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Matt Cooper

General Counsel

Capital One Financial

I, Matt Cooper, personally commit to the following:

Personal Commitment

  • Committed to leading a culture where everyone feels valued, heard, and treated fairly regardless of background or beliefs.
  • Actively participating in LCLD leadership meetings, including Harvard Law School’s diversity summit and the LCLD annual leadership conference.
  • Speaking on diversity panels, such as for the Corporate Pro Bono Institute and McGuireWoods’ “Leading in Color”
  • Personally mentoring members of Advancing Black and Hispanic Leaders and similar development programs at Capital One.
  • Serving as Executive Sponsor for Capital One’s OutFront Business Resource Group for LGBTQ+ associates.

Organizational Commitment

  • We will participate in industry diversity expansion efforts, including:
    • Sponsoring diversity pipeline initiatives assisting college students from disadvantaged backgrounds prepare for Law School
    • Sponsoring at least three (3) LCLD Summer Interns (who split time with us and our Preferred Provider Network (PPN) law firms);
    • Leading targeted community pro bono initiatives (e.g., StreetLaw) designed to channel disadvantaged students into the legal profession.
  •  We will develop our diverse associates, including
    • Sponsoring two (2) LCLD Fellows annually.
    • Fully funding our Diversity Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) Committee to continue to drive initiatives that create the space for difficult conversations, training and other programming designed to improve inclusion.
    • Sponsor our associates to participate in numerous internal and external diversity-based development programs.
  • As one of the first signatories to ABA Resolution 113 (which calls for the consideration of diversity as a factor in hiring outside counsel), Capital One is committed to only working with diversity-committed law firms.
    • Capital One gives the majority of work to its Preferred Provider Network (PPN) and we are including within our PPN only law firms that complete and submit the ABA Model Diversity Survey and show a sufficient commitment to creating a culture in which lawyers of all backgrounds and identities have an opportunity to succeed and thrive.
    • This is a non-negotiable matter of “pass/fail” for Capital One, with a one-year probationary period for firms insufficiently committed to a culture of diversity and inclusion.
  • Driving inclusion and belonging in the Legal Department, including:
    • Continuing roll-out of NeuroLeadership Institute unconscious bias and belonging training curriculum
    • Using HR “Bias Buster” tools within our talent and performance management processes to fight unconscious bias in our selection processes
    • Hosting numerous candid conversation panels under the leadership of the Legal Department Diversity Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) committee.

Metrics

  • Requiring 100% of law firms within our Preferred Provider Network (PPN) demonstrating a sufficient commitment to diversity and inclusion.

  • Requiring 100% usage of bias ambassadors within our talent and performance management processes.

  • Pursuing goal of 100% inclusion and belonging scores across the Legal Department