2015 Diversity Leader
Reed Smith LLP
Headquarters: N/A
Managing Partner: Alexander Y. “Sandy” Thomas
Employees: 3,118
Recent Recognition Includes:
- Legal Week Employee Satisfaction Report, UK’s Best Legal Employers, 2014
- Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Corporate Equality Index (CEI), score of 100 out of 100, and named to CEI’s list of “BEST Places to Work for LGBT Equality,” 2014
- Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers, “Best Law Firms For Women,” 2011–2014
- Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), Gold Standard Certified, 2011–2014
- Chambers USA Women in Law Awards, Top 10 Most Innovative Gender Diversity Initiatives, 2014
- Personnel Today Awards, Innovation in Recruitment, 2013
Tyree P. Jones, Jr
Led by its Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Reed Smith is taking a global approach to creating a truly inclusive work environment, says Tyree P. Jones, Jr., Director of Global Diversity & Inclusion.
“Reed Smith’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee stands at the forefront in the firm’s commitment to in advocate, instill, and uphold a workplace culture that values all employees and provides opportunities for their success. The Committee comprises partners and associates at all levels from our US and EMEA offices, and meets regularly to ensure that the firm’s core business objective of promoting diversity and inclusion is implemented throughout the organization.
“To ensure that diversity and inclusion have the greatest possible impact within our organization, we focus on raising awareness regarding implicit bias and micro-inequities. Such training is effective in helping people realize how unconscious biases can influence their decision-making and developing techniques to “interrupt” those biases. Additionally, our focus on mentoring, developing sponsorship programs, and actively managing the growth and advancement of diverse attorneys benefits the whole organization.
“Reed Smith’s global approach to inclusion is a particularly innovative way to increase awareness among our attorneys and staff of the variety of cultural influences present in our workforce and how they impact our business. The firm provides regular D&I communications, firm-wide diversity training, and recognition of the accomplishments of our minority and women attorneys worldwide. We believe that cultural competencies are at the core of inclusion, making development of that awareness and skill set vital to our business.”
