The Inclusion Initiative is a collaborative effort of 31 forward-looking companies committed to an immediate and measurable increase in the retention of minority and women owned law firms by Corporate America. Inclusion Initiative companies believe that diverse law firms are a critical part of the solution to the diversity challenge in the legal profession. These firms provide a reliable pathway into the legal profession for diverse law students and young lawyers, and serve as a recruitment source of diversity in majority owned law firms and the judiciary. The Inclusion Initiative seeks to maximize opportunities for diverse law firms to grow while meeting the needs and cost concerns of their major corporate clients.
Since launching the Inclusion Initiative, participating companies have spent over $1.6 billion on minority and women owned law firms. The program started in 2010 with 11 companies and a collective expenditure of $42.6 million. Since that time, the number of participating companies has grown to 31 and their total annual expenditures have averaged over $200 million per year for the last six years. The logos of the participating companies appear below. A growth chart for the program can be seen above. The growth of the program has been phenomenal. The participating companies have backed their good intentions with meaningful actions and the minority and women owned law firms have been able to provide consistent and valued services to meet their needs.
The Inclusion Initiative companies conclusively demonstrate that numerous diverse law firms are fully capable of providing high-quality, cost-effective, and creative legal services to help major corporations achieve their business objectives. The Inclusion Initiative facilitates sharing of best practices, cross-referrals of highly qualified diverse law firms, and interactions with leading diverse law firms, with administrative support from NAMWOLF.
