Arnstein & Lehr Diversity Committee

It is a fundamental mission of Arnstein & Lehr LLP to promote diversity in the workplace and to engender an environment free of workplace harassment or discrimination of any kind. To this end, the firm is committed to fostering a work environment that gives every person the opportunity to contribute fully to the firm and its business goals, regardless of an individual’s race, culture, ethnicity, gender, disability, age, religion, or sexual orientation. We recognize that by capturing the unique contribution each individual has to offer—whether by virtue of cultural background, race, gender, talents, values, affiliations, or other differences—we can add significantly to the firm’s overall performance and contribute to a greater social good.

Arnstein & Lehr embraces diversity as essential to its mission and is committed to creating a workplace that reflects the diverse nature of the legal profession and the clients we serve. We encourage an inclusive, professional environment that values attorneys and staff of all backgrounds. To that end, we are committed to cultivating a rich, dynamic workplace in which every member of the firm is uniquely valued and treated with professionalism and respect. We strive to ensure that all employees are free from discrimination and harassment of any form while fostering an environment that is both inclusive and inherently fair.

Our Diversity Committee ensures that we reinforce and enhance our collective diversity and serves to enhance legal excellence, leadership, collaboration, and community within the firm. Led by Partner Robert Cichocki, a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession, the committee is also charged with overseeing diversity initiatives and promoting an inclusive, positive, and supportive work environment. With guidance from the Diversity Committee, attorneys and staff participate regularly in diversity programs, training, panel discussions, and leadership seminars.

• Increase our diversity in key firm leadership roles including our operating and recruiting committees, and through mentoring and training programs.
• Strengthen our support of organizations committed to diversity, such as the American Bar Association’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, the Association of Corporate Counsel, Corporate Counsel Women of Color, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and the National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms.
• Initiate more diversity-related events, activities, and programs for our attorneys and staff.
• Enhance recruitment procedures aimed at attracting and retaining top talent from diverse backgrounds.

The Firm aims to help women advance professionally—both within the firm and within legal and business communities—through the support of women’s organizations and women-owned businesses.

In July 2007, the Diversity Committee, spearheaded the first Arnstein & Lehr Woman of Vision Award, a women leaders’ networking lunch.  It brought together female business leaders from across the Chicago area, including executives in government, law, health care, business, and education. Cheryle Jackson, the first woman and African-American president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, was our first recipient of the honor.  In 2008 the the honor went to Marsha Serlin, the founder and CEO of United Scrap Metal, Inc and in 2009 the honor went to Anne Pramaggiore, CEO and president, ComEd.

Our 2010 Woman of Vision recipient is Dominique Raccah.  Ms. Raccah is publisher and CEO of Sourcebooks, In 1987, Raccah launched Sourcebooks from her home in Naperville, Illinois.  From that small start, she has directed a continuously growing entrepreneurial company into a general trade house which now produces everything from bestsellers in fiction to number one titles in both baby names and college guides.  Sourcebooks has grown and flourished by following its independent vision and stands today as one of the leading independent book publishers in North America.

In 2005, the firm welcomed the Women’s National Basketball Association franchise Chicago Sky to the city, hosting a luncheon attended by dozens of prominent area business women. The event was created to provide grass roots support of the new franchise within the Chicago women’s business community.

In addition, as part of our commitment to increasing the number of women and minority attorneys in the firm, Arnstein & Lehr is a signatory to The Chicago Bar Association’s Call to Action on Women’s Leadership in the Legal Profession and the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms. We pledge, among other initiatives, to increase the percentage of women and minority partners in all our offices through recruitment and lateral expansion.