At Munck Wilson Mandala, we are committed to an inclusive, open, and respectful environment where all personnel are recognized for their achievements and encouraged to realize their fullest potential. Our diversity, or rather, our inclusiveness, makes us a stronger law firm, a more creative law firm, and a law firm that brings to bear varied perspectives, experiences, backgrounds, talents, and interests in the service of our clients.
Munck Wilson Mandala is committed to inclusion with intention.
We prioritize recruiting and retaining diverse and dynamic talent by providing an inclusive and supportive culture, professional and personal development opportunities, and ongoing community outreach efforts focused on diversity and inclusion. By inviting unique and different perspectives, experiences, backgrounds, talents and interests, our team’s diversity and inclusion translates to better service for clients.
Through a proactive recruiting strategy initiated in 2018, we tripled the number of female partners and doubled the number of female attorneys in three years. We were also successful at increasing our minority numbers by seven percent in the same time span. MWM’s current diversity numbers are:
- 40 percent female attorneys
- 18 percent minority attorneys
Walking Our Talk
In August 2018, MWM brought the first S.H.E. Summit to Dallas, a full day event that drew men and women together to learn, connect, and create dialogue around diversity in the workplace, recognizing that to succeed at diversity initiatives, you need diverse people in the room.
The topics discussed included unconscious bias, imposter syndrome, advocating for yourself, and various panels on women’s empowerment. The event drew more than 300 attendees and was highly regarded as one of that year’s most memorable forums focused on diversity and inclusion. MWM brought S.H.E. Summit back to Dallas in 2019 where more than 500 attendees experienced yet another powerful forum on diversity and inclusion with memorable speakers, panels, and presentations.
Since 2019, MWM has served as the title sponsor for the D CEO Women’s Leadership Symposium held annually in Dallas and the firm has been recognized as a leader in the legal industry in implementing successful diversity initiatives. MWM is also highly regarded as firm with a nurturing and supportive culture, winning a position on the highly reputable Inc. Best Workplaces list in 2018 and 2020.
Diversity Focused Organizations/Communities MWM Supports
Black Tie Dinner – MWM corporate partner Randy Ray has been involved with Black Tie Dinner since 2004, supporting the organization as a board member, co-chair, advisory board member, lifetime member, and he has served as the general counsel since 2009. Black Tie Dinner, Inc. is one of the largest LGBTQ fund-raising dinners in the country.
Houston Bar Association Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
The Houston Bar Association’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee has the goal of creating new employment and mentoring opportunities for first-year law students from Houston’s three law schools who identify as racially and ethnically diverse and/or as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. This initiative is an important part of the HBA’s mission to serve the needs of the legal community through a vibrant and inclusive local bar. MWM’s Teresa Hudson is a member of the committee and devotes significant time to this cause.
Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce – Managing partner of our Austin office Michael Rodriguez has been a member of the GAHCC since 2016 and the firm has sponsored and supported GAHCC events.
Native American Rights Fund – MWM partner Richard de Bodo represents Native American and Alaska Native tribes, villages, organizations, and individuals in multiple matters relating to their aboriginal and treaty rights and sovereignty, their lands and resources, their civil rights, their voting rights, and their health and welfare. He has teamed up with and/or represented the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) in a number of these matters.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) – MWM principal attorney Aaron Gottlieb is a regional board member of ADL, an organization focused on fighting antisemitism and bigotry. ADL is a global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online, ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.
Special Committee for Larry Nassar Survivors – MWM corporate and sports law associate Tasha Schwikert is a former Olympic gymnast and co-chair of the special committee for over 500 Larry Nassar survivors. Tasha and her sister Jordan are among the survivors. Tasha works with the committee to advocate for institutional change within USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee. She is also involved in ongoing efforts to advocate for sexual assault victims in all 50 states.
Dallas Bar LGBTQ Association – MWM supports the Dallas Bar LGBTQ Association through attorney membership and participation in sponsored events.
Dallas Asian-American Bar Association – MWM has supported the DAABA over the years through attorney membership and event sponsorship.
Women in IP Law – MWM has supported Women in IP Law over the years through attorney membership and event sponsorship.