Ongoing Commitment to Diversity

Ryan Swanson’s greatest asset is its people. They come from diverse cultural, social, ethnic, religious and racial backgrounds. The firm’s commitment to hiring a diverse workforce is supported by the firm’s culture of community and family. This is demonstrated by the many professional and charitable activities in which our attorneys engage, as well as the number of alternative work schedules/career paths for lawyers raising children or caring for family members or partners.

The hiring, development, retention and promotion of diverse talent for long-term employment in the firm is a focal point of the firm’s Professional Recruiting Committee. The Committee strives to hire a diverse class of summer associates each year, and considers diversity when examining candidates for all positions. In fact, over the past five years 62% of the firm’s hires have been women and over 14% have been minorities. Reflecting the diversity of the communities in which we work and live is an important goal and one in which the firm takes seriously.

Ryan Swanson is particularly proud with respect to our diversity among women. Women attorneys have led some of Ryan Swanson’s most visible committees and practice groups, and are active in a number of women’s organizations in the legal community. Ryan Swanson prides itself on its success in the development and promotion of women in particular to positions of authority within the firm.

As of June 2010, 30% of the firm’s attorneys and 55% of the firm’s employees were women. Specifically:

• 50% of Associates are women
• 50% of Of Counsel are women
• 60% of Contract/Special Counsel attorneys are women
• 12% of Members are women

In 2009, the female attorneys at Ryan Swanson formed a women's group to facilitate networking and professional development in the community. The group meets regularly to plan social events where they can reconnect with existing clients, meet new business leaders and support local organizations. The goal is to develop new relationships and to support one another in the pursuit of personal and professional goals.

Similarly, Ryan Swanson supports the development of minority attorneys in the firm. Currently, 14% of the firm’s employees are minorities. The firm is particularly proud of the diversity in its Immigration Practice Group, which includes attorneys and paralegals with varying backgrounds and language abilities. Developing a similar mix within other practice groups is an ongoing endeavor among the firm’s management and Professional Recruiting Committee.

Ryan Swanson attorneys are active participants and members of a number of organizations promoting diversity. These include specialty bar associations and similar organizations, networking events, and charitable functions and fundraisers. The firm also financially supports our individual attorneys’ marketing efforts targeted to diverse cultural communities, as both outreach and support of our attorneys.

A sampling of our recent past and ongoing commitment to supporting diversity in the local legal and business communities are listed below:

Internal & External Leadership & Involvement

• Susan Rae Fox, Chair, Professional Recruiting Committee
• Janet H. Cheetham, Chair, Immigration Practice Group
• Robin A. Schachter, Co-Chair, Seattle Women Franchise Network
• Robin A. Schachter, Member, Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle ("MAMAS")
• Kristin Nealey Meier, Britenae Pierce & Robin A. Schachter, Members, King County Washington Women Lawyers

Summer Associate Recruiting

• Minority Job Fair
• Seattle University
• University of Washington

Minority Bar Association Involvement

• Asian Bar Association
• Korean American Bar Association
• Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington
• Vietnamese American Bar Association

Other Women/Minority Association Participation

• King County Washington Women Lawyers
• MAMAS
• Women Business Owners
• Women Franchise Owners

Women/Minority Charitable Involvement/Contributions

• Access to Justice
• British American Business Council
• Canada America Society
• King County Washington Women Lawyers
• MAMAS
• Northwest Immigrants Rights Project
• PSBJ Women of Influence
• Vietnamese Student Association
• Women Business Owners
• Women Franchise Owners

The firm has also committed to working with clients to routinely staff its matters with female and minority attorneys. This commitment is an opportunity to further the development of female and minority lawyers in conjunction with client diversity goals.