Peter Kramer
Partner
At Steel Hector & Davis, the commitment to cultural diversity has been key to the firm’s continuous high ranking. For the third consecutive year, Steel Hector was named the most diverse law firm in the nation in a survey conducted by the National Law Journal, in 2003.
Among the nation’s 250 largest firms, Steel Hector placed in the top five for the most minority partners, and was ranked number one in the nation for the highest percentage and number of Hispanic attorneys in the country: 36.9 percent and 70 percent, respectively.
Much of Steel Hector’s success in advancing diversity is attributable to the firm’s minority recruitment initiatives and the time and attention paid to the development of minority lawyers. As an international firm, Steel Hector recruits attorneys throughout the hemisphere, seeking candidates who will enhance its corporate culture as well as contribute to the firm’s diversity initiatives.
The firm also has been an outspoken proponent of efforts to increase the number of African-American law students in Florida. Steel Hector has publicly argued that law schools need to be more aggressive in recruiting and supporting programs to seek out and develop these students, including efforts such as providing an affordable legal education. Many of the firm’s partners currently work with several law schools to further that goal.
The firm also has a strong tradition of hiring and promoting women, and is committed to ensuring that women gain access to opportunities that pave the way toward career and professional enhancement. Many women have held leadership roles within the firm in areas such as training, administration, and practice groups.
The firm’s Women in Law Group, which was created to facilitate these efforts, conducts workshops and provides networking opportunities to promote career and business development, mentoring, and peer-to-peer exchange of ideas.
Steel Hector & Davis also is committed to accommodating the diverse needs of its employees through alternative work arrangements. The firm is acutely aware of the delicate balance between work and family, and, therefore, provides flexible schedules and work arrangements that enable all of the firm’s attorneys to realize their full potential — both at the office and at home. The firm believes that the office population should reflect the cultural diversity of the communities within which its employees live and work, and that cultural and ethnic diversity in a firm is good business, good policy, and the right thing to do.
From the November/December 2003 issue of Diversity & The Bar®