Diversity Through Community Involvement



The firm has been involved in organizations and activities such as:

• Advising and mentoring the Black Law Student Association at Vanderbilt University.
• Sponsoring the 2006 Vanderbilt University Law School team for the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition of the National Black Law Students Association.
• Hosting our annual seminar for minority students at Vanderbilt University Law School, regarding career development within a law firm.
• Sponsoring the 2006 Nashville Bar Association Diversity Summit, a program that focused on hiring, recruiting and retention solutions.
• Hosting the 2006 National Black Law Students Association Southern Region's executive board meeting for students traveling from Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Puerto Rico.
• Hosting annual salutes to female and African-American executives.
• Serving as a PENCIL Partner for Antioch Middle School in Nashville and providing various services including donations, support, tutoring and awards. The students of Antioch Middle School are predominantly minority, including large Hispanic, African American and Asian populations.
• Sponsoring a free CLE to train lawyers to take pro bono immigration cases representing unaccompanied immigrant children. 

We have been honored with awards such as:

• The 2008 Human Rights Campaign Community Leadership Award for partner Sam Felker.
• The Nashville Bar Association's Minority Opportunities Program 2006 Leadership Award.

Additionally, our attorneys hold key positions in important organizations:

• Wendy Warren is the former chair of the Nashville Bar Association Minority Opportunities Committee.
• Sam Felker is the chair of the Tennessee Federal Club of the Human Rights Campaign, a lobbying and advocacy group for gays and lesbians. He was also a founder and former president of the GLBT Chamber of Commerce in Nashville, a founding incorporator of the Stonewall Bar Association of Tennessee, and holds a position on the Nashville Metropolitan Board of Health.
• John Speer is the co-chair of the Memphis and Shelby County Bar Association's Diversity Task Force.
• Keith Simmons, our Managing Partner, was a presenter for the "Overcoming Mid-Size and Small Firm Challenges" seminar in San Francisco in 2006. He discussed the unique challenges to recruiting and retaining diverse attorneys for small and mid-size firms, including how to implement new strategies and methods.