Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

At IPB, we believe that furthering diversity in our workplace through individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent is essential to providing the comprehensive representation and valuable insights that our clients demand. We foster an inclusive workplace that embraces our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make them unique, and we strive to ensure equitable treatment of all.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values and business imperatives. We have never considered these values to be exclusionary, nor do we permit discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity or other protected characteristics. Instead, our Firm looks at “diversity” through a broader definition that includes not only those traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession, but also those who are the first in their families to graduate from college or law school, those with varied geographic, cultural or religious backgrounds, and even diversity in thought and politics. The capacity to be an excellent lawyer is a minimum. We also want lawyers who will bring backgrounds that will enhance our culture and benefit our clients.

As a small specialized firm, we pursue this goal first by recruiting our associates from a broad pool of applicants and promoting education among new lawyers in our areas of practice. We have achieved Mansfield Certification Plus in partnership with Diversity Lab, as part of its inaugural class of midsized law firms and again in the second midsized cohort. We are a member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA). Within the Firm, we foster a professional environment that emphasizes long-term development and leadership opportunities for all new attorneys.

Another element of our commitment to diversity is our long-standing, demonstrated commitment to the role of women in our Firm. We elected our first female equity partner in 1973. Today, more than 40% of our shareholders are women, 30% of our overall attorneys are women, and more than half of our staff are women. Women serve on our executive committee and spearhead our recruiting efforts. 

In 2023, we signed on for the launch of Diversity Lab's Disability Inclusion Commitments challenge. Along with other law firms in the US and UK, we are partnering with Diversity Lab to continue building a culture of inclusion for people with disabilities.

We are also committed to offering flexible work schedules and other resources to support employees with varying needs. We recognize the need for—and encourage—a healthy work/life balance for all of our attorneys and staff.