Kendal Tyre
Washington, DC
“About twenty percent of law school graduates are attorneys of color, and that number is not reflected in many of the large law firms,” observes Kendal Tyre.
He believes that to succeed at developing a diverse workforce, law firms must recruit more aggressively, provide the ongoing training and opportunity that leads to successful performance, and assure that performance is rewarded through promotion. “Ultimately,” he says, “the sign of a successful law firm is to have these attorneys come up through the ranks.”
Kendal says that when he first began practicing law, many African-American attorneys concentrated on doing good work and trying to fit in as much as possible. Today he thinks it is more common for individuals to acknowledge their particular background and leverage it to increase business opportunities.
In addition to co-chairing the firm’s Diversity Initiative, Kendal chairs a diversity task force created by the National Bar Association, a professional network of more than 20,000 African-American lawyers, judges, educators, and legal scholars. Kendal is also a former president and co-founder of the Rochester Black Bar Association, an affiliate of the National Bar Association.
Joe Ortego, Partner
Long Island, New York
In the early 1990s, the scarcity of Hispanic attorneys practicing corporate law began to trouble Joe Ortego, a longtime supporter of the Hispanic bar and business communities in New York.
“If you looked around, you could find Hispanic lawyers working in criminal or immigration areas, but you didn’t find these people doing corporate work,” Joe recalls. “It was as if they were not even on the radar screen at the larger law firms.”
Today, with diversity being recognized as an important business tool, Joe sees change. “As people of color move into more positions of power,” he says, “they are more conscious of retaining a firm that is itself diverse.”
Joe regularly reaches out to mentor Hispanic attorneys now taking up corporate work. He also supports affinity groups within the firm, which enable younger attorneys to exchange ideas and find support.
“It’s significant that Nixon Peabody’s managing partner has taken the diversity initiative under his wing—that has set the tone for the entire law firm,” says Joe. “The partners understand that this is a significant objective.”
Robert N. H. Christmas, Partner
New York, New York
Robert Christmas, one of the firm’s openly gay partners, says that Nixon Peabody gave him full support when he adopted a daughter and again when his twins (conceived through surrogacy) were born prematurely. “The people of this firm treated me and my family as they would any other family,” he recalls.
Robert says he has also benefited from the firm’s health insurance policies, which provide coverage for domestic partners. Robert has worked to promote diversity issues for more than a decade through a number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) political and civil rights organizations. He also served as chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Special Committee on AIDS and the Law.
He believes that valuing people as individuals enhances legal representation and makes good economic sense for the firm.
“A large number of the Fortune 500 have strong diversity policies, and want to know that their lawyers have the same commitment. I’ve also had clients in the gay community who selected Nixon Peabody because they felt we had a good understanding of diversity issues and would defend them vigorously.”
Ann G. Miller, Partner
San Francisco, California
Ann Miller was the only woman in her firm when she began practicing law thirty-three years ago. She is now an accomplished partner at Nixon Peabody, where her talent, skills, and experience have been tapped for several leadership roles, including member of the Executive Committee, marketing partner, associate matters partner, and hiring partner.
Ann currently leads our International Team, which builds relationships with law firms and clients across the globe. She is also an active member of the International Bar Association and the Inter-Pacific Bar Association.
Ann believes that promotion is a critical aspect of any diversity initiative. “It’s not enough to attract people with differences, you have to be able to retain them,” Ann says. “That’s the challenge—you have to seek them out, provide them the training and opportunity they need to excel, and when they do, promote them.”
“The world is much smaller today,” Ann says. “If your clients are themselves diverse, it’s important to supply them with lawyers who have diverse backgrounds.”
