Inclusion & Opportunity

We believe that fostering an inclusive environment not only strengthens our team but also enhances the quality of service we provide to our clients. Our inclusion initiatives are designed to ensure that diverse perspectives are welcomed and valued at all levels of our organization.

Benesch is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, alienage, citizenship status, ancestry, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, medical condition, pregnancy and breastfeeding, physical or mental disability or other handicap, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state or local law. This policy governs all aspects of employment including, but not limited to, hiring, assignments, promotions, discharges and other terms and conditions of employment.

In addition, it is the firm’s policy to provide an environment free of unlawful harassment of any kind, including that which is sexual, age-related, racial or ethnic.

In support of the firm’s commitment, the Executive Committee established an Inclusion & Opportunity Committee and endorses the key values developed by the committee. These key values are designed to promote an environment in which differences are respected, employees are treated fairly and individual skills and talents are valued.

The firm’s efforts are focused in the following areas:

• Education: Increase awareness and appreciation of the unique attributes each individual brings to our firm.
• Retention: Foster an environment that allows all individuals to excel and advance in their profession.

• Community Engagement: Deepen our impact beyond the firm by partnering with organizations that advance inclusion and opportunity, while also encouraging and supporting our attorneys and staff in their own community service, pro bono work, board leadership and civic participation.

Benesch is proud of its commitment to inclusion and the successes that commitment has generated, both historically and today:

• Beginning in 1966, Robert Coplan, one of Benesch’s name partners, helped start Cleveland Scholarship Programs (CSP), a non-profit organization that provides educational opportunities and supports workforce development for Greater Cleveland through a broad range of financial aid and advisory programs. The firm remains a very active supporter of CSP.
• Benesch was one of the first law firms in Cleveland to conduct inner-city high school recruiting for administrative staff.
• In 1986, Benesch became the first major Cleveland firm to name a woman to its Executive Committee.
• Currently, female partners chair or co-chair the General Practice Group, Corporate Practice Group, Labor & Employment Practice Group, Retail & E-Commerce Group, the White Collar Group and the Executive Compensation & Benefits Group.

• Multiple Benesch partners have served as the president or on the boards of affinity bar associations such as the Southeast Asian Bar Association (SABA) of North America, Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, Ohio Women’s Bar Association, Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law and the Black Women’s Lawyers Association of Northern California.  

• Benesch partners have served as active board and executive committee members of The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, formerly the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) for more than three decades. The firm supports and is involved in the Diversity Center’s mission of fighting bias, bigotry and racism.
• An African American partner at the firm was appointed Chairperson of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) by President Donald Trump. He was reappointed in 2019 by the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives to his fourth consecutive six-year term on the CCR and was previously appointed by President Bush to the National Labor Relations Board, where he completed his term.

Benesch is involved in many programs and initiatives, including:

• Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD)
  • • The LCLD is an organization of more than 265 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners—the leadership of the profession—who are committed to ensuring all talent thrives, with the ultimate goal of building a diverse and inclusive legal profession.
• Affinity Bar Association Initiatives
• The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio 
• The National Federation for Just Communities
• Athena Awards – International organization that recognizes women and men for helping women reach their full leadership potential
• Minority Corporate Counsel Association
• Mansfield Certification
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
• e-Women Network
• Anti-Defamation League
• YWCA
• Human Rights Campaign Northeast Ohio

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Additional Information:

For more information about our firm’s inclusion efforts, please contact Juan Morado Jr., Margo Wolf O’Donnell and Charanjit Brahma, Co-Chairs of Benesch’s Inclusion & Opportunity Committee.

Juan Morado Jr. at jmorado@beneschlaw.com or 312.212.4967.

Margo Wolf O’Donnell at modonnell@beneschlaw.com or 312.212.4982.

Charanjit Brahma at cbrahma@beneschlaw.com or 628.600.2241.