Diversity

The strength of the firm’s success lies in our dedication to integrating the differences in expertise, perspective and professional and civic backgrounds of our professionals as part of our practice.  We practice law, and formulate positions and strategies for our clients, collaboratively in a way that capitalizes on that diversity.  Our ingrained culture reflects an ongoing, continuing effort to recognize and appreciate our professionals, and a dedication to foster their development and success.  To this end, the firm is dedicated to fostering a positive and creative environment that attracts talented individuals with diverse experiences. 

At Van Ness Feldman, diversity encompasses a wide range of characteristics and life experiences, including gender, age, race, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, political affiliation, marital status, physical ability, military and government experience, education, and family relationships. The firm’s goal is to maintain a work environment where the unique attributes, perspectives, backgrounds, skills, and abilities of each individual thrive and contribute to our collective success.

Among our ongoing efforts, we strive to recruit and retain the highest caliber attorneys, policy professionals, and staff available from a broad array of backgrounds.  The firm’s diversity initiative is led by a committee composed of professionals from throughout the firm, and its efforts help inform the hiring process.  In addition to our ongoing hiring efforts, in 2010 the firm established a Diversity Scholarship Program which awards scholarship grants to law students at law schools in the Washington, D.C. and Seattle, Washington areas. 

Meet our Diversity Committee:

Howard Feldman

Sean Jamieson

Cheryl Feik Ryan

Mona Tandon

Asha Venkataraman

David Yaffe