We believe diversity enhances our firm, and our people reflect the multiple communities we serve. Recruiting and promoting attorneys and staff from a wide spectrum of cultural backgrounds enables us to benefit from the diversity of their experiences and heritage. We have built a culture of core values that include treating each other with respect, professionalism and with a high level of integrity.

Our Diversity Committee serves as an extension of these core values. It is comprised of five females, four males and two ethnic minority attorneys, and co-chaired by our firm’s Managing Director, Jamie Smith, and Shareholder, Sandra Zamora.A notable 2011 initiative was the launch of a firm diversity census. This optional, anonymous form allows our attorneys and staff to voluntarily self identify in categories of race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, etc. We will continue to collect this information on an annual basis as part of our effort to increase awareness of our diverse population.

 

We are committed to diversity efforts and awareness outside the firm as well. For example, Cox Smith is a proud sponsor and attendee of the 2011 Texas Minority Counsel Program (TMCP) and the U.S.-Mexico Bar Association (USMBA) 2011 Annual Meeting. The TCMP was created in 1993 with the mission of increasing opportunities for minority and women attorneys who provide legal services to corporate and government clients, and to expose those organizations to the legal talent found in the minority and woman community. The USMBA is a bi-national Bar Association made up of attorneys from both Mexico and the United States with the goals of providing continuing legal education, serving as a forum for discussion of cross-border legal issues and fostering understanding and cooperation among legal professionals from both nations.

 

Our commitment to diversity remains strong throughout an employee's development at Cox Smith. All employees are considered for all positions without regard to gender, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status or age.