Diversity & Inclusion

Committed to Equality

With purposeful involvement from the top levels across our firm, V&E’s diversity and inclusion efforts are focused on meaningful solutions that allow us to attract and retain top quality talent.

As a member of the global legal profession, we have a special responsibility to achieve equality — inclusive of diverse interests, backgrounds, perspectives, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, and physical ability. At V&E, our inclusion commitment starts with our Chairman and Managing Partner, who are directly involved and oversee our firm-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives.

We understand that being a more diverse firm with a truly inclusive culture will help drive our long-term success, both in retaining top talent and in serving our clients’ needs. Our structure, policies, and programs support our diversity focus.

T. Mark Kelly, Chairman
Scott N. Wulfe, Managing Partner
Manuel G. Berrelez, Partner
Damara Chambers, Partner
Trina H. Chandler, Partner
John B. Connally IV, Partner
Stephen M. Gill, Partner
Gillian A. Hobson, Partner
Julia E. Sanabria, Partner
Michael B. Wigmore, Partner
Patty Harris, Chief Talent Officer
Allen Gilbert, Chief Financial Officer
Jackie Martin, Career Coach

Embedded within practice groups in each office; actively monitor equitable work opportunities, facilitate constructive feedback, and oversee associate development.

Firmwide group led by Chairman Mark Kelly and Management Committee member Gillian Hobson that includes ally partners, counsel, associates, and staff across practices, offices, and seniority levels. The Council focuses on programming and initiatives, and facilitates communication and connections across the firm.

Our various resource groups offer an opportunity to build a stronger sense of community across practices and offices, provide mentoring opportunities, and facilitate business development efforts. Some of our affinity groups include LGBTQ+, Women of Color, Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian and Middle Eastern, Military and Veterans, and Working Parents.

Our internal conferences for our lawyers of color and LGBTQ lawyers offer unique opportunities to build relationships that are vital to success. Our recent event included more than 50 firm leaders and partners who participated in constructive dialogues, led roundtables, and participated in networking opportunities.

V&E provides numerous scholarships, fellowships, internships, mentoring, and sponsorships to help us to identify early opportunities to further diversify our firm and the profession.

A variety of programs, benefits, and initiatives are supported such as V&E’s on-site career coach, mental and physical wellness programs, gender-neutral paid parental leave, new parent mentoring program, flexible work arrangements and technology that supports remote work, family-friendly events, back-up child and elder care, and breast milk shipping for nursing moms.

V&E lawyers are actively involved in numerous affinity bar associations and diversity organizations including these and many others:

Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD)
Lambda Legal
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL)
Sponsors for Educational Opportunities (SEO)
New York Bar Diversity Initiative
Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC)
Corporate Counsel Men of Color
State Bar of Texas Minority Counsel Program (TMCP)
The Center for Women in Law
Women’s Bar Association of DC
National LGBT Bar Association / Lavender Law
Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule 4.0

Key Contact

Diversity & Inclusion Manager

David Dixon

+1.713.758.2231

ddixon@velaw.com

Sr. Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator

Allie McWilliams

+1.713.758.2567

amcwilliams@velaw.com

Diversity Scholarships & Fellowships

To aid in fueling the diversity pipeline, V&E is actively involved in a variety of external programs and offers V&E-sponsored financial support for students from high school seniors to rising second-year law students in the U.S.

Learn More
Diversity Recruitment & Outreach

Vinson & Elkins maintains a culture that nurtures diverse interests, backgrounds, and perspectives that enables us to develop exceptional attorneys. Our participation in diversity-focused career fairs and recruiting programs allows us to identify top notch legal talent.

Find a Diversity Career Fair

T. Mark Kelly

Chairman

Houston

We continue to focus efforts on creating an even more inclusive environment at V&E where all of our talented lawyers can grow professionally and personally. Retaining and developing the best talent allows us to provide excellent service and solutions to our clients.