Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Lerch, Early & Brewer promotes and protects a culture of inclusion – at every level and in every aspect of the firm. The Firm has an active Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee comprised of management, attorneys, and staff to ensure the ongoing implementation of the firm’s diversity plan that, at its core, fosters a truly inclusive work environment. The Firm supports initiatives to broaden diversity and inclusion among our employees, cultivate diverse firm leadership, and collaborate with clients and local organizations who share our commitment to give everyone a voice.

Women in Leadership

On the attorney side, Lerch Early does an excellent job of recruiting and advancing female attorneys – one-third of our partners are women, half of our current management committee members are women, and women chair or co-chair half of our practices. On the staff side, 57% of senior management is women.

Recent Activities

  • About 75 Lerch Early attorneys and staff took a trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture organized by our DEI Committee (June 3, 2023)
  • Jessica Waters, Dean of Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost for Academic Student Services at American University, presented on the development and implementation of one of the first required anti-racism curricula in the country (April 12, 2023)
  • We featured Liz Rogers and Le Kooc as part of Women’s History Month. Liz is the most recently elected partner at Lerch Early, and is an integral part of the Land Use group. Le has worked remotely since long before the pandemic made it popular, and, despite the distance, is a critical part of or Commercial Lending team, and a valued member of the DEI committee (March 2023)
  • We hosted our 2nd Annual Women’s History Month Happy Hour for our female employees (March 15, 2023)
  • On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we were honored to welcome Dr. France Pruitt to Lerch Early to share her family’s story of survival during the Holocaust and World War II (January 2023)
  • We featured Chief Financial Officer Janice Michaels, Controller Irma Rodriguez, and Human Resources Director Erica White; and principals and management committee members Sharon Craig and Stacy Silber who told us about who influenced and inspired them, and what it means to lead as a woman (March 2022)
  • COO Dave Anderson, Real Estate Principal Sharon Craig, and Managing Partner Steve Robins participated in the Directed Dialogues Series DEI Certification Program hosted by the Bar Association and Bar Foundation of Montgomery County MD in conjunction with Equity Through Action (Fall 2021-Spring 2022)
  • Hosted a screening of CODA for employees (May 2022)
  • Hosted a Women’s History Month Happy Hour for our female employees (March 2022)
  • Hosted Damion Thomas, Curator of Sports at the Smithsonian National African American Museum, for a firm-wide presentation on Voting Rights (January 2022)
  • Hosted Dr. Janelle Wong, a professor of American Studies, Government and Politics, and a core faculty member in Asian American Studies at the University of Maryland, for a firm-wide presentation on “Understanding Anti-Asian American Discrimination in the Larger Racial Landscape” (September 2021)
  • Hosted Damion Thomas, Curator of Sports at the Smithsonian National African American Museum, for a firm-wide presentation on “African American History Through Sports” (February 2021)
  • Make annual contribution to Howard University’s Charter Day celebration helping students finish their coursework and graduate (Every year in March)
  • Real estate attorney Sharon Nelson Craig spoke on the “The Law and The Lease” panel comprised completely of women of color, and land use attorney Stacy Plotkin Silber spoke on the “Developer Runway” panel at ICSC’s Mid-Atlantic Dealmaking Conference (March 2020)
  • Lerch Early participated in Montgomery County Summer Scholars Program interviews for 2020 law clerk (November 2019)
  • Lerch Early hosted an unconscious bias training for our attorneys (May 2019) and staff (June 2019)
  • Lerch Early sponsored the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Gala. The event was presented by the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Maryland in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. (May 2019)
  • Lerch Early sponsored the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys of Maryland‘s 40th Anniversary Gala. (April 2019)
  • Lerch Early sponsored the 34th Annual Prince George’s County Women’s History Month Luncheon. (March 2019)

Awards and Recognition

Recruiting

The headhunters we work with on lateral recruiting know inclusiveness is a priority for us. We hire law students from diverse backgrounds through the Montgomery County Summer Scholars Pipeline program, and have helped them to land post-law school clerkships at the state, federal, and appellate courts.

Employment Opportunities

We seek to hire attorneys and staff with a broad variety of backgrounds and capabilities, recognizing that such diversity contributes to our strength and our ability to serve our clients well.

Lerch Early is firmly committed to providing equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital or veteran status, or physical or mental disability.

We’re diverse in many ways, and you can help us to be better by exploring our Careers section and contacting us about opportunities.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

Lerch Early has an active Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee comprised of management, attorneys, and staff to ensure the ongoing implementation of the firm’s diversity plan that, at its core, fosters a truly inclusive work environment.

Lerch Early Diversity Committee Co-chairs:
Mike Goecke, Principal
Scott Pacheco, Director of Marketing & Communications