Barnes & Thornburg Change Agents

KELLY ATKINSON

Office Administrator, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, Columbus

What are you doing to move diversity and inclusion forward in your professional and/or community endeavors?

I am proud to support the firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts by serving as its diversity and inclusion coordinator and helping with specific initiatives in the Columbus office as its office administrator. We do a lot of work around gender equity in the legal industry that began with a partnership with the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio a few years ago. I love being a part of a firm that puts time and money into investing in its talent, and that recognizes the beauty of everyone’s differences.

I also encourage inclusion initiatives beyond my work within the firm. As diversity chair of the Association of Legal Administrators Columbus Chapter, I’m working with the past presidents council and two other amazing D&I leaders in Columbus legal to create an educational seminar this fall to help legal administrators and marketers understand how they can create inclusive cultures in their own firms. I also lead a church home group designed to connect people with diverse perspectives around commonality of belief while creating a feeling of being valued and loved.

Indeed, helping others see their own value and how they fit into something bigger than themselves is my passion and what I pursue in any capacity I choose to serve in.

What is the change you want to see as a result?

In my dream world, all people treat others as important and worthy of respect. I want the legal industry to become more inclusive to all of its talent. Every single perspective matters and can help create more holistic solutions.

What advice would you give to others about inclusion?

To be inclusive, you don’t need to accept every single thing about another person. You don’t need to agree on everything. You don’t even have to like other people. You simply need to RESPECT them. My love for Jesus certainly drives me to respect anyone and everyone, but I believe humanity should embrace civility at its core regardless of religious beliefs.

DYLAN PITTMAN

Associate, Litigation, Indianapolis

What are you doing to move diversity and inclusion forward in your professional and/or community endeavors?

I lived and worked in Spain for about a year and a half before returning to the United States for law school. Since graduation, I have tried to combine my knowledge of Spanish and law in ways that help the community. Until last year, I spent one Saturday morning each month as a volunteer intake attorney at the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, where I fielded legal questions from Indy’s Spanish-speaking population and gave on-the-spot advice.

More recently, at Barnes & Thornburg, I’ve used my Spanish to give pro bono assistance to low-income clients. I find that work very rewarding. I have also tried to assist the diversity and inclusion efforts of my alma mater, the Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Beyond this, I have tried to assist underrepresented children. As a board member of Friends of Riley Program at Riley Hospital for Children, I have helped organize several fundraising events.

What is the change you want to see as a result?

Having lived and worked in multicultural settings both abroad and at home, I appreciate the experience of living and working with people from various backgrounds. In general, I want to see more heterogeneity in the contexts that matter, particularly universities and workplaces. By growing up and thriving in diverse environments, I think society will come to view diversity as not just a business imperative, but also a moral imperative.

What advice would you give to others about inclusion?

Diversity and inclusion are all of our responsibility. Thus, we must embrace self-reflection. For an organization (including ours) to truly become more inclusive, we all must begin to question what we say and do and the motivation underlying both. We have to ask ourselves, “Are we being truly respectful of people of all backgrounds?” If the answer is “no,” then we have to change. Keeping our personal responsibility top of mind, I think, helps make the value of diversity and inclusion a little more concrete.

CHRISTINA BAUGH

Partner, Litigation, Atlanta

What are you doing to move diversity and inclusion forward in your professional and/or community endeavors?

For more than a decade, I’ve served on the board of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL) and the GAWL Foundation, which help to promote, mentor and develop women attorneys and create opportunities for the women lawyers we serve to promote themselves before clients, judges and other attorneys.

This year, I am honored to serve as GAWL’s president. Through GAWL (and other leadership positions I have the privilege of holding in Atlanta), my goal is to do what I can to advocate for greater representation and exposure of women and minority lawyers, as well as younger attorneys, at all levels, which affords them more control over their career journeys and helps put them in positions of influence relative to the profession as a whole.

What is the change you want to see as a result?

I want to see a profession that resembles the communities in which we practice. I want to see a profession that welcomes those who are willing to work hard and take on the grueling hours and often thankless task of helping protect peoples’ legal rights, regardless of the form in which the question presents itself.

An attorney should not look one way, nor should an attorney think one way. The practice of law is best served through a multitude of ideas and backgrounds, looking at and evaluating the facts and law as it exists, and evaluating where to take things next. The way to reach that is to practice with people who don’t look like us, don’t think like us, don’t vote like us, and more.

What advice would you give to others about inclusion?

First, there should be a seat at the table for everyone willing to work to get that seat and keep that seat. Second, it’s been said that the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing, but expecting a different result. If you want to make a change, try actually making a change. Thus, we must open our thinking to the idea that everyone has a different starting point, which will lead to a different path.

With the right support and guidance, everyone can get to the same end goal - doing amazing legal work for our clients.

JORDAN WEINSTEIN

Partner, Intellectual Property, Washington, D.C.

What are you doing to move diversity and inclusion forward in your professional and/or community endeavors?

One thing you want to know about me: I attended a law school founded by women, and a majority of my classmates were women. I have dedicated my entire practice to trademark law, where I have always had female colleagues, role models and mentors. Gender diversity and inclusion is something I’ve lived my entire career.

In the IP practice group, diversity and inclusion are being “baked in” to all our processes: hiring, training, promoting and leadership. Every strategic conversation we have should include the question, “What does this mean for diversity?” I am making sure I am asking these questions and in doing so, holding myself accountable and pushing for all of us to do the same.

What is the change you want to see as a result?

I want to see us progress, as a firm and as a profession, from knowing it to owning it. We become what we do consistently, so let’s become inclusive.

What advice would you give to others about inclusion?

1. Look around you! Who is at the table? Who is missing? Why?

2. Question the ladder to our profession. Diversity in the upper echelon begins long before people join our firm. That’s where mentorship and encouragement must start too.

BRIAN JARMAN

Partner, Intellectual Property, Indianapolis

What are you doing to move diversity and inclusion forward in your professional and/or community endeavors?

Advancing diversity and inclusion has many different facets. It begins with being familiar and comfortable with yourself, and then, challenging the status quo. You might challenge just yourself, your colleagues, or even your neighbors.

I have looked for opportunities to share my own journeys and help others with their journey. This means looking for opportunities to create diverse Barnes & Thornburg teams to serve clients, helping clients with their own diversity and inclusion efforts, and engaging in our community as a member of the firm.

What is the change you want to see as a result?

We all want to belong to a community where we are accepted, where we can work toward becoming our best selves, and share our talents to accomplish shared goals. I want us to have that in our homes, our jobs, our communities, and our interactions with our clients.

What advice would you give to others about inclusion?

Inclusion begins with yourself. It’s challenging to include others and embrace differences when there is insecurity in yourself. Find others who are working toward a similar goal and share in the struggles, share in the successes, and share in the growth. The journey is hard by yourself; don’t go it alone.

AMBER BOLLMAN

Director of Client Services, Indianapolis

What are you doing to move diversity and inclusion forward in your professional and/or community endeavors?

I co-chair the firm’s LGBTQ talent resource group and sit on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. I’m also active in the community, as a former board member for Indy Pride and as a co-chair for Lambda Legal’s Indiana Benefit (for the third year), and I also contribute to Lambda and other organizations on a personal level and volunteer for various events and activities when I’m able.

Because of my platform within the firm, I’ve been able to get involved in some interesting diversity-focused events. Last year, I organized a diverse panel of firm attorneys and staff for a luncheon with students from Franklin College’s Aspire Program, which allowed students who may not have otherwise considered a career with a law firm a glimpse at the diverse cross-section of talent we have at Barnes & Thornburg and the broad array of roles that are available. A few months later, I was able to speak to a group of students about my personal journey and the ways in which my own diverse status (as an openly gay woman and as a first-generation college student) has impacted my career.

What is the change you want to see as a result?

Big picture, I think the change I want to see is for avenues of success, power and leadership to be available to a much broader group of people than they have been historically. I want to look at the highest levels of not just law firms, but of business, academia, government, and community leadership and see a more diverse set of voices and experiences reflected and valued.

I want every young person, regardless of their demographic data or their backstories, to look ahead at their lives and feel like there are no limits on what they can accomplish. I want them to feel like all possibilities are open and available - and perhaps most importantly, to feel confident that, regardless of what path they choose to pursue, they will be given a fair opportunity to succeed.

I don’t want any young person to have their potential stifled or to have a goal and second guess themselves. I don’t want them to ever feel like they will be judged or disregarded in any way because of the unique qualities and experiences they bring to bear. I think any steps we take in this direction - by being visible as diverse people, by being better allies to those who are different from us, by using the levers of power that we may hold in a way that is more fair and equitable - are worth taking and will keep us moving toward a better world.

What advice would you give to others about inclusion?

Think broadly about inclusion, what it means, and when there are opportunities to put it into practice.

A truly inclusive environment should be built from the ground up in the way we interact with one another every day. It’s in the decisions we make about who to invite into important conversations - or to lunch, for that matter.

It’s in the decisions we make about who to consult for advice on matters large and small. It’s in the decisions we make about who to take on high-profile tasks or lead meetings or send praising emails. The choices we make in those moments send a message to everyone around us that we are either welcoming and inclusive and receptive to new energy, or that we are happy with the status quo and see no need for fresh ideas or perspectives that might diverge from our own.

I would challenge us all - myself included - to constantly look for opportunities to be more inclusive and to broaden the circle of friends and colleagues with whom we interact.

KRISTEN RICHER

Partner, Litigation, Los Angeles

What are you doing to move diversity and inclusion forward in your professional and/or community endeavors?

I have been fortunate enough to take a leadership role in the firm’s Drug and Device Litigation Practice Group, the leadership of which is predominantly women and minorities. Because the group has grown substantially in just the last few years, it has presented a unique opportunity to roll up my sleeves and help shape team structure and team culture in a way that promotes diversity and facilitates new opportunities for diverse attorneys. Those are values that the firm shares, but getting to take such an active role in laying that foundation in a large and quickly growing team has been a special experience.

In terms of our firm culture, I have felt incredibly supported in those efforts, and have been encouraged to take on responsibilities that help foster long-term diversity and inclusion in our practice. It is important to me that I seek those opportunities for my mentees to ensure that I am facilitating that same climate of growth for the young female attorneys who work on my case teams.

What is the change you want to see as a result?

I consider myself very fortunate to be part of a team that recognizes that different attorneys have different strengths – both interpersonally and professionally – and that there is no one-size-fits-all model for being a successful and effective attorney. I would like to see a greater shift toward that mind-set in the profession because so many of us grew up in a culture that pushes sameness on those fronts.

It is also important that we learn to adapt as a profession, because the rigidity and demands of the legal profession are challenges when it comes to retaining diverse talent and creating a sustainable workplace. The legal industry needs to continue to evolve toward a model that is more flexible when it comes to individuals’ personal lives, alternative work structures, and flexible work arrangements. Barnes & Thornburg’s focus on promoting conversations regarding these issues, and its push to establish and promote attorney wellness initiatives are steps in the right direction.

What advice would you give to others about inclusion?

Given the nature of the legal market and the pressures that attorneys face to deliver, produce and excel, there really is no quick fix to the diversity and inclusion issues we face as a profession. True progress on this front requires that we take ownership of the process, and that we actively seek out opportunities to mentor and champion others to promote the diverse and inclusive environment we are trying to build.

I feel very fortunate to be part of the Drug and Device Litigation Practice Group, which has done an excellent job of implementing this approach, and working to ensure that diversity and inclusion mean more than just the statistics we put in RFPs and firm marketing materials.