Fox Rothschild has implemented a new sponsorship program for associates who identify as members of underrepresented groups to enhance the firm’s efforts surrounding retention and more equitably support their professional growth and development.
Created through a collaboration with Kimberly Bullock Gatling, Fox’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, and external consultant Dr. Arin Reeves from Nextions, LLC, the sponsorship program aims to transcend mentorship and coaching and focus on long-range and high-impact influence.
“Through the creation and implementation of the sponsorship program, we want to show our historically underrepresented attorneys that we believe in their potential for achievement and are invested in their success,” said Gatling.“We recognize that successfully serving our clients and providing them with the highest caliber of legal services requires professionals with diverse backgrounds, unique lived experiences, and varied perspectives. One of the many goals of this program is to open the lines of communication to create teams that include those individuals,” added Gatling.
Launched in October 2022, the pilot class includes 13 associate/partner pairings throughout the firm’s 29 offices. Each protégé is paired with a partner who can positively influence and impact the associate’s career and experiences at the firm. A group comprised of the Firmwide Managing Partner along with members of the Talent Management and Business Development Departments and the DEI team collaborated to select and match each sponsor and protégé.
At the program’s launch, Dr. Reeves provided tailored sponsor and protégé trainings focused on maximizing the effectiveness of the relationship. The pairs have since been diligently working together to develop pipelines and books of business, deepen and broaden their relationships with colleagues throughout the firm, and grow and enhance the skills necessary for long-term success at Fox.“Historically, underrepresented attorneys have fewer opportunities to connect with mentors and sponsors,” said Gavin Skok, Fox’s Seattle Office Managing Partner and a sponsor in the program. “We are now able to create and offer meaningful opportunities for work in areas of interest for the protégés and to provide a safe environment in which lasting connections can be made, questions can be asked, and, at the end of the day, we can learn from and grow with each other.”“I recognize this may sound like a commercial, but the best thing about Fox is that it doesn’t just talk about DEI. The firm has really listened to me and my colleagues and taken affirmative steps, like this program, to create opportunities for those who want them,” said associate protégé Meeghan H. Tirtasaputra. “My sponsor regularly checks in with me and is supportive of me in pursuing my goals as an attorney.”The program provides accountability to the firm’s overall DEI goals including integration of diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels of firm operations and to embed them throughout firm culture.“By focusing on transparency, training, and sponsorship, we are creating a pathway for members of historically underrepresented groups to ascend to positions of leadership across the firm. We are extremely proud of this program and are looking forward to its continued evolution in the years to come,” concluded Gatling.
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