Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

To foster community and encourage dialogue around DEI topics, Michael Best’s DEI Committee supports a network of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) under our Leaders, Engineers & Attorneys for Diversity effort. Our ERGs are employees who identify as part of an underrepresented or traditionally marginalized group and allies. Participation is to open to all interested attorneys and staff.

Our ERGs offer a space for employees to discuss DEI-related topics and provide opportunities for professional development, mentorship, networking, and community engagement. ERGs also work to advance the firm’s DEI goals and promote cultural awareness and education on inclusive best practices.

Women's Initiative

In 2007, a group of women partners launched our Women’s Initiative, which focuses on identifying and addressing issues of particular concern to women at Michael Best, and in the legal profession in general. Attorneys and professionals of all gender identities are encouraged to participate in and support our Women’s Initiative programs through our Women’s Development Group (WDG).

Best Pride

The Best Pride group supports the firm’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) employees through community building, allyship, education, and professional development opportunities. Members of Best Pride work to identify opportunities for cultural awareness and education on LGBTQ+ inclusive best practices.

Minority Network

The Minority Network supports members of our firm who identify as part of a historically underrepresented or marginalized race or ethnic group. Members of the Minority Network also convene under affinity networks centered on different racial and ethnic identities, including our Asian/Pacific Islander, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latin, and Middle Eastern/Northern African groups. Members of the Minority Network work to identify opportunities for advancement of the firm’s DEI goals.

Michael Best Parents & Caregivers

This group expands the community of support for employees who balance caregiving with professional demands. Members discuss topics and concerns of being working parents and caregivers, including lessons learned from the unique circumstances presented by COVID.

Every year, our innovative Patent Engineering Internship Program gives engineering and science students a chance to work alongside Michael Best’s intellectual property professionals, performing patent work.

In 2023, we added a Diversity Scholarship as part of our program, which we promoted across the country with strategic outreach to student affinity groups and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

We offer a supportive career path for our ESAs to work toward becoming future attorneys in the firm, and many of our ESAs have gone on to become partners.

Michael Best’s DEI Scholarship initiative provides financial scholarships for law students each year. Recipients are awarded a scholarship for their second and third year of law school after successful completion of the Michael Best summer associate program. The application process is open to all law school students who fulfill the scholarship’s eligibility requirements.

Michael Best Strategies (Strategies), a consulting affiliate of Michael Best, launched its Public Policy Internship in 2021. Created in partnership with HBCUs, the program offers an educational and supportive experience for students to gain exposure to public policy and government affairs work. Interns work directly with Strategies leadership, being assigned a mentor and a sponsor for the 10-week program, and also collaborate with clients.

Strategies also offers the Scholars Internship program, which supports paid internships in Business & Government and Public Affairs & Digital Media. This is an invaluable opportunity for students in government, political science, public policy, communications, business, and marketing.

We work to not only recruit new talent, but also help develop future generations of leaders. Michael Best is a member of organizations such as the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms, the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI), and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), which promote inclusiveness and diversity in the legal profession.

Since joining the LCLD in 2018, we have steadily increased our participation, including in leadership development programs such as LCLD Fellows Program and the Pathfinder Program. Michael Best also partners with organizations such as the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), and the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce to provide leadership development support.

Michael Best’s progressive HR policies, such as generous paid parental leave, alternative work schedules, remote work, and domestic partner benefits, appeal to lawyers and professional staff seeking an inclusive workplace. Our “career lattice” approach to professional development gives attorneys flexibility in considering partnership or another track at different points in their lives.

Our internal policies and benefits continue to evolve. Recent additions include a policy designed to foster a supportive, productive environment for transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals; options for personal pronoun self-identification in email signatures; and fertility and family-forming benefits.

We recognize that by donating our time, skill, and experience, we can help strengthen our communities and bring about meaningful change for people facing extreme challenges. Every year, Michael Best coordinates a firmwide volunteer day called Best Efforts. This provides an engaging, meaningful way for everyone in our firm to give back to our communities as part of a team

Michael Best attorneys provide pro bono services to many charitable, arts, and civic organizations that positively impact people’s lives every day. We also support the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (LFAA), the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge Initiative, and provide pro bono services through court systems, state bar associations, and legal aid organizations.