Kori Carew of Seyfarth Shaw

Taking on a newly created role, Kori Carew recently joined the international law firm Seyfarth Shaw as its first chief inclusion & diversity officer, according to a Seyfarth news release.

Touting Carew, an attorney, as a “sought-after authority” on inclusion and diversity, the Am Law 100 firm pointed to Carew's seven years of experience as director of strategic diversity Initiatives at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, where she successfully helped lead the large firm's charge for diversity and inclusion before joining Seyfarth.

Under Carew's leadership, Shook Hardy earned dozens of relevant accolades, noted Seyfarth, such as Shook's 100% scores on the Human Rights Council's Corporate Equality Index and its inclusion on “Best Law Firms for Women” list published by Working Mother magazine.

At Seyfarth—where Carew will be based in the Chicago headquarters but will work all of the firm's 10 U.S. offices, including New York—Carew will be tasked with both “advancing Seyfarth's inclusion and diversity strategy” and “accelerating” an existing portfolio of programs and external partnerships, according to the firm.

The firm said in its lengthy news release about Carew and her newly created job that she is a “sought-after authority on inclusive leadership, cultural fluency, having courageous discussions on difficult topics, and how best to empower and equip diverse talent for success.”

“Kori is an impactful leader who will bring even greater focus to our efforts and drive our continued success in creating a more inclusive and diverse culture—which is critically important to our people, our clients, and the firm at large,” said Pete Miller, Seyfarth's chair and managing partner, in the July 8 news release.

“Kori is exactly the leader we envisioned for this important role,” added Gerald Pauling, co-chair of Seyfarth's diversity & inclusion action team.

Carew, meanwhile, outlined some of the reasons why she came to Seyfarth.

“Every belonging, inclusion and diversity professional desires to work with a committed team, leadership that has their back, and a culture willing to lean in to discomfort if that's what it takes to move forward. For me, Seyfarth checks all the boxes,” she said in the release.

Seyfarth itself has grown over the years from a firm specializing in labor and employment law to a larger firm practicing in a broad array of areas. It has more than 850 attorneys in 15 offices today, the firm noted in the release.

Carew was a trial attorney and a law firm partner early in her career, said Seyfarth, where she was “actively engaged in diversity and inclusion initiatives.”

Saying that she has “over 25 years of experience facilitating solutions to difficult diversity and inclusion obstacles,” the law firm also said that Carew is “known for her bold and creative approach to problem solving.”

Andrew Cooper, vice president, chief legal officer for UPS Airlines, is referred to in the news release as a former client of Carew's, and he states in the release that “for years I have watched with admiration as [Carew] leans forward—and even pulls forward—international firms, and a broad array of other industries, towards achieving aggressive D&I objectives.”

It was unclear from the Seyfarth release exactly when Carew began in her newly created role at the firm. Carew received her JD, order of the barristers, from Drake University Law School, and her B.A. from Westmar University, the release said.