I, Betty Temple, personally commit to the following:
Personal Commitment
- I will use my voice as Womble Bond Dickinson’s Chair and CEO to advocate for DE&I in the legal profession, in my community, and throughout all levels of our organization.
- As part of our core focus on client service, I will speak with in-house counsel at our clients to discuss how to better promote DE&I both within the firm and throughout the legal industry.
- I will use my position as Chair/CEO to advocate for changes to improve the equity of processes such as work assignments, hiring, and compensation.
Organizational Commitment
- We promise to listen to our employees, clients and communities as they share what it is like to be a person of color in our country.
- We will partner with another law firm or a client to host an LCLD Leadership Lunch, and select at least two Fellows in attendance for a follow-up conversation.
- Firm leadership will meet with our firm’s LCLD Fellows, Pathfinders, and Alumni, as well as the leaders of our Diversity & Inclusion Committee, to discuss their experiences within the organization and solicit their input on concrete, meaningful improvements we can make to help us reach DE&I goals.
- Chief among our core values is Respect for the Individual – and inclusion and justice are inseparable from that concept. We stand for increased diversity and opportunity within the legal profession, and we support organizations that promote justice and equality. And, we acknowledge that we can – and must – do more.
- We will remain committed to the Mansfield Rule and its goals for boosting the representation of historically underrepresented lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these opportunities. The Mansfield Rule ensures that underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities make up at least 30 percent of the candidate pool for:
- Leadership and governance roles,
- Equity partner promotions,
- Formal client pitch opportunities, and
- Senior lateral positions.
- The Mansfield Rule also requires reporting of these DE&I metrics, and Womble Bond Dickinson will continue to do so.