Diversity Information

Timeline

April 10, 1910: Formation of Henley, Matson & Gates
May 1910: Ford Motor Company referred a matter to the Firm and received file No. 110.
January 1, 1912: The Firm moved to the new Consolidated Building on North Pennsylvania Street
June 1917: Clara Seyfort Swango joined the Firm and managed the Firm's books. She worked at the Firm until 1947.
September 1929: Harry Ice became an associate of the Firm
November 15, 1937: Jim Donadio joined the Firm
1950s: Merle Miller and Alan Nolan were instrumental in the founding of the Indiana affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union
1960: The Firm moved from the Consolidated Building to the New Fidelity Building at 111 Monument Circle
1963: The Firm changed its name to Ice Miller Donadio & Ryan
1972: Margaret Attridge Young became the first female attorney
1979: Margaret Attridge Young became the first female partner
April 10, 1980: The Firm marks its 70th anniversary. There were 83 lawyers supported by a staff of 85 full-time and 8 part-time or temporary employees
1982: First African-American associate joins the Firm
1988: Myra Selby elected the first African-American partner
1988: First female partner serves on the policy board
2001: Ice Miller had the highest number by percentage (23.7%) of female partners in a survey by the National Law Journal of the top 250 firms in the United States. In 2005, this increased to 25%.
2004: Melissa Proffitt Reese named the Firm's first female managing partner.
2004: The Firm received the Marion County Bar Association's Commitment to Corporate Diversity Award.
2004: Ice Miller was named one of the twelve "Best Places to Work in Indianapolis" by Indianapolis Monthly magazine
2006: Ice Miller was ranked 30th out of the top 100 law firms in the country for diversity (2006, MultiCultural Law magazine)

Where would we be if everyone saw things the same way? There would be no new ideas.

At Ice Miller LLP, we believe diversity is recognizing that there is value and strength in the differences among us. Diversity of perspectives and experiences strengthens our ability to address our clients' legal and business needs in a global marketplace. Ice Miller is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment that respects, values and supports individuals of all backgrounds.

Diversity is not just our policy, it's our practice.

Ice Miller's Commitment to Diversity in the Workplace

Ice Miller has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to equal opportunity in the legal profession. During the 1970's, Ice Miller was one of the first major firms in the State to elect a woman to partnership. We were the first major firm in the State to vote a minority female into partnership. We also were the first among the major law firms in the State to have a female serve as managing partner. Of the top 200 law firms in the United States, only 9 percent of managing partners are women.

These "firsts" grew out of a culture that began with one of the founding partners, Harry Ice, who was deeply committed to the principles of fairness and equal access. Today, we work with a strong commitment toward achieving cultural diversity and equal opportunity through the focused efforts of our diversity committee.

Ice Miller has been recognized among the national and local legal community for our efforts. In 2006, Ice Miller was ranked 30th out of the top 100 law firms in the country for diversity (2006, MultiCultural Law magazine). The ranking is based on the number of African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, women, disabled and openly gay attorneys in the Firm. We rank 7th among the top 50 law firms in the country for diversity based on the number of women in the Firm; 34th among the top 100 law firms in the country for partner diversity; and 15th out of the top 25 law firms for Disabled Americans (2006, MultiCultural Law magazine).

In 2004, we received the Marion County Bar Association's Commitment to Corporate Diversity Award. Ice Miller invests in the community it serves through financial support and the dedication of personal time and resources. Ice Miller has also been recognized as a community leader for our dedication to providing pro bono legal services. In 2003, Ice Miller received the Indianapolis Bar Association's Pro Bono Recognition Award. In 1999, Ms. Myra C. Selby, a partner at Ice Miller who served as the first female Justice on the Indiana Supreme Court, was appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court to chair the Indiana Supreme Court Commission on Race and Gender Fairness. The Commission is charged with ensuring race and gender fairness and diversity in the judiciary and the legal profession.

In 2004, Ice Miller was named one of the twelve "Best Places to Work in Indianapolis" by Indianapolis Monthly magazine. Indianapolis Monthly surveyed 72 companies and based on these surveys, identified only twelve companies in and around Indianapolis who go beyond the status quo in their dedication to their employees.

Ice Miller has a very aggressive recruiting effort to hire and retain a diverse workforce. To further these efforts, Ice Miller actively participates in: a summer internship program along with the law department of a local company that specifically recruits diverse students; on campus educational programs; CLEO and ICLEO (the Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity/Gateway to Diversity); undergraduate internship programs; and minority recruitment job fairs/minority bar associations. Ice Miller partnered with the Career & Educational Network (CEN) to produce a video about careers in law available to subscribing high schools through CEN's program. The Firm has a formal mentoring program managed by an internal professional development committee, to foster and promote professional development and healthy working relationships.

At Ice Miller, we believe diversity is recognizing that there is value and strength in the differences among us. Diversity of perspectives and experiences strengthens our ability to address our clients' legal and business needs in a global marketplace. Ice Miller is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment that respects, values and supports individuals of all backgrounds.

Minority Recruitment

Ice Miller maintains a very aggressive recruiting program targeted toward minorities. Below are examples of the programs in which we participate.

On Campus Educational Programs

Ice Miller conducts presentations for minority law students attending Midwestern, Ivy League and minority law schools. The presentations are focused on resumé writing, the culture of law Firms and interviewing skills.

Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity/Gateway to Diversity

Ice Miller works closely with the ICLEO program. The program assists minority, low-income and educationally disadvantaged college graduates in pursuing law degrees at Indiana law schools. The Firm makes a presentation to incoming first year law students to guide them through the interview process.

Undergraduate Internship Program

Realizing that the number of minorities entering law school is very low, Ice Miller has initiated a program to encourage undergraduate minorities to attend law school by having them participate in a paid internship program. We are encouraged by the initial interest generated among the students. A past participant of this program joined the Firm as an associate in the class of 2002. Additionally, other participants chose to attend law school, a goal of the program, but did not return to Indianapolis to practice.

Minority Recruitment Job Fairs/Minority Bar Associations

Ice Miller is an active participant in the Cook County Minority Job Fair and the HNBA's Latino Law Student Job Fair. In addition, the Firm participates as an exhibitor and speaker at minority bar association programs.

Professional Development Committee

It is generally recognized that the most effective way for a new lawyer to develop practice skills and to learn about a Firm's culture and values is through one-on- one mentoring relationships with more experienced lawyers. We assign each new lawyer an "official" Firm mentor, and structure our practice groups and project work groups in ways that are designed to promote professional development and healthy working relationships. For more information on the Firm's commitment to professional development, click here.

Diversity Committee

The Firm's recently developed Diversity Committee is working on several new initiatives to enhance the Firm's ability to recruit and retain minority lawyers.

In addition to the Firm's recruiting activities, the Diversity Committee supports a number of community events including:

The Indiana Black Expo has been a pillar of the African-American community for 37 years. Its mission is to be an effective voice and vehicle for the social and economic advancement of African-Americans.
The Indiana Business Diversity Council is one of Indiana's leading supplier diversity organizations. The primary mission of the IBDC is to promote and cultivate successful minority enterprises within the Indiana business community. The IBDC serves as an advocate for the economic well-being and growth of IBDC-certified MBEs, while also providing a direct connection for corporation who are committed to purchasing products and services from IBDC-certified MBEs.
The National Association for Women Business Owners is the premier organization for women business owners which serves to strengthen its members, build strategic alliances, create effective changes in business culture, promote economic development and transform public policy to support women entrepreneurs.

The Women-In-Law Conference and Diversity-in-Practice conferences are presented by the Indiana Lawyer. Ice Miller serves as a proud supporter of both events.