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Jim Chosy

Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel

US Bank

I, Jim Chosy, personally commit to the following:

Personal Commitment

  • I will engage in continuous learning about diversity, equity and inclusion, improve my own cultural competence both generally and specifically within the legal profession and will champion similar engagement across our department by speaking regularly and openly about my learnings.
  • I will use my voice and platform to champion diversity and systemic change within the in-house practice and the profession more broadly including engaging directly in meetings with outside firms to emphasize the importance of diverse teams working on our matters and participating in educational and information-sharing events with General Counsels and Managing Partners.
  • I will regularly meet collectively with members of my department from historically underrepresented groups to understand their professional experiences, career development activities, and personal aspirations. At least one of these meetings each year will be with current LCLD Fellow/Pathfinder participants and at least one other meeting will be with members of our Law Division affinity groups.
  • I will encourage and support efforts to attract and retain diverse talent at U.S. Bank, through programming, growth and development opportunities, sponsorship and mentorship, and rewarding career paths. I will seek opportunities to mentor and sponsor members of the Law Division and will encourage my direct reports to do the same.
  • I will encourage my direct reports to create succession plans for their roles with consideration for developing a diverse slate of candidates.

Organizational Commitment

  • We will continue building and promoting a strong culture of inclusion within the U.S. Bank Law Division that attracts, develops, and retains diverse talent.
  • We will train and develop our leaders to understand their own biases, improve their cultural competence, continually adapt, and act as role models demonstrating the value of diversity.
  • We will require hiring managers and U.S. Bank Law Division senior leaders to confirm sourcing and consideration of diverse candidates and diverse interview panels for all open roles.
  • As a founding member of the Move the Needle Fund, we will work to further diversity through experimentation, accountability, transparency, and the measurement of results.
  • We will continue promoting the Mansfield Rule, working alongside law firms and other in-house legal departments.
  • We will actively support U.S. Bank’s Chief Diversity Officer and the Corporate Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program, and seek out opportunities for leadership, collaboration, and partnership.
  • We will further leverage and enhance our corporate Pro Bono program to support the needs of diverse and underserved communities.
  • Through our Equity and Racial Justice Council, we will stand against racism and work with purpose to learn, grow, build community, and foster necessary change within the Law Division and the broader legal profession.
  • We will help strengthen the pipeline of diverse talent in the legal profession through internal programs and collaboration with external organizations focused on offering development opportunities for diverse law students and recent graduates.
  • We will collaborate with outside counsel on diversity initiatives, including through our Spotlight on Talent program, which aims to help build, create opportunities for, and enhance engagement with a pipeline of high-potential associate talent within our preferred law firm network.
  • We will maintain diversity as a consideration in selecting outside counsel, and will have direct discussions with our preferred firms about our expectations and corresponding accountabilities in our outside counsel relationships.
  • We will partner with and support organizations dedicated to advancing diversity within the legal profession, such as the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity among others.

Metrics

  • We will internally maintain and regularly review the following:

  • Internal hiring, retention, and advancement metrics for diverse Law Division professionals.

  • Diversity metrics for outside counsel and other Law Division vendors

  • Metrics related to Law Division-specific DEI-related projects and initiatives

  • Metrics related to DEI initiatives undertaken within the profession and in which U.S. Bank participates