Diversity
Diversity Overview
Balch & Bingham LLP is committed to diversity and inclusiveness. Our commitment is supported by the resources, skills and attention of our attorneys and staff. After several years as an ad hoc committee, the firm recognized in 2005 that its Diversity Committee should be made a permanent fixture in the management of the firm as the process of diversifying is, by its very nature, always evolving.
Our Diversity Committee reports directly to the firm’s Executive Committee. Members of the committee are representative of the firm’s diversity. The Diversity Committee devotes special resources to three initiatives in specialized efforts to attract and retain diverse attorney talent and to mesh the interests of our firm with the expectations of our clients. The Hispanic/Latino, African-American and Women’s initiatives are responsive to the needs and opportunities of our firm’s cultural and business contexts.
Our diversity and inclusiveness efforts are focused in three areas: (1) hiring and retaining highly qualified attorneys; (2) maintaining legal expertise for the counseling of increasingly diverse clients; and (3) making meaningful contributions to the civic and charitable fabric of the communities we serve.
The Committee
The African–American Initiative is co–chaired by associates, Steve Parker and Houston Smith. Steve serves on the Alabama State Bar Diversity in the Profession Committee, Birmingham Metropolitan Diversity Coalition, and the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce African American Business Council. The Hispanic–Latino initiative is chaired by Wendy Padilla Madden. Wendy serves as the chair of the Hispanic Business Council for the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and also chairs the Spanish Speaking Lawyers Committee for the Alabama State Bar Association. The Women’s Initiative is chaired by partner Kelly Brennan Bolvig. Kimberly is a member of the Leadership Forum and serves on the Forum's Chair Programs Committee for 2008-2009. The firm's Diversity Committee includes representatives from each office and includes partners, associates, staff and management. Other Committee members are Matt Ames, Lisa Arrington, Peter LeJeune, Mike Edwards, Doug Kauffman, David Miceli, Chris Wansley, Riley Roby, Lisa Sharp and Barrie Wilson.
Hiring and Retention
We participate in a variety of targeted recruiting functions including the Southeastern Minority Job Fair, Sunbelt Minority Job Fair, Lavendar Law, National Black Law Students Association Job Fair and the Atlanta Legal Diversity Consortium. We hold special functions at law schools offering diverse candidates and provide mentoring workshops and pre-law study scholarships to targeted colleges and universities. To support our attorneys in the development of their careers, we provide individual mentoring with an emphasis on fostering early client contact and development of subject matter expertise.
Supporting Clients
Balch & Bingham LLP has seen generations of attorneys mature and season alongside their counterparts in our most important clients. This process continues today and as we present a more diverse picture, so do our clients. We firmly believe this makes us better able to serve our clients and enhances the merit of our counsel. One example of this is the coordination of our female partners with the launch of Southern Company Services’ “Women in Business & Technology,” an organization that gained 500 members in its first year.
Civic and Charitable Goals
Our attorneys and staff support more than 100 charitable and civic organizations in the communities we serve. Our people serve in leadership positions in pivotal groups like the Urban League, YWCA, The Women’s Fund, The United Negro College Fund, The Sickle Cell Foundation, The Magic City Bar Association, YMCA, Operation New Birmingham, Leadership Birmingham, the Urban League, the United Way, Girls, Incorporated, the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, and the Georgia Diversity Program.