After nearly 30 years practicing law, I launched my law firm in 2010 with the goal of creating a legal workplace where everyone—regardless of race, gender, age, religion or sexual orientation—could reach their full potential practicing law.  When Jessica Mazzeo, our chief operating officer, and I started Griesing Law as a women-owned and women-run firm, there were just three of us on the team. Over 10 years later, we are surrounded by a diverse team of lawyers and other professionals from a variety of different backgrounds and are now licensed in nine jurisdictions. We have helped 500-plus clients including public companies, privately-held businesses, nonprofits, government entities and individual executives, professionals and entrepreneurs. Our team has achieved notable results, we have done so efficiently and economically, and without sacrificing the personal attention we give our clients in an industry that is rarely known for its good customer service. But, that’s the glossy side of the story; there’s a dark underbelly to our entrepreneurial journey as well.

Over the past decade, we have been in the trenches facing bias and discrimination—both directly and systemically—and have worked tirelessly to open doors for our team and other women and diverse-owned law firms and businesses. We are not newcomers to the diversity, inclusion and elimination of bias bandwagon that so many name brands are suddenly so eager to jump onto. We live it every day. Given our experience, the recent trumpeting of these principles by so many big names often causes us to eye roll. We, and other diverse-owned firms like us, know how the playbook goes: organizations make broad claims about tackling diversity, equity and inclusion with no concrete follow-up, change or authenticity.

This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.

To view this content, please continue to their sites.

Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Why am I seeing this?

LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.

For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]