In this episode of Jackson Walker Fast Takes, host Courtney White welcomes Director of Culture and Engagement, Chad Cole, to discuss the firm’s statewide community service initiative, Project 6-1-1—Six Offices, One Day, One Mission. Chad shares how the idea emerged from a firmwide belonging and inclusion retreat and why the timing of the service day was especially meaningful amid a government shutdown and SNAP benefit cuts affecting millions of Americans. The conversation highlights the collective impact of Jackson Walker attorneys and business professionals across Texas, from volunteering at local food banks to assembling meals and care kits for those in need, underscoring the firm’s commitment to community and culture.

Featured This Episode

Our Host:		Episode Guest:
Courtney White Research Attorney, Dallas & Houston Follow on LinkedIn » Instagram: @courthousecouture		Chad Cole Director of Culture and Engagement, Dallas Follow on LinkedIn »

Episode Transcription

Courtney White: Hi everyone, I’m Courtney White and this is Jackson Walker Fast Takes. Jackson Walker lawyers and business professionals truly value their clients and the communities they serve. Recently, the entire firm participated in a statewide community service day. Here to discuss that effort on the podcast is Chad Cole, Jackson Walker’s Director of Culture and Engagement. Chad, thanks for talking with me today.

Chad Cole: Thank you, Courtney, happy to be here.

Courtney White: So Chad, I first want to start talking about the timeliness of this community service effort. I don’t think we could have known how important this effort would be the fact that the country was still going through a government shutdown and SNAP benefits had just been cut off for millions of Americans when we made this decision to have a firm wide community service day. I’d love to hear your thoughts on that.

Chad Cole: Completely. When we first scheduled the 6-1-1 day of service, I don’t think anyone could have predicted how timely it would have been. Like you said, the government shut down also the halt in SNAP benefits in November. impacted millions of people. And to put that in perspective, about 40 million people or roughly one in eight Americans rely on SNAP to feed their families.

Courtney White: That is such an excellent point, Chad. And I’d love just to talk a little bit more to our audience about the specific community service effort that the firm participated in, which we called 6-1-1. And how did the firm even decide on this community service effort?

Chad Cole: So earlier this year the day before our annual partner meeting, we hosted a belonging and inclusion retreat. And the retreat was really a hackathon where we posed two questions to our attendees who were a mix of partners, associates, and business professionals. The first question is, what was Jackson Walker doing that we should double down on? And the other was, what is Jackson Walker not doing that we should be?

And out of the seven teams who came up with solutions to answer those questions, one of them, which also became a crowd favorite, was Project 6-1-1, which stands for six offices, one day, one mission. And while we’ve had each of those seven presentations or solutions, 611 was the first one to come to fruition. So we’re very excited about that.

Courtney White: And it is an amazing effort. I know that when I heard the idea at the retreat, I immediately knew that it was something that the firm should do. It was just an amazing concept. And now I’d like to share with our listeners some of the results from the various offices, because even though it was one day of service, there was a lot of impact across the state of Texas. So I’d love to briefly share that.

Chad Cole: Of course, and you’re right, there was a lot of impact. And I think that it was also impactful for those of us from Jackson Walker who were volunteering. Almost 200 of our JW attorneys and business professionals participated on November 3rd with hundreds more contributing in the office through monetary donations or food drives. And to each office, they went to their local food banks in every office, with the exception of Dallas, we went to the Stew Pot.

I just want to go over the impact that it had in each one of our cities. So in Austin, the morning crew worked on bagging squash and potatoes, and they put those onto 650-pound pallets. So, by the end of the night, they had palletized over 9,000 pounds of food and the afternoon crew prepared almost 8,700 meals.

So, the Fort Worth volunteers, they helped prepare 425 boxes of food in the afternoon, and then the afternoon shift worked on helping prepare for the next day and assembling approximately an additional 750 boxes.

In Houston, they did a couple of different things in the morning shift. One, they helped produce and sort and process 6,000 pounds of potatoes and 2,000 pounds of apples. Two, the kitchen operations prepared over 3,000 meals for delivery to children and seniors across the city. And they also helped assemble bags and food for distribution to brighter bites, which delivers to families through local schools. In the end, they helped prepare over 13,000 pounds that would go to the NRG Stadium where they were having events where people could pick up food for those who needed it.

In San Angelo, we had 100 % participation from He actually went to the Concho Valley Regional Food Bank and dropped off food that he had collected and made a donation in JW’s name. And then in San Antonio, across two shifts, they produced or helped prepare more than 33,000 pounds of food, which would provide 27,000 meals.

Additionally, Dallas and San Antonio prepared ready-to-go bags or these kits that they could carry in their cars and provide to those who are experiencing homelessness. And these bags included hygiene items, snacks, and cold weather essentials that we’re able to give out to those in need whenever we’re seeing them. And that’s just one easy and simple thing that we were able to do.

Courtney White: Chad, I wanna thank you so much for sharing those amazing wins and the giving heart of those who work at Jackson Walker. We always say that our culture is an important part of the firm, but this community service effort definitely shows that. So thank you so much for coming on the podcast to share that with our listeners today.

Chad Cole: Thank you, happy to be here.

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The music is by Eve Searls.

The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the firm, its clients, or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

Meet Jackson Walker

Since 1887, Jackson Walker has represented some of the most influential companies and business leaders in the world. Today, we remain firmly rooted in Texas while serving clients around the globe. With more than 500 attorneys, we are the largest law firm in the state. Jackson Walker consistently ranks among leading firms in Chambers and Partners, Best Law Firms® by Best Lawyers, and as a BTI Client Service A-Team based on feedback from corporate counsel.