Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Is a Core Value

In addition to our care and priority for excellent client service, Miller Nash has a long history of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion both within our firm and in the communities we serve. We work to ensure that diversity—which is essential to understanding varying perspectives, finding creative and effective solutions to our clients’ needs, realizing the best we have to offer, and cultivating a fair society and justice system—is considered and implemented in every aspect of our firm.

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee has developed several initiatives over the years to help us achieve our vision and mission to make real strides in advancing diversity in our profession and community. Some of these initiatives include: 

Mansfield Certification Plus Distinction

To further our commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, we are participating in the Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certification Program, which runs from July 2022 to July 2023. In 2022, we completed the Mansfield 5.0 program and received Certification Plus status, a distinction only awarded to 108 firms nationally. 

The goal of the Mansfield Rule program is to boost the representation of diverse lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these opportunities. Mansfield Certification Plus status recognizes that, in addition to affirmatively considering at least 30 percent women, attorneys of color, LGBTQ+ attorneys, and attorneys with disabilities for recruitment, governance roles, equity partner promotions, and inclusion in formal pitch presentations to clients, the firm has also successfully reached at least 30 percent women, minority, and LGBTQ+ lawyer representation in a notable number of leadership roles and committees.

New to the 6.0 program, Mansfield firms will be required to consider at least 30% historically underrepresented lawyers when appointing to leadership roles and promoting into the equity partnership, among a dozen other activities that focus on the path to leadership. These activities include creating and publishing job descriptions for leadership roles.

Women & Minority Business Enterprise Program

The firm has developed a program that offers our attorneys the ability to support and represent emerging women and minority business enterprises at a reduced fee. Our Women & Minority Business Enterprise Program is designed to attract and retain diverse clients to the firm and to assist our attorneys who have strong connections with diverse clients in the development of their business.

Billable-Hour Credit

We greatly value the time and effort that our attorneys contribute to advancing the hiring, mentoring, development, and advancement of our diverse attorneys, our firm initiatives, and leadership within the community. As such, since 2015 we have been providing each attorney with billable-hour credit of up to 150 billable credit hours for these diversity initiatives, leadership, and pro bono work.

Miller Nash Diversity Fellowship Program

To achieve our goal of increasing and promoting diversity within the firm and within the Pacific Northwest’s legal, business, public sector, and philanthropic communities, we have created a multifaceted diversity program that includes our highly selective Diversity Fellowship. Each year, we make available fellowships to exceptional law students. Each Fellowship recipient receives a paid summer associate position at either our Seattle, Washington, or Portland, Oregon office. After successful completion of the summer associate clerkship, each Fellowship recipient is awarded a $15,000 scholarship. Each recipient may receive a Miller Nash Diversity Fellowship only once.

Learn more about our 2023 first-year law student diversity fellowship here.

Affinity Groups

Miller Nash aims to nurture a robust network of attorneys and staff from historically underrepresented groups to support the retention and growth of our diverse professionals. To this end, our Chief Diversity Officer, in collaboration with our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, created several affinity groups.

Currently, our affinity groups include our LGBTQIA+ professionals, professionals of color, women, veterans, and allies. These identity-based groups offer support and camaraderie, provide professional development and networking opportunities, and host educational events. The affinity groups below are open to all attorneys and staff.

• Allies Affinity Group—Miller Nash’s Allies group provides a space for individuals who want to actively contribute to building a more inclusive and equitable workplace. The group will offer educational resources, opportunities to ask questions, exchange information, and address challenges to better understand the experiences of historically underrepresented groups and the ways in which we can provide support and advocacy.
• BIPOC Affinity Group—Miller Nash’s BIPOC Affinity Group offers a space for BIPOC attorneys and staff members to find community and a place for healing, affirmation, support, and empowerment. This group is centered on joy and was established for BIPOC professionals to be seen, heard, valued, and celebrated. This group also aims to support the retention and advancement of BIPOC professionals through networking, mentorship, and professional development opportunities.
• Kiki Affinity Group—Miller Nash’s Kiki Affinity Group is a safe, supportive gathering of the firm’s LGBTQIA+ attorneys and staff members. This group provides opportunities for its members to meet Queer colleagues, create social connections within the firm, and develop and identify firm and community events that enrich the lives and careers of LGBTQIA+ attorneys and staff.
• Veterans Affinity Group—Miller Nash’s Veterans Group aims to provide a community for and to strengthen relationships among the firm’s attorneys who are current or former members of the military or spouses of military members. The group’s goals include supporting the effective recruitment, retention, and advancement of veteran lawyers, enhancing relationships with firm clients interested in working and networking with our veteran attorneys, and pairing with local and national veterans groups to help veterans in our community.
• Women Affinity Group—The Women of Miller Nash (WMN) Group aims to support, retain, and advance women professionals within the firm. The group will offer a broad range of internal and external programming, resources, and informational opportunities to support the collaboration, professional development, and career growth of women at Miller Nash.

Leaders for Change

Our attorneys serve as leaders in many local minority bar associations and receive full support of the firm as they take on their leadership roles. Current and recent examples of associations where our attorneys have served as board chairs include the Loren Miller Bar Association, WSBA Indian Law Section, Seattle QLaw LGBTQ+ Bar Association, Oregon Hispanic Bar Association, and Oregon Minority Lawyers Association.

Partnering with Our Clients on Diversity

We work with our clients to ensure that we are meeting their DEI initiative goals, staff matters diversely, share best practices, and share trainings we bring in on topics like implicit bias and mentoring diverse professionals. We realize that the most impactful work happens when we partner with our clients and the community to collectively bring real changes to structural inequities.