Diversity & Inclusion At Jackson Walker
Belonging
“As the largest law firm in Texas, it’s incumbent upon us to lead the way on diversity and inclusion. We’ve heard it said that diversity is a fact, inclusion is an act, and belonging is an outcome. We are dedicated to creating an environment where each one of us feels like we belong at Jackson Walker.”
Over the past few years, the way we see diversity and inclusion has evolved – but our focus has always been on our people. We have stepped up in how we recruit talent, develop our future leaders, and promote colleagues from underrepresented backgrounds.
We are tremendously proud of the strides we have made in recent years. But as the largest law firm in Texas, it’s incumbent upon us to lead the way on diversity and inclusion, and we still have a lot of work to do.
We are evolving our thinking to embrace the idea of belonging. We’ve heard it said that diversity is a fact, inclusion is an act, and belonging is an outcome. We are dedicated to creating an environment where each one of us feels like we belong at Jackson Walker – that we are one collective team delivering the best service to our clients, improving our communities, and celebrating our wins.
For the past two years, we have been participating in Diversity Lab's Mansfield certification programs. In doing so, we have taken an active and intentional role in looking at hard facts and figures. Thanks to the collective progress we have made, in October, we achieved Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification Plus status. We were also recognized with the 2022 Compass Award by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). We are now working toward achieving Mansfield 6.0 certification.
We appreciate each and every one of our attorneys and professional staff who make our Firm so special. Together, we will continue the momentum to launch fresh ideas and commitments that will bring long-term change. We are excited for the future and the opportunity to make a real impact inside and outside our Firm.
Wade Cooper
Firmwide Managing Partner
Suzan Kedron
Diversity & Inclusion Committee Chair
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is a reflection of our core values.
Underrepresented Racial & Ethnic
Attorneys & Business Professionals
Women
Attorneys & Business Professionals
Statistics as of December 31, 2023
Fostering a Culture Where Everyone Belongs
Our Lawyer Resource Groups promote diversity, cultural awareness, and an inclusive work environment.
We asked the leaders of the LRGs to talk about diversity, inclusion, and belonging at Jackson Walker.
“I feel I belong when I can bring my whole self to work. I feel I belong when I can be authentic at work. I feel I belong when I feel respected for my authenticity at work. I feel I belong when it is clear that everyone is respected.”
— Courtney White
Research Attorney, Dallas
Chair, Black LRG
“Belonging means there's a place for you here because of your accomplishments, your efforts and your continued contributions, and not because of where you're from, how you look, who you love, or how closely you conform to a subjective standard.”
— JOE GUajardo
Partner, Dallas
Chair, LGBTQ+ LRG
“I believe JW has made positive progress in the last year, especially with the implementation of our Lawyer Resource Groups. I'm really excited about the First Generation LRG as it will provide an opportunity for all attorneys who are the first in their family to connect and find ways to support one another.”
— Sang Shin
Partner, Houston
Chair, First generation LRG
“Belonging means having the comfort in engaging in open, honest, and respectful discussions with those who may or may not share the same opinion, and feeling accepted and acknowledged that those opinions are important and contribute to bettering the community.”
— Shari Mao
Partner, San Antonio
Chair, Asian LRG
“I believe JW has made a great effort to recruit a diverse group of attorneys and staff. I also believe JW has created spaces where people can share their experiences and perspectives in an open format.”
— Michael Drab
Associate, Houston
Chair, Abilities LRG
“Belonging means feeling comfortable enough with your peers, surrounding, and work environment to be yourself without fear of judgment or prejudice.”
— Javier Gonzalez
Associate, Houston
Chair, Hispanic LRG
“Our mentoring program, both at the partner and associate level, aims to make sure that our female attorneys are provided all of the opportunity and support that they need to advance to that next level in their careers.”
— MONICA MESSICK
PARTNER, dallas
Chair, jw2 (jACKSON wALKER wOMEN)
Recognition
More on Diversity & Inclusion at Jackson Walker
Celebrating Pride Month with Joseph Guajardo
In celebration of Pride Month, Dallas attorney Joseph T. Guajardo joins the Fast Takes podcast to share his journey to becoming a lawyer at Jackson Walker and his leadership role in the LGBTQ+ Attorney Resource Group.
Perspectives: Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter
August 2024
Connecting With Summer Associates
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Celebrating Women’s History Month With Retta Miller
Fast Takes Podcast
April 2024
Celebrating Women’s History Month
Elevating Diverse Attorneys to Partnership
Our Committee
From the top down, we express how significant diversity and inclusion are for the Firm through commitment, communication, and action. To ensure our entire practice promotes equality for all, our Diversity & Inclusion Committee, comprising both attorneys and staff, directs diversity-related goals and collaborates on best practices for implementing initiatives.
- Committee Chair: Suzan Kedron | Partner, Dallas
- Alisha Mehta Adams | Associate, Austin
- Sam Allen | Partner, San Angelo
- Chip Babcock | Partner, Houston
- Treeman Baker | Associate, Austin
- Melissa Bates | Director of Attorney Development, Houston
- Kelly Beam | Research Attorney, Houston
- Minoo Blaesche | Senior Counsel, Dallas
- Jamila Brinson | Partner, Houston
- Shelisa Brock | Associate, Dallas
- Chevazz Brown | Partner, Houston
- Katie Brown | Associate, Dallas
- Marilyn Brown | Partner, Austin
- Jennifer Bryant | Senior Counsel, Houston
- Aron Burnett | Partner, Austin
- Chuck Campbell | Partner, Austin
- Art Cavazos | Partner, San Antonio
- Matthew Cavenaugh | Partner, Houston
- Lauren Ceckowski | Associate, Dallas
- Rebecca Blake Chaikin | Partner, Houston
- Stephanie Chandler | Partner, San Antonio
- Bart Cicuto | Senior Counsel, Austin
- Priya Coffey | Partner, Houston
- Chad Cole | Social Impact & Sustainability Manager, Dallas
- Wade Cooper | Partner, Austin
- Raman Dewan | Partner, Austin
- Mario Perez Dolan | Partner, Dallas
- Matt Dow | Partner, Austin
- Alicia Duleba | Partner, Austin
- Tyson Ehlinger | Associate, Austin
- Ross Forbes | Partner, Dallas
- Luke Franz | Associate, Dallas
- Alex Frutos | Partner, Dallas
- Josué Galván | Associate, San Antonio
- Luke Gilman | Partner, Houston
- Larry Glasgow | Partner, Dallas
- Joel Glover | Partner, Houston
- Marisela Peña Gonzalez | Partner, Houston
- Genevieve Graham | Senior Counsel, Houston
- Joseph Guajardo | Partner, Dallas
- Peter Hansen | Senior Counsel, Austin
- Rob Harlow | Partner, Houston
- Brian Harris | Partner, Houston
- Joel Heydenburk | Partner, Fort Worth
- Dawn Holiday | Partner, Houston
- Peter Hosey | Partner, San Antonio
- Gary Ingram | Partner, Fort Worth
- William Jenkins | Partner, Fort Worth
- Bailey Jones | Associate, Fort Worth
- Kevin Jones | Partner, Dallas
- Jonathan Judkowitz | Senior Counsel, Houston
- Mahira Khan | Associate, Houston
- Greg Lambert | Chief Knowledge Services Officer, Houston
- Bob Latham | Partner, Dallas
- Julie Lewis | Chief Operating Officer, Austin
- Daniel Maldonado | Associate, San Antonio
- Julia Mann | Partner, San Antonio
- Shari Mao | Partner, San Antonio
- Trey McDonald | Partner, Houston
- Scott McElhaney | Partner, Dallas
- Carrie Miller | Partner, Fort Worth
- Retta Miller | Partner, Dallas
- Lindsey Moorhead | Partner, Houston
- Chris Mugica | Partner, Austin
- Dana Murphy | Senior Counsel, Dallas
- Jonathan Neerman | Partner, Dallas
- Amanda Neinast | Associate, Austin
- Emilio Nicolas | Partner, Austin
- William Nilson | Associate, Austin
- Nicola Noel | Director of Human Resources, Dallas
- Miguel Ortiz | Associate, Dallas
- Jorge Padilla | Partner, Austin
- Kristhy Peguero | Partner, Houston
- Beth Pflomm | Senior Counsel, Dallas
- Valery Piedra | Associate, Houston
- Meghan Pier | Director of Associate Recruiting, Austin
- Brian Prewitt | Partner, Austin
- Wasif Qureshi | Partner, Houston
- Katy Ragsdale | Research Attorney, Dallas
- Joe Regan | Partner, Fort Worth
- Amy Osberg Roberts | Partner, Dallas
- Debbie Robinowitz | Partner, Dallas
- Matthew Rodriguez | Associate, Houston
- Josh Romero | Partner, Austin
- Chris Rourk | Partner, Dallas
- Bruce Ruzinsky | Partner, Houston
- Jim Ryan | Partner, Dallas
- Rachel Saunders | Associate, Dallas
- Jessica Schwartz | Associate, Dallas
- Jeremy Sheng | Partner, Houston
- Sang Shin | Partner, Houston
- Kathy Silver | Partner, Houston
- Michelle Moore Smith | Partner, Austin
- David Snyder | Partner, Austin
- Devanshi Somaya | Associate, Dallas
- Joan Sostek | Of Counsel, Dallas
- Robert Soza | Partner, San Antonio
- Noah Speck | Senior Counsel, Houston
- Nate St. Clair | Partner, Dallas
- Bridgette Stahlman | Chief of Partner Recruiting & Integration, Austin
- Yenmi Tang | Staff Attorney, Houston
- Mike Taten | Partner, Dallas
- Austin Thomas | Senior Counsel, Houston
- Christian Triantaphyllis | Partner, Houston
- Kirk Tucker | Partner, Houston
- April Vasquez Leibman | Partner, Houston
- Jonathan Vinson | Partner, Dallas
- Christina Vitale | Partner, Houston
- Jerry Webberman | Partner, Austin
- Courtney White | Research Attorney, Dallas
- Lauren Zang Williams | Associate, Dallas
- Catharine Yen | Senior Counsel, Houston