Haynes Boone Partner and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer Sharon Jones was featured in a Law360 article discussing the firm’s new DEI billable credit and bonus policy. Below is an excerpt:
Haynes Boone announced Friday that it had implemented a new policy that awards billable-hours credit for advancing the firm's diversity, equity and inclusion goals. …
Sharon Jones, the firm's chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, told Law360 Pulse on Monday that, in December 2020, Haynes Boone committed itself [to] 11 actions for meaningful change. One was to assign value to DEI.
"What we wanted to do, because we've had policies ... to encourage people to spend time on DEI-related initiatives," she said. "And we considered it in terms of compensation and promotion, but it was more subjectively done. And so what we did in December 2020, after we made this goal, is we started to focus on how can we make this more real to our attorneys." …
In addition to the new DEI billable credit policy, Haynes Boone says they plan to continue awarding separate annual bonuses to attorneys who "have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to DE&I."
"I really think that is not only innovative but important to communicate the value of DEI," Jones said.
To read the full Law360 article, click here.
