Our Commitment
Groom Law Group has always found strength in differences in background and perspective among our attorneys. We value professionals who are smart, creative, and able to participate in our team-oriented environment. We want our colleagues to be comfortable being themselves, and we encourage every person to realize his or her potential.
At Groom, we understand that our clients and potential clients expect their law firms to provide excellent service, with staffing that reflects the diversity and inclusion of their own organizations. We believe that an ongoing commitment to diversity enables us to increase our already high standard of excellence.
Our Diversity Committee, chaired by Lonie Hassel, is tasked with developing and implementing policies and programs to increase diversity at our firm and within the legal profession. We are focusing on the following to achieve our goal:
- Educating our professionals about the importance of diversity
- Recruiting professionals from diverse backgrounds by working with the firm’s Recruiting Committee to identify resources and opportunities, including job fairs, minority recruitment data bases, and networking opportunities
- Retaining diverse professionals by identifying issues related to attorney retention and advancement and coordinating with the firm’s Associates Committee in connection with training and development
- Contributing to the field of employee benefits and tax law by encouraging minority candidates to consider law school and new attorneys to consider tax and employee benefits law
We are working with the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) and are looking to our local bar associations and local law schools for resources to assist us in our efforts. Budgeted resources are available to the Diversity Committee to support its efforts.
We are very proud to join with corporate counsel and other law firms in our support of MCCA’s Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship program, open to outstanding law students who have an interest in and commitment to diversity, including students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have had to overcome significant obstacles. We are committed to funding a Groom Law Group Scholar for $10,000 a year for three years of law school and offering a summer associate position after completing the first year. John McGuiness, the firm’s Executive Principal and a member of the Diversity Committee, is a member of the selection committee.
Groom Law Group is committed to a workplace of diversity and inclusion. This is a priority of our firm leadership. Because we understand that achieving and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace requires sustained effort, our diversity initiatives are integrated with our firm's long-term strategic goals and will be measured with other strategic goals.
