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Our Commitment

Calfee is dedicated to supporting a culture that is inclusive of attorneys and staff in age, sex, race, religion, creed, national origin, marital or civil union status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic information, military status, veteran status or any other characteristic or status protected by law. Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) is an increasingly critical focus area for our firm, impacting all firm operations and growth goals, as demonstrated by the following most recent and ongoing initiatives.

Mansfield Certification

Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP is proud to share that the firm has again earned Mansfield Certification, successfully completing a year-long collaboration with Diversity Lab to measure and be held accountable for achieving meaningful progress toward greater diversity, equity, and inclusion. Mansfield Certification, awarded by Diversity Lab, measures the structural changes and steps we have taken each year to ensure our paths to leadership – including lateral hiring, client pitch teams, promotions, appointments, and more – are open and transparent to all qualified lawyers.

We have undergone this effort with the support of our clients as well as the legal departments that are also participating in Mansfield. Like them, we remain dedicated to opening the door wider to all qualified lawyers and ensuring that opportunities for advancement are inclusive for everyone.

Mansfield takes a behavioral science approach that embeds accountability, transparency, and knowledge sharing into our talent practices. This framework helps us take an inclusive, structured, and data-driven approach to leadership advancement – and ensure the approach is consistent across offices and practice groups. This intentionality benefits everyone, including our workforce (from leadership through to our talent pipeline), our clients and our community.

Achieving Mansfield Certification demonstrates Calfee’s continued commitment to moving the needle on diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal industry generally and at our firm. We are pleased with the progress we have all made, and we know there is more work to be done. Our firm is continuing that work and our participation as part of the Midsize Mansfield 2023-2024 Certification cohort.

Mansfield Certification Badge 2022-2023


Leadership Council on Legal Diversity

Our commitment to valuing and supporting diversity as a critical cultural element in attracting and retaining talent and supporting business and industry growth expands beyond our firm. Calfee is a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), an organization of more than 300 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners working to build a more open and diverse legal profession. Calfee also serves as Cleveland's "City Lead" for LCLD, helping to coordinate the mentoring program for talented 1L law students from diverse backgrounds. 


Gender Equity in the Legal Industry

Additionally, Calfee is a founding member of Cleveland's Gender Equity in the Legal Industry (GELI) Forum, which is a collaboration of Cleveland law firms committed to identifying and addressing gender inequities at private law firms.


Ohio Business Competes

As of 2018, we are proud to have joined Ohio Business Competes, a non-partisan coalition of businesses committed to achieving non-discrimination policies at the state level.


Calfee's Sponsorship Program

Launched in 2022, our sponsorship program differs from Calfee’s mentoring program by moving beyond advising and guiding to proactively promoting and advocating for attorneys with diverse backgrounds. The goal of the sponsorship program is three-fold: 1) to increase retention and promotion of our attorneys; 2) to enhance the inclusivity of our firm; and 3) to nurture and strengthen an environment that values differences and the unique strengths of all attorneys, and that further supports each attorney’s success.

As part of the program, qualified associates with diverse backgrounds and experiences are matched with an influential partner at the firm who takes a proactive role in helping the associate to make meaningful connections both within the firm and in the community to actively support their success. Our current sponsors are all members of Calfee’s Management Committee. The program is designed to work toward the development needed for long-term career advancement, and both parties will work to identify experiences and opportunities to aid in that process.

While participation in the sponsorship program is not a guarantee of career advancement, promotions, or placement into specific roles for participants, our objective is that this program will provide for a more equitable career journey and support the advancement goals of those participating in the program.


Calfee's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Overview

Calfee's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee developed a strategic plan and overview to help guide its efforts and communicate its work with Calfee attorneys, staff members, clients, and friends of the firm.

In mid-2020, the Committee held small group listening sessions for all Calfee employees to discuss race, diversity, and equality in the workplace. During these sessions, employees were asked to provide candid feedback on the current status of diversity at Calfee, ideas and thoughts for improvement, and ways to increase transparency in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Following the small group sessions, the Committee reviewed all of the feedback received and then created the strategic overview, which provides information on the group's current focus and action items, action items completed within the last year, and a listing of Calfee's ongoing sponsorships and programs.

For additional information on Calfee's diversity, equity and inclusion activities and commitments, please contact our DEI Committee Co-Chairs, Jen Torres Spieth and Josh Sanders.

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