Diversity & Inclusion

At R&E, individuality is both highly valued and highly celebrated. Our senior legal management includes gender, ethnic and LGBTQ diversity, and women, persons of color (POC) and members of the LGBTQ community are represented in management of a number of critical areas of Firm services. R&E is focused on enhancing and maintaining an inclusive and diverse firm-wide culture that promotes equal opportunity and prohibits workplace discrimination. We support a culture of inclusion for people of all types, no matter their ethnicity, culture, race, color, gender, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, disabilities, marital status, and veteran status, as well as people of diverse opinions, perspectives, and lifestyles. We are committed to promoting fairness and equality of opportunity within the legal and real estate communities and have been a proud supporter of the LeGal Association (LGBTQ Bar Association of NY) for many years.

R&E is an active member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), an organization of more than 400 members serving as either general counsel of major corporations or managing partners across the country. Click here to read our pledge. LCLD Members lead by example, take action, and challenge the legal profession to prepare future generations of diverse talent for the highest positions of leadership. Through our partnership with LCLD’s scholars program, we have been able to source diverse first-year law students as candidates for our established summer law clerk program.

R&E encourages an active internal dialogue supporting open communication. Following the tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, and the ensuing nationwide protests against racism during the summer of 2020, R&E swiftly responded by organizing a well-attended and highly successful open forum for our employees to voice concerns and for our POC to both educate and inform the Firm’s leadership as to the best practices for firmwide inclusion. We now host quarterly unconscious bias training programs with an outside DEI consultant to raise awareness about unconscious biases and provide our attorneys and staff with the tools to make objective decisions in their professional, firmwide interactions and within the broader legal community at large. The Firm also instituted the official closing of our offices in recognition of Juneteenth and regularly sponsors and participates in industry events focused on DEI to stay educated on emerging DEI trends, best practices, and legal developments, ensuring we remain at the forefront of DEI efforts in the legal profession.

We support the efforts of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and remain committed to denouncing all acts of hate that have been triggered by the coronavirus. Recently we sponsored and attended the Asian American Judges Association of New York’s Annual Gala. R&E will continue to support this community as we honor our ongoing commitment of making the New York legal industry more inclusive for all.