Diversity

Diversity is essential to our role as Florida’s law firm for business. Our leadership fully understands diversity is an important component of the way we serve clients and treat each other and is a necessary element of exceptional client service. We recognize that the definition of diversity goes beyond the traditional measures of gender and ethnicity to include an appreciation for differences in thought, style, capabilities and leadership.

Our commitment to workplace diversity is supported by our Diversity Committee, recruiting and training efforts, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy as well as participation in community activities that promote inclusion. The firm is committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, covered veteran status or other factors prohibited by law. Our attorney and professional staff reflect Florida’s distinctive and rich culture.

Our diversity effort begins at the earliest stage of the recruitment process. We are actively involved in minority recruiting and mentoring events in Florida and the southeast. Our comprehensive attorney recruiting and mentoring efforts reflect our commitment to fostering a vibrant and diverse workplace.

Gunster has a proud tradition of training and developing its associates to become productive shareholders and leading lawyers in their chosen practices. Gunster’s Associate Mentoring Committee is charged with the responsibility of implementing “best-in-class” training, mentoring and professional development programs in support of this core value. Our ultimate goals are to enhance associate job satisfaction, provide our associates with the skills needed to become shareholders, as well as to instill firm culture among associates.

We believe our culture of inclusion creates greater job satisfaction. Gunster enjoys a high level of employee retention. We recognize this achievement offers a distinct advantage to our clients in the continuity of service and preservation of institutional knowledge. Gunster is also highly visible in, and a working participant for, the communities in which our employees live and work, also resulting in additional support for diversity.

Gunster is committed to the professional growth of women in leadership positions within our firm and in the communities where we live and work. The mission of Gunster’s Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF) is to advance women lawyers into leadership roles within the legal community and the community at large. WLF welcomes all Gunster attorneys, both male and female, to join WLF to promote women in leadership. Gunster’s WLF organizes a variety of leadership events aimed at creating pathways to success for Gunster’s women leaders of tomorrow while celebrating the accomplishments of Gunster’s women leaders of today.

Gunster’s Diversity & Inclusion Mission Statement

As Florida’s law firm for business, Gunster is committed to creating and maintaining a law firm that reflects the state and communities we serve. The firm fosters an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports people of diverse backgrounds, utilizes their talents and experiences to provide exceptional service to our clients.

Gunster’s workplace diversity and inclusion commitment is supported by the firm’s board of directors and the Diversity Committee it has appointed to facilitate the implementation of this mission statement.

Ensuring Our Commitment

Gunster’s Diversity Committee develops and implements strategies designed to ensure the law firm’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is met. The Diversity Committee is led by firm shareholders and includes team members of many different backgrounds.

The Diversity Committee fulfills its mission by focusing on five strategic priorities:

  • Recruiting and retaining skilled professionals of different backgrounds and without regard to race, religion, age, gender, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, medical conditions or disabilities, and marital, veteran or family status
  • Ensuring diverse personnel are included in work on key client legal work, initiatives and projects, with client access opportunities provided to all individuals consistent with his or her skill and experience level
  • Overseeing and administering the firm’s mentor program in which our newer professionals are placed with a more experienced member of our firm who can assist him or her with achieving professional excellence and successfully achieving his or her desired career path within the firm
  • Diversity training and education for all members of the Gunster team to prepare to work with others on the team, as well as to serve our diverse client base
  • Ensuring the firm’s marketing and outreach efforts reach all sectors of the communities in which we do business

Each year, the Diversity Committee undertakes a rigorous review of these strategic priorities, programs, tactics and initiatives, as well as recommends any changes that may be necessary to fulfill Gunster’s commitment to diversity.

Affiliations and Associations

Gunster attorneys are involved in or affiliated with the:

  • American Association of University of Women, Stuart Chapter
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association
  • American Israel PAC for Broward County
  • Arthur I. Meyer Jewish Academy
  • Bethesda by the Sea – ECW, Episcopal Church Women
  • Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce
  • Broward County Women Lawyers Association
  • Caribbean Bar Association
  • Commercial Real Estate Women
  • Cuban American Bar Association
  • Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Martin County Chapter
  • Florida Association of Women Lawyers, Palm Beach County Chapter
  • Florida Bar Association Diversity & Inclusion Committee
  • Florida’s Women in Energy Leadership Forum
  • Girl Scout Council of the Palm Beaches
  • Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association
  • Haitian Lawyers Association
  • Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers
  • Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Palm Beach County
  • Hispanic Council of the North Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce
  • Hispanic Parents Committee for Children’s Rights in Education
  • Japan Society of Florida
  • Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, Young Adult Division
  • Jewish Women’s Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County
  • Kozyak Minority Mentoring Foundation
  • Latin Builders Association
  • League of Women Voters
  • Palm Beach County Bar Association Minority Mentoring Program
  • Sindhi Association of Florida
  • Southeastern Minority Job Fair
  • United Jewish Committee National Young Leadership Cabinet
  • United Way/Women’s Way
  • Venezuelan American National Bar Organization
  • Women in Sports Careers
  • Women in the Environment
  • Women’s Foundation of Palm Beach County
  • Women’s Leadership Forum

Women Leadership

Gunster’s women lawyers have been named to:

  • 100 Outstanding Women of Broward County
  • 25 Women You Need To Know” by Tallahassee Democrat
  • Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers
  • Best of the Bar
  • Best Lawyers
  • Chambers & Partners USA
  • Florida Super Lawyers
  • Florida Trend’s Legal Elite
  • Top 50 Women Leaders in Florida
  • South Florida Business Journal’s Influential Business Women

Our female attorneys are involved in:

  • American Heart Association, Martin County Division
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association, South Florida Chapter
  • Boys & Girls of Palm Beach County
  • City of Tallahassee Ethics Board
  • Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Martin County Chapter
  • Hospice Foundation of Palm Beach County
  • Jacksonville Civic Council
  • Martin County Bar Association
  • National Association for Health Care Recruitment
  • Palm Beach United Way
  • SunTrust Bank North Florida
  • The Beacon Council
  • The Florida Bar Executive Council
  • The Florida Bar International Law Section
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • United Way of the Big Bend
  • Women’s Foundation of Palm Beach County