Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Our Mission In Action

At Gallagher, promoting diversity, equity and inclusion across all aspects of firm life and our surrounding community is a priority. Gallagher intentionally seeks to continue expanding our DEI efforts and understanding of other cultures through working with respected consultants, absorbing content from trusted resources, building relationships with diverse vendors and clients who share a similar vision, and listening to our employees.

DEI Committee

Our Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, which formed as part of a years-long strategic planning process, is led by Camille Parker, a partner in the firm’s Public Finance and Commercial and Real Estate Lending Groups. Camille leads more than a dozen attorneys and a dozen staff, including the firm’s managing partner, in working to strengthen our diversity and inclusion initiatives. The committee is broken down into three working groups, which focus on DEI efforts centered on recruiting, education, and mentoring.

Law School Partnerships

One way Gallagher puts its mission in action is by supporting and promoting diversity and inclusion programs within Maryland’s two law schools. The firm is a founding partner in the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law’s Diversity and Inclusion Scholars Initiative, which now includes six additional partner firms. Established in 2017, the program aims to enhance diversity in the legal profession by providing financial and career support to high-achieving students from diverse backgrounds. In an effort to support the students’ personal and professional development in meaningful ways, attorneys mentor students, host an annual firm night for scholars, and provide attorney representatives to serve on the advisory committee for the program. Gallagher also sponsors the Asian Pacific American Law Students Associate (APALSA), the Black Law Students Associate (BLSA) and the Latinx Law Students Associate (LLSA) at the University of Maryland School of Law. At the University of Baltimore, Gallagher supports the Fannie Angelos Program for Academic Excellence, an innovative collaboration between the law school and Maryland’s four historically Black colleges and universities to prepare and support students in the law school admissions process as well as for academic success in law school. Through our investment, support, and engagement in these programs, we have improved the diversity of the candidates in our lawyer recruiting efforts. Gallagher has hired several diversity scholars as summer associates and also extended offers to students to join Gallagher as associates after graduation.

Community Outreach

The firm regularly engages in community service initiatives throughout the city, such as volunteering at the Duncan Street Miracle Garden and the Franciscan Center; invites diverse leaders to speak to the firm, sharing their unique perspectives and experiences; and provides pro bono services for organizations such as The Tahirih Justice Center and the Public Justice Center. This year we sponsored a new exhibit at the Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC), “Passion and Purpose: Voices of Maryland’s Civil Rights Activists,” which told the story of the civil rights movement in Maryland.