Baker McKenzie launches race and ethnicity task force

Baker McKenzie has launched a global race and ethnicity task force, which will work across the firm’s 77 offices in 46 countries and in concert with the firm’s efforts at a regional level, to help implement and operationalise programs to advance racial and ethnic diversity.

“Advancing racial and ethnic diversity has always been one of our most important D&I priorities and this task force will strive to effect change and to really make a difference,” Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort (pictured), chair of the firm’s global diversity and inclusion committee, said.

The fask force will be led by Miguel Noyola, based in Baker McKenzie’s Chicago office, and members include Claudia Benavides, who is based in Bogotá; Anna Brown (New York), Sunny Mann (London), Anna Mello (Rio de Janeiro), Yoshiaki Muto (Tokyo), Veleka Peeples-Dyer (Washington DC), Joyce Smith (San Francisco), Kate Stonestreet (London) and Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort (Frankfurt).

The task force will oversee allyship and anti-racism training; sponsorship of the firm’s black colleagues and members of other underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, the law firm said in a statement. 

It will also oversee a review of the firm’s recruitment and client programs.

The task force’s work will also closely be connected to Baker McKenzie’s program on social mobility and diverse pipeline efforts and will help progress other important D&I programs, the firm said.

“As a firm we are proud of what we have achieved together on gender diversity and on LGBT+ inclusion. We can and must also make similar progress on racial and ethnic diversity,” Ulmer-Eilfort said.

“Change starts from within, and we must all embrace the need for change together. We are encouraging everyone to learn, reflect and work to become a more active ally. We need to open our minds and our hearts to the experiences of our Black community — there is so much for us to learn, to understand, and to reflect upon before change happens,” she added.