Our Long-Term Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
Cranfill Sumner is committed to a work environment that welcomes, nurtures, and honors the contributions of individuals who bring a variety of talents, experiences, and backgrounds to our firm. We believe we work best with clients, judges, juries, other attorneys, and each other when we reflect the richness of our community and world.
At Cranfill Sumner, we understand diversity is a long-term commitment, not a short-term goal. We acknowledge that improving our diversity is an ongoing and ever-evolving process.
The following are some of the ways Cranfill Sumner is working to increase its diversity:
- Our Diversity, Inclusion & Belongingness Committee meets regularly to assess our diversity efforts and create new initiatives. The committee is made up of partners, associates, and staff from our three offices, and includes representatives from the Management Committee, Human Resources, and Recruiting.
- We are committed to recruiting attorneys and staff through minority job fairs and at historically black colleges and universities, and by identifying and participating in other programs in the legal community designed to increase minority hiring. The firm participates annually at in the North Carolina Bar Association’s Minorities in the Profession Summer Clerk Program.
- Our firm is an outstanding place for women to practice law. Our female attorneys constitute 33% of our partners and 65% of our associates, and women fully participate in all aspects of firm leadership.
- Our training and mentoring is designed to develop and support attorneys and staff and encourage an environment of inclusivity and sensitivity.
- We make work/life balance a priority and recognize that excellence is not compromised by flexibility and innovation.
- Our employees are active and engaged in their communities through volunteer activities, charitable giving, and pro bono projects. Our associates are paired with area students in both Raleigh and Charlotte for the local Bars’ Lunch with a Lawyer Program. The firm also sponsors a table annually at the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Dinner in Charlotte, NC.
Cranfill Sumner recognizes that our firm’s continued success depends upon our ability to recruit, hire, train, mentor, and retain excellent employees. We strive to recruit and develop diverse talent because we understand that diversity strengthens the quality of the services we provide to our clients. We are dedicated to inclusion in the workplace and strive to make sure the firm is a place where all employees feel welcomed and respected.
2020 Diversity & Inclusion Statement
Cranfill Sumner LLP acknowledges the racial injustice that many members of our communities have experienced, and the profound way that many of our colleagues, clients, and community members have been affected by these historical injustices. Injustice of any kind is unacceptable.
In a time such as this, we will participate in meaningful engagement in the form of internal workshops and discussions, as well as community engagement, that will support the change we wish to see in terms of social inclusion and racial equity. This engagement, by no means, will be easy but if we don’t embrace these subjects, we would be complicit in the problem. We understand that to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees, we must educate ourselves about systemic racial injustices and be a part of potential solutions to promote the changes needed moving forward.
In Our Words
Chair of Diversity Inclusion & Belongingness Committee
Diversity Inclusion & Belongingness Committee Members
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