Our Firm

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

We at Beck Redden hold a deep, ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We know that having a diverse team enhances the quality of legal services we provide to our clients, sustains our standing as a premier trial and appellate law firm, and enriches our firm community.

While these principles have guided us as a firm from our founding to this day, we are increasingly reminded that our system is not what it should be. As lawyers, we have a duty to ensure that our legal system of justice truly provides equal protection under the law, and that the bar reflects the community it is charged to represent. We celebrate diversity in all forms – backgrounds, interests, ideas – and do not discriminate based on ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, race, religion, age, physical ability, or any other group. We have been challenged to consider how we can help shape our future and bend the arc of justice towards the equity that has proven so elusive. We know that Beck Redden has a vital role to play.

To that end, Beck Redden has committed to take the following steps in our quest for a more just and equitable society.

Internal Initiatives:

First, we recognize that change must start with us. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is championed from the highest levels, from our Executive Committee, to our Hiring, Professional Development, Pro Bono, and active Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Committees comprised of lawyers who regularly meet to discuss and execute diversity-related initiatives and strategy of the firm, including:

  • Houston Bar Association’s 2021 Gender Fairness Commitment
    We are committed to taking concrete action to regularly evaluate and improve our organization’s performance in our pursuit of gender equality. To read more about this commitment, click here.
  • Beck Redden 1L Diversity Fellowship
    As part of Beck Redden’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we are proud to offer a 1L Diversity Fellowship to outstanding first year law students. The Program seeks future trial and appellate lawyers who are members of groups underrepresented in the legal profession. Fellows will receive a paid 1L Summer Associate position (minimum six-week commitment; compensation commensurate with first-year associate) and an award of up to $30,000 to assist with law school tuition. To learn more about this merit-based fellowship, click here. We are always seeking to improve, and our DE&I Committee leads us in an ongoing review of our hiring and retention practices so that we can foster an environment where talented and diverse individuals can flourish.
  • Firm-Wide DE&I Training
    We have begun a program to invite subject matter experts to conduct firm-wide training on issues of implicit bias, mentorship, wellness, inclusive leadership, among other topics. We brought a subject matter expert in to conduct firm-wide training on the issue of implicit bias. We recognize that we still have much to learn. Our commitment, above all others, is to do more listening than talking, more understanding than explaining. We commit to having the difficult conversations that will lead to a world where there is truly liberty and justice for all.
  • Women’s Initiative
    We have established a Women’s Initiative dedicated to promoting the advancement and development of our female attorneys at every level of their legal career by ensuring that our female lawyers have every opportunity to advance within the firm and by developing successful networking opportunities for our women lawyers.
  • Work/Life Resources & Inclusive Benefits
    Beck Redden benefits include same-sex coverage, gender-neutral paid parental leave, family-friendly events, and support for nursing moms.
Community Involvement:

We strive to proactively cultivate a diverse and inclusive environment through leadership and client and community outreach. Our lawyers are leaders in the profession, with a legacy of holding some of the highest positions in the bar and in the community. The firm supports and/or is involved in an ever-growing list of organizations dedicated to the promotion and advancement of underrepresented and minority groups, including:

  • Anti-Defamation League
  • Association of Women Attorneys
  • Center for Women in Law
  • Houston Hispanic Bar Association
  • Houston Bar Association Gender Fairness Committee
  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
  • National Association of Women Judges
  • South Asian Bar Association
  • State Bar of Texas LGBT Law Section
  • Texas Minority Counsel Program – State Bar of Texas
  • Women’s Energy Network
  • Women in Law Empowerment Forum

 

Alexander_Fields-sml
Fields Alexander 713.951.6220
Raffetto_Mary_Kate-sml
Mary Kate Raffetto 713.951.6223

shutterstock_425795761

Learn More About Our Summer Associate Program

Summer Associates
Share