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 co-chaired by Meghan Casey, a partner and head of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, and Steve Metzger, a partner in the firm’s Employment and Litigation Practice Groups. Meghan and Steve lead more than a dozen attorneys, including the firm’s managing partner, as well as staff from across the firm, in working to strengthen our diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Law School Partnerships

One way Gallagher puts its mission in action is by supporting and promoting programming at 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 seven additional partner firms. Established in 2017, the program provides financial and career support to high-achieving law students who have demonstrated leadership and an ability to overcome challenges to their professional values and career goals. In an effort to support the students’ personal and professional development in meaningful ways, Gallagher attorneys mentor students,  Gallagher hosts an annual firm night for scholars, and we provide attorney representatives to serve on the advisory committee for the program. Gallagher also sponsors the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA), the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and the Latinx Law Students Association (LLSA) at the University of Maryland School of Law.

At the University of Baltimore School of Law, 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 and engagement in these programs, Gallagher supports the law schools’ shared vision of increasing diversity in the legal profession. Gallagher has hired scholarship recipients 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. We also sponsor an exhibit at the Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC), “Passion and Purpose: Voices of Maryland’s Civil Rights Activists,” which tells the story of the civil rights movement in Maryland.