Carrington Coleman is committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workforce. This matters to us— not only to create an open working environment where all members of our team feel they have a place they can succeed, but also to ensure we are providing our clients with the best work product possible by incorporating varying backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives.

Our History

The firm has a history of intention when it comes to moving the diversity needle in the legal profession.  In the 1970s, it was one of the first firms in Dallas to hire women attorneys, beginning with the Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn, former Chief District Judge and current Senior District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. One of our founders, Jim Coleman, was honored by the Dallas Women Lawyers Association with the “James E. Coleman, Jr. Her Champion Award,” which is awarded annually to a male attorney in recognition of his support and dedication to advancing women in the legal profession. In May 2020, Monica Latin was voted by the partnership as the firm’s first woman Managing Partner, a position only held by only 12% of women according to the American Bar Association.

Firm Policy

Carrington Coleman has a diversity and inclusion policy in place promulgated by its Executive Committee with approval and support of the partnership. Pursuant to that policy, we have an active Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee with membership at the partner, associate, and staff levels. The Committee is open to anyone at the firm and meets monthly to address diversity goals and strategic diversity initiatives within the firm and in the legal community. The Committee regularly tracks and reports its progress, ensuring transparency and accountability in its efforts. In addition, Carrington Coleman considers diversity an important factor in the selection of experts, court reporters, litigation consultants, and other firm vendors.

Talent Acquisition and Recruiting 

In terms of hiring, we strive to find innovative and creative ways to expand our recruiting efforts and curate a candidate pool that includes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We send information about our firm to affinity groups at several law schools and encourage members of various communities to apply for summer clerkship opportunities. We also recruit from regional minority job fairs, including the Sunbelt Minority Job Fair and the Southeastern Minority Job Fair (SEMJF).

Business Development

We are intentional and strategic in providing our women attorneys opportunities and resources for developing and maintaining clients. The firm supports various women-to-women networking opportunities, including sponsoring women’s networking events. Women are encouraged to join – with the firm’s monetary support – “women’s organizations” such as the Dallas Women’s Foundation, Dallas Women Lawyers Association, and Attorneys Serving the Community, and many Carrington Coleman lawyers have served in the leadership of such organizations over the years. Prior presidents of the Dallas Women Lawyers Association, Marisa O’Sullivan, and the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, Whitney Keltch Green and Jennifer Ryback, are partners at the firm. Partner Katie Anderson currently sits on the Board of the Dallas Bar Association and previously co-chaired the Equality Committee.

The firm additionally encourages and pays the membership dues for any lawyers wishing to join affinity bar associations such as the Dallas Asian American Bar Association, Dallas Hispanic Bar Association, J. L. Turner Legal Association, National Bar Association, Dallas LGBT Bar Association, Lambda Legal, and Dallas Women Lawyer’s Association, and offers its wholehearted support for its attorneys who become involved in such bar activities. Carrington Coleman’s attorneys also hold various leadership roles in affinity bar associations, both at the local and state levels. The firm is also a proud sponsor of various events organized by affinity bar organizations, including the Dallas LGBT Bar Association’s annual “Visibility Ball” and J.L. Turner’s Annual Scholarship Gala.

In The Community

Carrington Coleman is also dedicated to impacting the larger Dallas community. The firm promotes internship opportunities for local high schools and university students, which provides access to valuable professional experience.

We also partner with organizations like Community Partners of Dallas, North Texas Food Bank, Reading Partners, the Family Place, and Children’s Health for an annual, firm-wide service project aimed at creating opportunities for underrepresented and economically disadvantaged people in our community. Carrington Coleman recognizes that fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion is an ongoing and evolving journey. We continually evaluate and evolve our practices to create an environment where our team feels valued and empowered.

DEI Committee