Diversity & Inclusion
Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion has been one of Bird Marella’s priorities for over four decades. We understand that diversity is essential to creating a dynamic firm culture that is informed by differing perspectives, and to our ability to provide our clients with the highest level of legal service.
A Culture of Inclusion
Bird Marella takes pride in its diversity and is constantly striving to reinforce our inclusive, collegial, and multigenerational culture. With 35% of our partners, 45% of our associates and counsel, and 57% of our support staff identifying as minorities, we value the unique perspectives and backgrounds of our diverse attorneys and staff.
Diversity Committee
Our Diversity Committee, comprised of partners, associates and staff members, works to support diversity and inclusion both within the firm and the community through service, advocacy, and education. Among its many initiatives are efforts to promote and support local organizations focused on diversity issues, in addition to supporting BIPOC-owned local businesses.
The Diversity Committee also works with our Pro Bono Committee to identify and partner with organizations to address systemic issues of inequality and support organizations committed to the advancement of marginalized communities.
All attorneys and staff are eligible to receive billable credit for time devoted to volunteering with charitable organizations with racial justice or diversity and inclusion initiatives, or public interest organizations that benefit underserved groups or communities.
Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity
Bird Marella has partnered with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) to serve as the Los Angeles Lead for the LCLD’s Success in Law School Mentoring Program. The LCLD is a 320-member national organization consisting of general counsels and managing partners of law firms devoted to creating a more diverse legal profession in the United States.
The Success in Law School Mentoring Program serves first-year law students from diverse backgrounds, matching them with mentors from local LCLD Member Organizations who provide guidance and strategies for success in law school and beyond. Through a combination of individual and group mentoring, LCLD gives talented law students the mentoring they need to reach their full potential.
As the City Lead for Los Angeles, Bird Marella has assumed primary responsibility for coordinating with law firms and law schools throughout Los Angeles to facilitate the program’s individual and group mentorship to local 1L law students.
Honors
We have been recognized by national legal publications as one of the best law firms for minorities in the country, and our lawyers are consistently recognized as among the top women and minority lawyers in Los Angeles and California.
- Best Law Firms for Minority Attorneys, Law360
- Most Influential Women Lawyers, Los Angeles Business Journal
- Most Influential Minority Attorneys, Los Angeles Business Journal
- Top 100 Women Lawyers, Daily Journal
- Top 50 Women Lawyers, Daily Journal
- Trailblazer Award, Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association
- Impact Lawyer of the Year, Asian Pacific American Legal Center
- Women’s Summit Nominee, Los Angeles Business Journal
- Law Firm Diversity Award, National Asian Pacific Bar Association
- Compass Award, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity
Affiliate Organizations
Since the firm’s inception, Bird Marella and its attorneys and staff have worked closely with organizations committed to improving diversity and social equality and providing leadership and mentoring opportunities for minorities.
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
- American Constitution Society
- American Friends of the Hebrew University
- American Jewish Committee
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Southern California (AJ SoCal)
- Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance (APAWLA)
- Bet Tzedek
- California Minority Counsel Program (CMCP)
- Council of Korean Americans
- Disability Rights Legal Center
- Hispanic National Bar Association
- Homeless Health Care Los Angeles
- Inner City Law Center
- International Association of Korean Lawyers (IAKL)
- The Jewish Foundation
- Korean American Bar Association (KABA)
- Korean American Coalition (KAC)
- Korean American League for Civic Action
- Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB)
- Korean Community Lawyers Association (KCLA)
- Lambda Legal
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD)
- Lennox Educational Advancement Foundation
- LGBTQ+ Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
- Mexican American Bar Association (MABA)
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
- National Asian Pacific Bar Association (NAPABA)
- Network of Korean American Leaders (NETKAL)
- One Justice
- People Assisting the Homeless (PATH)
- Public Counsel
- South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (SABA-SC)
- Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCLA)
- St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church Vestry
- Teach Democracy
- US-Korea Law Foundation
- Verbum Dei High School
- Western Center on Law & Poverty
- Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA)
Committee Leadership
News & Insights
Nicole Rodriguez Van Dyk Named a Top Women Lawyer
Bird Marella partner Nicole Rodriguez Van Dyk has again been recognized in the Daily Journal‘s Top Women Lawyers list. Ms. Van Dyk, a highly sought after litigator who …
Monday, June 24, 2024
Go to the postNicole Rodriguez Van Dyk Named Among Top Women Litigators in the Nation
Principal Nicole Rodriguez Van Dyk has been named among Benchmark Litigation‘s national list of Top 250 Women in Litigation. The list features the top women lawyers “from …
Thursday, August 3, 2023
Go to the postDaily Journal Names Julia Cherlow to 2023 Top Women Lawyers List
Principal Julia Cherlow has been named to the Daily Journal’s 2023 list of Top Women Lawyers. Ms. Cherlow has developed an impressive practice in entertainment and complex commercial …
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Go to the post