Commitment to Diversity
Foley Hoag’s commitment to diversity traces its roots to the founding of the firm in 1943. Henry Foley and Garrett Hoag were determined to hire the very best lawyers, based entirely on individual merit and without exclusion -- an attitude that set them very much apart from others in the Boston legal community of that era. Those twin traditions of excellence and inclusiveness have remained guiding forces in the firm’s culture. We have brought together at the firm lawyers of different backgrounds, skills and experiences, because we recognize that those individuals bring with them a diversity of thought and perspective that enriches the firm’s culture and enhances the quality of our work. We are committed to fostering an environment in which diversity of every type can flourish and in which every lawyer is positioned to thrive.
Recruitment Initiatives
Foley Hoag is a founding member of The Boston Lawyers Group, a consortium of large Boston law firms, and government and corporate legal offices dedicated to increasing the number of lawyers of color practicing in Boston. Foley Hoag’s lawyers are highly active in BLG’s efforts, serving on its Executive Committee, interviewing law students at BLG job fairs, mentoring local first-year law students of color, and participating in career panels and mock interviews held for students at Boston-area law schools. We are also a regular sponsor and participant at conferences and job fairs organized by minority law student groups and other organizations dedicated to addressing the issues of recruitment, retention and promotion of lawyers of color, and we host an annual resume workshop for local first-year law students of color.
Associate Initiatives
The firm is a strong supporter of the efforts of The Partnership, Inc., an organization working to make a lasting change in the Boston community by fostering key relationships among existing and emerging leaders and developing programs to strengthen the retention of minority executives and professionals. Foley Hoag sponsors our associates of color as “Fellows” in The Partnership’s Boston Fellows Program, a nine-month program bringing together professionals and executives of color, providing opportunities to meet and develop relationships with Boston’s most influential people of color and key non-minority decision-makers as well.
The firm has been recognized in a publication entitled “Presumed Equal: What America’s Top Women Lawyers Really Think About Their Firms,” which ranked Foley Hoag 24th in the nation on the satisfaction of women lawyers on the issues of advancement, firm attitudes and atmosphere, and balancing work and family life.
Dedicating Our Resources
As a leader in the legal and business community, we are also dedicated to supporting and expanding diversity throughout the community in which we live and work. We take great pride in the fact that we have been able to employ our own resources and our legal talent to promote the goals of diversity and tolerance.
Foley Hoag recently prevailed in a highly charged and visible lawsuit in which we partnered with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law to challenge the Massachusetts Redistricting Act on the basis that it diluted minority voting strength in the Boston area. This most recent success, which changes the political landscape of Boston, is reminiscent of our representation of plaintiffs over thirty years ago in the landmark case requiring desegregation of the Boston schools. Also, for two decades we defended on behalf of our client, the NAACP, consent decrees implemented in actions to remove barriers to the integration of the Boston Police and Fire Departments, and we continue to work with a variety of cities and towns to assure that they utilize non-discriminatory hiring practices.
We have represented many organizations which empower women or people of color in the United States and abroad to create and foster businesses and other entrepreneurial opportunities in their communities, such as Accion International, the Center for Women and Enterprise, Initiatives for a Competitive Inner City, and others. Our lawyers have assisted the NOW Legal Defense Fund in defending the Violence Against Women Act, and we have worked with GLAD and other organizations to defend the rights of gay and lesbian members of our community. Also, we have represented organizations (such as Arc Massachusetts, formerly the Massachusetts Association for Retarded Citizens) to fight discrimination against the handicapped.