed at educating, training, and mentoring historically underrepresented students for careers within the intellectual property industry.
- Dority will continue to collaborate with clients on DE&I, including joint seminars, secondments, mentorship pairings, diverse summer scholars, and fellowship programing.
- Dority will continue to work with LCLD, Diversity Lab, MCCA, and other organizations to further the core values of DE&I in the legal profession.