GT is proud to commit $5 Million over the next five years to support programs that address the causes and effects of systematic racism in our society, and seek to provide impoverished communities and individuals economic, social, and cultural rights.  One of the marquee components of this commitment will be supporting GT’s Equal Justice Works fellows dedicated to addressing racial, social, and economic justice issues.

GT has updated guidelines for the firm’s U.S. associates intended to reward and incentivize participation in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as well as Community and Civic activities effective July 1, 2020. Associates will receive up to 50 hours of billable equivalent credit for work on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives and 25 hours for activities that serve to advance Community and Civic interests. The firm’s associates also receive 100 hours of billable equivalent credit for pro bono legal work, 25 of which are mandatory for associates.

Greenberg Traurig has rolled out the Social Justice Action Academy with aims to: 

• Educate and train GT employees on matters of race, justice, and equity;
• Facilitate and encourage Courageous Conversations on the topics of race and social justice; and
• Drive forward meaningful change consistent with the action plan.

The Equality Toolkit, a key Academy offering, is designed to address the need for education, resources, and information to equip members of the GT community to be leaders within the firm, with our clients and business partners, and the communities in which we work and live on topics of race, inclusion, and equity.

The Academy’s “Courageous Conversations” includes a series of internal and external programs where we will have the chance to hear about personal experiences, as well as what others are learning – all with the goal of elevating our collective empathy and creating positive change.

Past guests and topics include: 

Read "Over 125 Firms Have Joined the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance." (subscription).

In May 2021, GT joined The Alliance for Asian American Justice (The Alliance). The Alliance is a national pro bono initiative committed to providing legal support and advocacy to victims of anti-Asian hate.

Comprising Fortune 1000 general counsel and top law firms throughout the country, The Alliance is designed to coordinate and drive pro bono resources from member firms on behalf of victims to assist and support them in obtaining legal remedies. Victims of anti-Asian hate crimes often lack access to legal services and support due to language and cultural barriers, among other inhibiting factors. The Alliance has said it will work with victims to bring lawsuits seeking compensatory and other civil remedies or to collaborate with law enforcement so that those committing the attacks are brought to justice. The Alliance will also help victims find specialized legal services, social services, and other community support.

The Alliance also works in collaboration with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and other frontline legal, civil rights, and community organizations.

GT was one of more than 60 law firms that signed on to the Houston Bar Association's Gender Fairness Commitment, making a pledge to increase the number of female partners and firm leaders.

The pledge tasks firms with developing an internal set of "specific, objective criteria" that will be used for evaluating and promoting women to leadership positions, and also asks that they develop and promote policies that will aid the advancement of female attorneys and achieve gender parity.

In addition to those three objectives, the pledge asks the participating law firms to work toward achieving four other goals: to have processes under which feedback can be gathered from employees about the advancement of women; to offer networking, mentoring and client development opportunities to women; to encourage female attorneys to participate in "career-advancing projects" that will prepare them for leadership roles; and to allow flexible work arrangements for all attorneys.

Greenberg Traurig has signed on to McDonald’s pledge to diversify its supply chain. In July 2021, McDonald’s pledged to commit about 25% of its annual domestic supply-chain spending to suppliers that are owned by women and minorities by 2025 along with implementing measures including annual equity and inclusion training for employees, boosting minorities’ representation in leadership and tracking, and sharing efforts to improve equality. Greenberg Traurig proudly shares in this commitment to diversify our supplier base even more in the coming years.

Greenberg Traurig’s Orlando Office was one of almost 100 businesses in Orlando to join its “Take the Pledge” Initiative, the first-ever regional corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion Pledge. This initiative focuses on raising the growth potential of residents by creating opportunities for those long-affected by racial inequality and ensuring pathways for participation in the economy.

By taking the pledge, we are committing that:

• We will educate ourselves, review examples and share insights through partner organizations such as non-profits and educational institutions into the history of systemic racism throughout our region and the barriers it continues to present today.
• We will create opportunities for sessions to listen to those affected and marginalized by these barriers to learn how we can help, with follow up on actionable areas focusing on what’s working, what needs improvement and where we can be most effective.
• We will identify, support, and collaborate with specific non-profits and other partner organizations who work tirelessly in marginalized and vulnerable communities, asking for careful review of work in marginalized sectors in our region and identify the work still to be done.
• We will use our power, influence and position to amplify unheard voices and endorse policies that lead to racial justice and opportunities for all.
• We will improve the employment, training, wage equity, growth potential, advancement, support and success of black and brown people in our workplace, workforce and marketplace, and commit to ways that minority owned businesses are intentionally included in pipeline opportunities. We will pledge to remove barriers, diversify our talent pool and create upward mobility employment opportunities through implementing skills-based hiring as an innovative hiring practice.
• We will continue ongoing conversations with CEOs and executive leaders to collectively address issues of social injustice, racism, and biases in our communities and organizations, confirming within organizations DEI is a strategic imperative with demonstrated commitment and actions.
• We acknowledge the critical importance of accountability to our community and pledge to collaborate in annual efforts to track and report our contributions to the collective (regional) goal of creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive business community.
• We will support efforts to implement effective community-based models that improve conditions within vulnerable communities throughout Central Florida, using our voices and position to amplify and elevate examples of success.

On Friday, June 19, 2020, and Friday June 18, 2021, Greenberg Traurig observed Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, as a firm holiday in our U.S. offices. We do this in continued solidarity with all who seek a better way forward and as part of our Social, Racial and Economic Justice Action Plan.

In June 2020 Greenberg Traurig raised nearly $110,000 for more than 31 charitable organizations focused on racial, social, and economic justice reform. We will continue to coordinate related staff and lawyer volunteer opportunities in furtherance of equity and what is right.