Diversity and Inclusion Statement
To provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, Lee Smart strives to:
At Lee Smart, a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace is where all employees and
volunteers, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or
identity, education, or disability, feel valued and respected. We are committed to a
nondiscriminatory approach and provide equal employment and advancement opportunities in
our departments, programs, and worksites. We respect and value diverse life experiences and
heritages and ensure that all voices are valued and heard.
We’re committed to modeling diversity and inclusion for the entire Legal sector and to
maintaining an inclusive environment with equitable treatment for all.
To provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, Lee Smart strives to:
- Ensuring the well-being of our staff and those we serve.
- Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and
services, and continually update and report organization progress. - Explore potential underlying, unquestioned assumptions that interfere with
inclusiveness. - Advocate for and support board-level thinking about how systemic inequities impact our
Firm’s work and how best to address that in a way consistent with our mission. - Help to challenge assumptions about what it takes to be a strong leader at Lee Smart
and who is well-positioned to provide leadership. - Practice and encourage transparent communication in all interactions.
- Commit time and resources to expand more diverse leadership within our board, staff,
committee, and advisory bodies. - Lead with respect and tolerance. We expect all employees to embrace and express this
notion in workplace interactions and everyday practices.
Lee Smart abides by the following action items to help promote diversity and inclusion in our
workplace:
- Pursue cultural competency throughout our organization by creating substantive
learning opportunities and formal, transparent policies. - Improve our cultural leadership pipeline by creating and supporting programs and
policies that foster leadership that reflects the diversity of American society. - Develop a system for being more intentional and conscious of bias during the hiring,
promotion, or evaluation. Train our hiring team on equitable practices. - Include a salary range with all public job descriptions.
- Challenge systems and policies that create inequity, oppression, and disparity.