We are grateful to our colleagues who lead our internal diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as diversity-based Affinity Groups. It is through their leadership that has positioned us to foster a culture of belonging through celebrating authenticity. Leveraging their leadership, we are able to create a platform that allows us to grow together.
Asian & Pacific American Lawyers
The Asian & Pacific American Lawyers Affinity Group is intended to increase the firm community's understanding of the challenges and experiences of our Asian & Pacific American (A&PA) attorneys. This affinity group is also intended to create a space for open dialogue and discuss the unique challenges A&PA professionals face within the legal profession. The goal would be to cultivate understanding, belonging, and support to facilitate greater empowerment, find strength in their own voices, and become a better advocate for themselves and for those around them.
Contact: Neal Seth
Black Lawyers
The Black Lawyers Affinity Group works to provide an opportunity to cultivate relationships among lawyers who self-identify as Black or of African descent, in order to improve ongoing efforts involved in recruitment, networking, career development, inclusion, and retention in the workplace. The goal of this group is to engage, across all levels of seniority, in understanding key issues that group members face and counsel new ways to make necessary improvements and changes to ensure that all members can work and grow successfully within the Firm.
Contact: Jerita Salley
Latinx Lawyers
The Latinx Lawyers Group is an informal group of attorneys from diverse backgrounds that meets occasionally to allow partners to provide mentoring to associates on career advancement and business development issues and to allow attorneys to share experiences.
Contact: Edgar Class
LGBTQ and Allies Lawyers
The LGBTQ & Allies Affinity Group is open to all Wiley attorneys and is intended to be an internal forum for attorneys to openly discuss issues of interest to attorneys and law students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. The group has many goals, including:
- promoting a healthy work/life balance for members of the LGBTQ community;
- promoting a healthy and inclusive work environment for LGBTQ attorneys;
- raising awareness within the firm of issues concerning the LGBTQ community and in particular issues and challenges affecting LGBTQ lawyers;
- serving as a resource for LGBTQ issues and as a point of contact between the firm and the LGBTQ community at large, including coordinating pro bono opportunities for the firm;
- increasing the visibility of LGBTQ lawyers to members of the firm;
- creating and fostering informal mentoring relationships to support the professional development of LGBTQ lawyers and summer associates;
- partnering within the firm to identify opportunities with LGBTQ clients and client initiatives within the LGBTQ community;
- partnering with legal recruiting to identify ways to promote the firm with LGBTQ law students and lateral hires and to act as a resource for legal recruiting to refer LGBTQ candidates during their decision-making process.
Contact: Duane Pozza
Minority Lawyers
The Minority Lawyers Affinity Group is an informal group of attorneys from diverse backgrounds that meets occasionally to allow partners to provide mentoring to associates on career advancement and business development issues and to allow attorneys to share experiences.
Contacts: Laura El-Sabaawi and Derick Holt
Parents-in-the-Law & Allies
The Parents-in-the-Law Affinity Group is open to all Wiley attorneys, and aims to foster discussion about managing the demands of the practice of law with the demands of raising a family. The goal is that the group will become a valuable resource for Wiley attorneys in all stages of parenthood—from those weighing decisions about becoming parents, to expecting and new parents, as well as parents to children of all ages. The group strives to be over-inclusive and actively seeks the participation of veteran parents of grown children who are willing to counsel, advise, and offer mentorship to other attorneys navigating the unique challenges of simultaneously practicing law and parenthood.
Contact: Kate Dickerson
Veterans
This Veterans Affinity Group provides a forum for U.S. Veterans to meet to share their ideas, network internally and externally with other Veteran organizations, and provide a resource for our recruiting efforts in identifying and helping to encourage candidates with prior military experience to choose Wiley.
Contact: Scott Felder
Women's Forum
The Women's Forum Affinity Group is an informal group of attorneys from diverse backgrounds that meets occasionally to allow partners to provide mentoring to associates on career advancement and business development issues and to allow attorneys to share experiences.
Contacts: Laura El-Sabaawi, Rachel Alexander, and Eve Reed