Applied Diversity

Leatherwood is committed to being a diverse workplace that reflects the community in which we live and work.  We believe that diversity transcends race and gender, and that our clients are best served by a diverse workforce.  It enables us to bring a broader perspective to the problems our clients face, leads to a higher quality of work, and also enriches the atmosphere in the workplace.  Accordingly, it is the goal of Leatherwood to foster and maintain a firm-wide culture that supports and promotes diversity, so that all attorneys and staff, regardless of their background, feel welcome, included, valued and supported.

Leatherwood seeks to recruit, retain and promote attorneys who are diverse in every sense of the word.  In addition to supporting the professional careers of women and racial and ethnic minorities, the Firm believes that our clients benefit from the varying perspectives and life experiences that our attorneys bring.  We were the first firm of our size in South Carolina to elect a woman to the role of Managing Director.  Tami McKnew served in that capacity for six years.  Reflective of the statistics pertaining to the number of women entering law school, 14 of our 51 attorneys are women; 10 of our 14 associates are women.  Two of our attorneys work on a part-time basis as they focus on the needs of their families.  Leatherwood was selected as a recipient of The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award by the South Carolina Psychological Association.

As a firm, we actively support the Black Law Students Association, the Urban League, and the United Way, by sponsoring their charitable and community events.  Leatherwood recently hosted 35 of the Greenville Young Lawyers for a seminar entitled “Minorities in the Law.”  Our attorneys serve on the boards of minority support organizations including the South Carolina Women Lawyer’s Association, the Urban League of the Upstate, Pendleton Place Children’s Shelter and Communities in Schools.  We also have lawyers and staff active in the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Cinderella Project, Furman University’s Bridges to a Brighter Future program, the German-American Chamber of Commerce, the International Center for the Upstate, Operation Big Book Bag, United Way African American Leaders, United Way Women Leaders and United Way Young Philanthropists.  The Firm also encourages our attorneys in their pro bono efforts, and has provided sound legal counsel to numerous charitable and community organizations.

We are also proud to have attorneys who have attended 16 different law schools in 10 different states across the United States.  We have attorneys that are fluent in French, Spanish and Portuguese.

The Leatherwood culture is collegial, team-oriented and balanced.  We have many of the finest litigators and transactional attorneys in the state.  Our veteran attorneys are always eager to share their knowledge and experience with new attorneys.  In addition to being outstanding attorneys, we are also hikers and backpackers, musicians, triathletes, parents, coaches, Scout leaders, skiers, golfers, patrons of the arts and active members of our faith communities.  We are former law clerks to federal and state court judges.  Some of us were members of the United States Armed Forces, engineers and bankers prior to becoming attorneys.  We are a diverse group of individuals working toward a common goal of providing excellent service to our clients.

RECRUITING:

The firm seeks to recruit new and lateral attorneys with strong legal skills and diverse backgrounds.  Part of that recruiting effort is developing strong relationships with professional, educational and community groups that share our commitment to diversity.  We are also committed to maintaining strong relationships with the law schools that serve this state.  We offer Summer Clerk employment opportunities for diverse and deserving law school students.

RETENTION:

Leatherwood recognizes that recruiting alone is insufficient to create and maintain the diverse workforce that is critical to long-term success.  Our primary goal with respect to our attorneys is to create the type of environment that is attractive to both current employees and prospective recruits.  We recognize that women and minorities often face unique challenges in the law firm environment.  Recognizing these challenges, the Firm strives to ensure that all attorneys and employees receive the training and mentoring needed to become successful.  We will also strive to provide part-time and flex-time scheduling options, as well as alternative benefits packages.

FIRM CULTURE:

Diversity is a comprehensive commitment to the development of an environment that allows all attorneys and employees, regardless of their background, to contribute to an inclusive working environment and high-quality work.  We recognize that true progress requires making diversity a core value shared by all employees.  It requires involving key decision-makers who can take meaningful steps to implement diversity initiatives.  It also requires involving women and minorities in all levels of firm management.

We firmly believe that commitment to quality of life is a critical component of a firm culture that fosters and supports diversity.  At Leatherwood, we strive to create and maintain an environment that allows employees to fully pursue their passions apart from the legal profession.  We respect individual circumstances and life choices, and we strive to provide an environment that fosters both commitment to our clients and commitment to our families and community.

Leatherwood strives to ensure a positive and inclusive working environment, to emphasize the value of individual differences, and to apply diversity principles in relationships with clients, vendors and the community.  To achieve these goals, we require the following:

• Every employee will be respectful in words and actions toward each other;

• Company policies, procedures and systems will recognize diversity principles;

• Practice groups and firm committees will recognize and capitalize on each member’s diversity; and

• Each employee will recognize, respect and respond to the diversity of the Firm’s clients, vendors and the community.

At Leatherwood, we consider our diversity efforts critical to the level of service that we provide to our clients.  We also recognize that a commitment to diversity requires sustained attention and effort.  Achieving and supporting diversity is an ongoing challenge, one that Leatherwood has made a priority at the Firm’s management, recruiting and day-to-day practice.