Building a Community of Belonging
It’s not enough to simply say we support the hiring of diverse colleagues – we believe we have a duty to ensure they succeed throughout their careers.
Building an inclusive environment is a team effort. Choate provides its attorneys and business professionals with an environment where they are viewed and treated as individuals. We encourage the exchange of ideas and experiences so we can learn from each other, and so that no one feels that his/her voice must remain silent. The Firm has multiple formal and informal attorney and business professional-led resource groups hold and sponsor multiple events and programs each year, reinforcing our commitment to support and celebrate diverse backgrounds and cultures, both internally and externally.
Some examples include:
- Regular lunches and dinners to create a culture that empowers employees of color by creating safe spaces, providing resources for career development, and creating career-long mentoring relationships.
- A weekend-long retreat for attorneys of color held annually on Martha’s Vineyard for families, including Choate alums.
- Choate’s LGBTQ+ Group promotes a supportive and inclusive environment to ensure all members of the Firm bring their authentic selves to the workplace. It seeks to foster a sense of community for all of its members through regular educational and social events throughout the year and strives to increase visibility and understanding of LGBTQ+ issues across the organization.
- The Choate Women’s Network (CWN) implements initiatives and programming that empower women in law and support women’s professional development through trainings, workshops, networking events, discussions with female leaders, and more.
- Internal educational programs dedicated to grow our own thinking on equity and diversity, and to amplify the thoughts and experiences of others in an impactful way.
Read our full statement on anti-racism.
