Diversity & Inclusion Counseling

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) is an essential component of every company’s business. Organizations are being held accountable to report on the diversity of their organizations as a metric for overall business health.

Jackson Walker’s labor and employment attorneys are experienced and passionate about advising companies and their management on effective, legally compliant strategies to become more inclusive, welcoming, and ultimately more successful workplaces.

Our D&I practice encompasses and builds upon the Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action or Affirmative Employment legal services Jackson Walker is trusted to provide, and the services and training offered are tailored specifically with your organization’s goals, culture, and needs in mind.

The Benefits to Your Company of a Robust D&I Strategy and Plan

A lack of diversity and inclusion is bad for business. It promotes an unhealthy workplace by undermining morale, teamwork, and productivity; it makes it harder to recruit and retain diverse talent; and it can affect a company’s reputation and bottom line. Worse, a lack of diversity and inclusion can be costly for an organization in terms of legal liability.

Diversity & Inclusion Programs: Why, How, and When They Work

Download our summary of Diversity & Inclusion programs to learn the key components of success and important considerations for your business.

To achieve your D&I goals and objectives, we provide the following services:

  • Advice and counseling
  • D&I culture assessments and audits
  • Workplace policy development and drafting
  • Individualized training to both employees and management
  • Development of training materials for “train-the-trainer” programs conducted internally by the company
  • Recommendation of third-party vendors who provide effective & specialized D&I services or training
  • Crisis management and planning
  • Targeted litigation defense

Further, our attorneys are well-versed in designing and implementing individualized plans tailored to your organization to improve the workplace and minimize risk. Our individualized plans may include the following:

  • Conducting Culture Assessments and Developing Goals and Metrics
    • We perform a culture assessment of your organization to identify any patterns or imbalances that may hinder the development or maintenance of a diverse and inclusive workplace.
    • We identify disparities and analyze the data to determine all issues and how to best determine success while operating under the attorney-client privilege.
    • Your managers can feel free to ask our attorneys candid questions about D&I initiatives and promoting legal compliance in your organization.
    • We then help your organization develop a clear strategy, goals, and metrics to address any disparities and to minimize risk.
  • Planning
    • Working with your teams, we develop a plan to reach your diversity goals and to revitalize workplace practices where needed to assure D&I success and to reduce legal and compliance risk.
  • Training
    • We develop individualized training programs which take into consideration your unique culture and goals.
    • We conduct unconscious bias training.
    • Our training programs incorporate the most recent changes to employment laws, and we continually revise the training to ensure your understanding of all laws and regulations is up-to-date.
    • Our experienced team of attorneys can provide training for your organization, or develop a program your organization can utilize to train its own employees.
  • Crisis Management and Litigation Defense
    • Our team will be with you every step of the way, from the planning stages through implementation and maintenance of your program.
    • We work with you to ensure your employment policies and procedures are up to date and take into consideration all recent changes to workplace laws and regulations.
    • We work with you on crisis intervention and management, and when needed, we provide effective litigation defense.

Our goal at Jackson Walker is to see our clients succeed. With a robust D&I strategy and plan, companies can demonstrate to their employees and the general public their commitment to D&I, and better attract and retain talent with a diverse set of skills and expertise to the benefit of its business.

Arturo Cavazos, Jr.

Arturo Cavazos, Jr.

Partner, San Antonio
210.978.7720

Dawn S. Holiday

Dawn S. Holiday

Partner, Houston
713.752.4273

Ariel Perez

Ariel Perez

Associate, Houston
713.752.4434

Sang M. Shin

Sang M. Shin

Partner, Houston
713.752.4408

Robert L. Soza, Jr.

Robert L. Soza, Jr.

Partner, San Antonio
210.978.7718

Courtney J. White

Courtney J. White

Research Attorney, Dallas
214.953.5759

May 30, 2025
Newsletters

JW Belonging & Inclusion Newsletter – May 2025

View Jackson Walker’s May 2025 Belonging & Inclusion Newsletter, Perspectives.

Suzan Kedron

April 1, 2025
Spotlight

‘The Texas Lawbook’ Interviews Suzan Kedron in Honor of Women’s History Month

In an interview with The Texas Lawbook, Suzan Kedron discusses how being a woman lawyer has changed during her career, the meaning of Women’s History Month, and the elements that make diversity and inclusion programs effective.

Mary Emma Karam

March 28, 2025
Spotlight

Mary Emma Karam Shares Her Legal Journey With ‘The Texas Lawbook’ in Honor of Women’s History Month

In honor of Women’s History Month, Jackson Walker attorney Mary Emma Karam shared her legal journey with The Texas Lawbook.

March 27, 2025
Insights

DEI Under Scrutiny: What Employers Must Know About New EEOC and DOJ Guidance

By Jamila M. Brinson, Dawn S. Holiday, and Ariel Perez

Following multiple executive orders from President Donald Trump concerning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), employers have been eagerly awaiting agency guidance to clarify the scope and implications of what is considered “illegal DEI” in the workplace.

Dawn Holiday

February 27, 2025
Spotlight

Dawn Holiday Shares Her Legal Journey With ‘The Texas Lawbook’ in Honor of Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, Jackson Walker attorney Dawn Holiday shared her legal journey and inspirations with The Texas Lawbook.

February 13, 2025
Attorney News

Luke Gilman, Mahira Khan, and Miguel Ortiz Selected to Participate in Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Programs

Jackson Walker is pleased to announce the selection of Luke J. Gilman, Mahira Khan, and Miguel A. Ortiz to participate in training programs offered by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD).

Ryan Watkins

February 10, 2025
Podcasts

Honoring Black History Month with Ryan Watkins

JW Fast Takes Podcast | ~8 minutes

In this episode honoring Black History Month, Ryan Watkins discusses his legal career and journey to Jackson Walker.

January 28, 2025
Insights

DEI in the Spotlight: Employer Strategies for a Shifting Landscape

By Dawn S. Holiday

On January 21, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order titled, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” (the “Order”). The Order instructed all executive departments and federal agencies to “terminate all discriminatory and illegal preferences, mandates, policies, programs, activities, guidance, regulations, enforcement actions, consent orders, and requirements.”

US Capitol Building Washington DC

January 23, 2025
Insights

President Trump’s Executive Order: Ending E.O. 11246 and Its Impact on Federal Contractors

By Sarah Mitchell Montgomery

On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order titled, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” (the “Order”). Among other things, the Order rescinds Executive Order (“E.O.”) 11246, which was issued by President Johnson in 1965.

January 7, 2025
Insights

Labor and Employment Expectations as the Second Trump Administration Nears

By Jackie Staple 

With Inauguration Day quickly approaching, the United States is about to enter President Trump’s second term, “Trump 2.0.” With each new presidential administration, labor and employment law changes, sometimes drastically when there’s a party change.

More Diversity & Inclusion Counseling News

  • Provide culture assessments to identify DEI gaps in the workplace, and develop recommendations to address shortcomings
  • Provide counsel on legally compliant methods to obtain employee identification data needed to assess diversity metrics
  • Provide counsel on the development of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action plans
  • Design and facilitate customized DEI trainings and presentations, such as the impact of unconscious bias in performance reviews
  • Develop company policies and procedures that integrate DEI best practices and ensure legal compliance with employment workplace laws
  • Provide immigration counsel for the creation of DEI recruitment, retention and promotion strategies geared toward companies employing foreign nationals to ensure compliance with immigration laws and regulations
  • Advise community boards on effective strategies to increase diversity of board membership
  • Assist in the development of employee resource groups, which are groups that provide opportunities for employees of similar race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or abilities to formally gather for social and professional development
  • Keep clients up-to-date on changes in employment laws and regulations impacting DEI in the workplace, and how those changes may impact employer DEI efforts

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