A Unique Service from Duane Morris to Help Clients Achieve Best Practices in Diversity and Inclusion

The business case for creating and sustaining a corporate culture of diversity and inclusion is clear:

  • Working teams comprising members of diverse age, physical ability, gender, national origin, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, family status, work experience and working style are more representative of customers and clients. These teams benefit from improved decision-making and problem-solving.
  • Research demonstrates that the financial performance of large organizations with diversity at senior levels have higher returns on equity correlated with greater diversity.
  • Pursuant to Section 342 of the Dodd Frank Act, covered federal agencies (including the SEC and FDIC) have developed “best practices” by which regulated entities may conduct annual self-assessments of diversity and inclusion policies and practices. While compliance with these standards is “voluntary,” compliance is likely to be viewed favorably in the evaluation of such entities by the regulating agencies.
  • Many corporate clients require their service providers and other contracting businesses to have robust diversity and inclusion programs as a condition of doing business, and they consider such programs when making contracting decisions.

Implementing a Sustainable Diversity Program with the Duane Morris DIAL Toolkit

With our well-developed toolkit and years of experience in this field, along with the firsthand knowledge gained from our own development of a successful diversity and inclusion program, Duane Morris can assist your organization in creating and sustaining a program that allows your organization to derive the benefits of diversity and inclusion. We offer a wide range of services related to diversity and inclusion, including:

  • Developing diversity and inclusion mission statements.
  • Reviewing corporate strategic plans to ensure that diversity and inclusion are considered with respect to recruiting, hiring, retention and promotion.
  • Creating diversity and inclusion policies and practices that comply with applicable law.
  • Developing best practices for leadership to advance the diversity and inclusion initiative in the organization.
  • Designing and implementing diversity and inclusion training programs and other educational opportunities on equal employment opportunity, generational issues and cultural competencies.
  • Offering training on the existence of implicit bias and its long-term impact on organizations.
  • Establishing outreach programs to minority, women and other diverse organizations and educational institutions.
  • Ensuring that internal policies and practices are consistent with voluntary Dodd-Frank compliance and other compliance obligations.
  • Ongoing monitoring and training on the ever-expanding regulatory landscape for both optional and mandatory diversity and inclusion- related requirements.
  • Creating employee mentoring programs.
  • Reviewing risks associated with implementing affinity programs for employees.
  • Creating a supplier diversity policy that provides a fair opportunity for minority-owned and women-owned businesses to compete for business and services contracts.
  • Developing best practices for increasing, managing and monitoring utilization of diverse vendors, including outside counsel.
  • Developing a model for self-assessment and weighing the legal risks of collecting diversity-related data.
  • Designing a custom recruiting/retention/promotion template designed to mitigate and interrupt biases and to ensure greater success in recruiting and retaining diverse candidates.
  • Developing affirmative action programs for government contractors and subcontractors, advising contractors regarding affirmative action compliance and representing contractors in Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) audits.

For More Information

If you have any questions about the Duane Morris DIAL toolkit or any of the other diversity and inclusion services offered by Duane Morris, please contact Thomas G. Servodidio, Vice Chairman of the firm; Joseph K. West, Duane Morris’ Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer; Eve I. Klein, Chair, Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group; partners Linda B. Hollinshead or Michael S. Cohen; any of the attorneys in our Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group; or the attorney in the firm with whom you are regularly in contact.