Marbet Lewis, Spiritus Law

We've been watching powerful headlines that spotlight the words diversity and inclusion for the past couple of years. However, the substance of those words can often be clouded and weakened. I am a Hispanic female. I am a Hispanic female attorney practicing in the alcohol industry. I am also a Hispanic female business owner. Is this rare? Yes. The legal field, and especially the alcohol industry like many others have been traditionally dominated by men in various sectors and predominantly in management positions.

But I believe that beyond my minority status in a field and industry where I am outnumbered, it is my obligation to my predominantly minority legal team and my sisters, nieces and daughter to rise above the wrongs of the past and commit to creating a workplace that not just promotes diversity and inclusion but actually equalizes opportunity.

Using strong words like diversity and inclusion in our everyday lives and in our business platforms is important but giving those words meaning beyond what our hiring statistics look like to what our work environment feels like should be our true purpose. I recall the quote by Laura Miller, a small business executive, who said, “Diversity is about creating an environment where a person can bring their whole self to work.”

I left Big Law to start what was at first a niche industry firm with my husband, and he and I have been able to focus on fostering an innovative workplace that requires collaboration and facilitates equal opportunity for all our team members regardless of sex, gender identity or ethnicity.

How do we do it? We prioritize diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our brand, business development and management — even adopting a name that not only plays on some of the unique work we handle but also our emphasis on individual spirit and grit.

We manage projects and clients through collaborative teamwork with very diverse team members that rotate their management and leadership roles. We not only train our team members in client management and business development, we give them a platform and opportunity to develop and test their skills and ideas in real life settings with clients and business partners. We offer remote workspaces and integrate new communication technology we're developing to enable our team members, especially new parents, to define their own work-life balance.

I take great pride in being able to draw from my life experience, personal and professional, to build an environment where we and our team members are only limited by our own motivation. Engaging in this global movement also requires seeking out organizations, like Women of the Vine & Spirits, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering and advancing women in the alcohol beverage industry, and getting involved not only to help fly the diversity and inclusion flags but also emphasize the true purpose of our effort.

Our goal is equal opportunity. Hearing and absorbing the experiences of other women across a very saturated industry encourages support and tolerance of each other so that we can also stop being our own worst enemies and choose instead to raise and promote each other. The thing about law in general and specifically the alcohol industry as a whole is its ability to evolve and morph completely with changes in technology, our economy and our national culture.

Incorporating different viewpoints, experiences and ideas leads to creativity and progress, making the effort to succeed in this ever-changing field much more manageable.

Not only do I believe that women should help other women succeed, I believe Hispanic women should help other Hispanic women succeed. I recently spoke at the Latina Lawyers Summit: Trailblazing, Empowerment and Leadership along with several impressive and accomplished Hispanic women leaders. We engaged in a candid conversation on career journeys, challenges and triumphs with other members of the Hispanic National Bar Association-Region VIII. After even almost shedding some tears with these gritty women, I couldn't be more confident in my commitment to owning what diversity and inclusion should mean and should do for us and our clients.

Our commitment to realizing the substance of a diverse and inclusive workplace positively impacts the depth of options and quality of work we provide to our clients, and ultimately our bottom line. At Spiritus, our edgy approach to immersive project management supports the ability to provide comprehensive regulatory guidance in high-risk industries governed by highly technical rule and often outdated regulations. We bring our legal experience and insight to the conference room as a team, and we require that every person be given the opportunity to be heard and more importantly to lead.

Our clients benefit from our diverse collaboration and the innovation that comes with hearing and accepting different perspectives and solutions to achieving common goals. Through this process, our team can effectively utilize their experience to foster industry innovation and shape the regulations governing our clients' businesses.

Whether working with foreign or domestic producers or local real estate developers on new hospitality venues opening in our community, it's our holistic approach to including diverse people, diverse experience and diverse opinions in our representation that maximizes the best results for our clients and fortifies our working relationships.

My parents were children when they arrived with my grandparents as political refugees from Cuba in Miami to start from scratch. They really made the best of it, and seeing that struggle encouraged me to value education and independence but also the importance of providing opportunity to those that want to learn and succeed.

But the path we take isn't just for ourselves — we can choose to build a road map for those that follow in our respective industries. Not all will achieve their goals or succeed. Not all will welcome the challenge or collaboration. But those that do should be provided with equal opportunity to develop, advance, engage and most importantly lead.

Marbet Lewis is a founding partner of Spiritus Law in Coral Gables. She started working with the alcohol industry as a law student.