Diversity & Inclusion at Marshall Gerstein & Borun
For more than 50 years, the world’s most respected companies have turned to Marshall, Gerstein & Borun to secure, protect and promote their intellectual property assets. And, we have delivered the highest quality of service to each of our clients with diverse legal teams that are strengthened by our collective commitment to excellence, ethics, collaboration, and inclusion of different perspectives.
We recruit the best minds from all walks of life, and we work hard to maintain a working and learning environment where different perspectives thrive. We do not see diversity and inclusion as firm initiatives; we see diversity and inclusion as values that define who we are and guide what we do. We sustain this focus through the leadership of our Diversity Committee which is chaired by Roger A. Heppermann, a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, and includes a diverse representation of partners, associates as well as leaders from the executive management team. The Diversity Committee members serve as liaisons with the professional development, recruiting, pro bono, and marketing committees as well as the practice groups to ensure that diversity and inclusion are considered and incorporated at every level of the firm’s management and operations. “It is important to us to continually evaluate and fine tune our diversity practices as we strive to fully embrace a multicultural environment. In addition, we have a shared responsibility with our clients and the legal community to engage in sustainable and collaborative action,” said Mr. Heppermann.
As we sharpen our commitment to the core values of diversity and inclusion, we recognize that our efforts have to transcend beyond our firm to the larger legal community in Chicago and beyond. To that end, our firm is actively involved in various organizations that work to enhance the overall levels of diversity and inclusion in our profession and communities. The following is a representative list of the organizations we support:
- AIDS Legal Council of Chicago
- Chicago Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms
- Chicago Committee for Minorities in Large Law Firms
- Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago
- Cook County Bar Association Minority Job Fair
- Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, Women Attorneys in IP
- Lambda Legal
- Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
- Loyola Patent Law Interview Program
- National Black Law Students Association
- National Lesbian and Gay Law Association
- North American South Asian Bar Association
- Women’s Bar Association of Illinois
In addition to the firm’s support of organizations like the ones listed above, many individuals in the firm commit personal time and resources to make diversity and inclusion active values in their professional lives. Jeffrey S. Sharp, the firm’s Managing Partner, is a mentor in the Chicago Committee's Mentorship Academy. "Just as promoting equal opportunity is important to our community, sustaining a welcoming and inclusive culture is important to our firm because it allows us to draw from a broader talent pool in order to better serve our clients," said Mr. Sharp. The Academy is a year-long program designed to bring minority attorneys at all levels together with leaders in law firms to build substantive individual and group mentoring relationships to not only support the professional development of the minority attorneys but to also advance the goal of diversifying the legal community in Chicago.
The Firm is actively engaged in "pipeline" on-campus programs such as the recent “Intellectual Property Law Sneak Peek Day” held at the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign, Illinois. Lynn Janulis, Ph.D. and Gina Bicknell, associates at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP, were panelists and moderators in this unique program. Hosted by the Latino Law Students Association, the IP Sneak Peek Day offered minority and women undergraduate students an opportunity to learn about law school and intellectual property legal careers. During the event students attended a mock law school class and had the opportunity to ask a panel of law students about their law school experiences. Students also participated in lively small group discussions about various IP topics facilitated by Dr. Janulis and Ms. Bicknell among others. The IP Law Sneak Peek Day concluded with a panel discussion where the attorneys described their diverse paths to the IP legal profession.
Firm Partner Paul Stephens was a panelist in a "Roundtable Discussion on Diversity" at the 2008 Microsoft Women and Minority Law Student IP Summit, held in Chicago on October 6. The program focused on career development, recruiting and retention for minorities and women in law firms and corporate legal departments. Microsoft established the forum to provide law students with access to corporate counsel and law firms in order to increase awareness about legal careers in intellectual property.
Julianne Hartzell, firm partner, serves on the Board of Directors for the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms, a non-profit association whose mission is to find and share efficient and effective methods to enhance the retention and promotion of women lawyers and provide support for women's initiatives in law firms. “I am very excited about serving on the Board of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms. The Coalition provides an important forum for communicating ideas and learning from the shared experiences of others to bring about change in the legal community. I am looking forward to the impact the Coalition will have and my role in achieving its goals,” said Ms. Hartzell.
Associates at the firm are also taking an interest in increasing diversity in the legal profession. Jeremy D. Protas, a patent attorney with an emphasis on electrical engineering, recently founded a scholarship for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) law students interested in pursuing a career in patent law. "Diversity in the legal community, and especially in the patent law community, is important to me. My hope is that this scholarship will encourage LGBT law students to consider careers in patent law at firms that share my commitment," said Mr. Protas. Mr. Protas plans to award the first scholarship this fall.
In this highly competitive and increasingly global market, there is a reason that the world’s most creative companies count on Marshall, Gerstein & Borun to secure, protect and promote their valuable intellectual assets. Our diverse teams deliver inspired efforts and excellent results that draw on the many perspectives represented in our firm. This combination of experience, inclusion and innovation makes Marshall, Gerstein & Borun much more than just a legal service provider. It makes us a powerful strategic partner.