Founded in 1997, Wood Smith Henning & Berman, LLP has grown from one office to 27 offices nationwide and internationally. Built on the core philosophy of one goal – achieving the best results for our clients, we grew and consistently met this goal by employing the key tenets of our practice – namely communication, both strategic and practical; achieving a 90% success rate in litigation; providing quality, value and effectiveness in all facets of our representation; and providing ingenuity and innovation in our case handling. While all of these key tenets are invaluable, the one tenet that makes us who we are is the people of WSHB. Throughout our history we have been guided by recruiting exceptionally talented attorneys who combine exceptional legal training with real life experience. This is also true of the paraprofessional, administrative and support staff that rounds out our firm across the country.
While diversity, equality and inclusion have always been at WSHB's core, and as such, has been recognized nationally by professional organizations such as the Defense Research Institute (2014 Law Firm Diversity Award) and the American Lawyer’s 2020 Diversity Scorecard (one of the most diverse firms in the country), we as a firm have reflected on the question are we really a diverse, equal and inclusive firm? The dynamics of this conversation, by its nature, revealed uncomfortable truths. This openness to examine who we are as a firm has provided us with an opportunity to find the right response. To meet the ideals that will allow WSHB to emerge as a national leader of a truly diverse and inclusive firm, we are excited to announce the formation of the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Task Force led by partner Gregory Arakawa. The Task Force has, in its organizational phase, identified specific initiatives to improve our recruiting and mentoring of attorneys, para-professionals and support staff from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, initiatives are being developed to address any operational shortcomings in fulfilling these goals. Recognizing the difference between the concepts of diversity and inclusion we will strive to make sure that all voices are part of the conversation.
