Diversity
Our Commitment to Diversity
JONES ROBB, PLLC is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), and has been awarded this certification every year since 2010. Our commitment to diversity extends beyond our ownership and management. We are dedicated to hiring and retaining high-quality personnel while maintaining a diverse workforce. In addition, we strive to foster relationships with both suppliers and clients that share our values when it comes to diversity.
Diverse by Design
Having been founded by women, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are in our firm’s DNA.
Although we are a small firm, we focus a significant amount our resources on fostering diversity and inclusion initiatives both internally and through various outreach efforts. Our diversity extends through all ranks of our firm, from ownership and leadership, to attorneys, staff, and interns. Sixty percent (60%) of our current attorneys are women and minorities. Our Executive Office Administrator, an integral part of the firm’s leadership team and the person that oversees the firm’s hiring process, is an African American woman.
Two of the three firm partners are female.
Women Owned
WBENC-Certified Diverse Supplier
Jones Robb is a proud WBENC-certified diverse supplier, one of a small number of women-owned and operated law firms in the country specializing in patent law. In its 13+ year history, and as one of the earliest certified patent boutique law firms, Jones Robb has led the necessary discussions and need for disruption to the lack of diversity in our industry through sponsorship of and participation in various speaking engagements and industry events. Jones Robb is a proud Founder’s Circle Sponsor of Women Owned Law (WOL), an industry organization committed to supporting women entrepreneurs in the law in their business endeavors. In addition to our experience and client-centered workflow, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have been the linchpins to our success.
Our Diversity Metrics:
Our initiatives start at the recruitment level, our RPO Partner is a woman and minority-owned business entrusted with targeting recruitment efforts to ensure the inclusion of diverse candidates for all positions within the firm.
Summer Intern Program
Each summer we host a summer intern program where we invite local high school students and college students to learn more about the patent law profession. In an effort to advance women in STEM, our program typically aims to include at least two women.
In recent years, our intern classes have been comprised of about 75% women and/or minorities.
Supporting Diversity
In addition to efforts to ensure our firm is a diverse and inclusive workplace, we strive to work with and support other diverse enterprises.
Several of our suppliers, including our RPO partner, are women-owned and/or minority-owned businesses.
The firm has been a proud sponsor and participated in panels for various diversity-focused conferences. such as the Women in Law & IP Summit, the Networking Brunch hosted by the Women in IP Committee at the IPO annual meeting, and Women’s networking events at the ABA Annual IP Meeting. Jones Robb routinely donates to charities that benefit women and those that promote women and minorities in STEM including, for example, Doorways for Women and Families and The National GEM Consortium.
In view of the ongoing national and worldwide protests focusing on police reform and ensuring equality and justice for African Americans in our country and as members of a profession that at its heart is a defender of the right of liberty and justice for all, Jones Robb’s leadership believes it has a heightened responsibility to provide support where it can to contribute to initiatives that seek to ensure equal protection under the law and to promote diversity and inclusion of all individuals.
Accordingly, we have donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Neighborhood Legal Services Program of DC, and contributed to the sponsorship of the American Bar Association’s 2020 Thurgood Marshall Award Celebration, which honored Marian Wright Edelman as the award recipient in 2020.
Aside from our commitment to promote diversity and inclusion relating to gender, race, and sexual orientation, we also believe it is important to foster diversity and inclusion on a broader level, recognizing the differing perspectives each individual may have due to their differing circumstances, such as socio-economic background and mental or physical health. To this end, Jones Robb has sponsored activities to increase awareness of and to promote the mental health of our employees for Mental Health Awareness Month, has formed a team to participate in the American Heart Association’s Lawyers Have Heart Annual Race, and has donated to Food for Others and NAMI, providing an opportunity for the firm and its team to understand and reflect upon the diverse financial circumstances and challenges many in the world face. Our firm also participates in a local food bank’s Thanksgiving drive and the Salvation Army Angel Tree gift drive, a highlight for many of our team members.
