Parker Poe seeks to hire the most qualified professional staff without regard to background.  As a result we have assembled a group of lawyers and professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds and political affiliations in all of our offices in South Carolina and North Carolina.  Parker Poe's Director of Professional Development and Diversity works with the firm's Diversity Committee to promote and facilitate a working environment of inclusion, respect and opportunity for all employees through education, special initiatives, and hiring and retention practices.

Recruiting Efforts
For many years, Parker Poe has made concerted efforts to recruit and hire law students and attorneys of color.  We have funded a $250,000 scholarship program for undergraduate students, who aspire to become attorneys, at Johnson C. Smith University, a HBCU (historically black college or university) located in Charlotte that is a member institution of the United Negro College Fund.  Parker Poe also participates in the annual Southeastern Minority Job Fair in Atlanta, Georgia and was a recent sponsor of the Southeastern Region Black Law Students Association Conference.  We actively recruit minority law students during interviews on-campus at numerous law schools.  In Charlotte, more than 20% of Parker Poe's 2007 summer associate class were students of color.

In order to further diversify our attorney base, the firm also actively recruits lateral women partners, associates and law school students.  To accommodate attorneys who strive to continue working as an attorney as well as maintain their commitment to their families, the firm offers alternative work schedule options.

Leadership Activities
Our female and minority attorneys are highly involved in leadership positions within the firm.  In addition to leadership and service on numerous firm committees, one African-American Partner serves on the Board of Directors, two female partners serve as Practice Group Leaders, a female partner serves as Chairperson of the firm's Diversity Committee and another female partner serves as the Chairperson of the Professional Review Committee.  Our women attorneys also hold a variety of community leadership roles including serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Charlotte Women's Bar, the immediate past President of the Wake County Bar Association and Immediate Past President of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women).  In addition, six of our female partners have been named as Best Lawyers in America.

Parker Poe attorneys are also involved in local bar efforts to promote diversity within the legal profession, including:

• Service on the Mecklenburg County Bar's Special Committee on Diversity
• Sponsorship in the Increasing Diversity in the Legal Profession symposium for minority college students
• Participation in the Charlotte Diversity Clerkship program of first year law students
• Participation in the Lunch with a Lawyer program for minority middle school students
• Service on the Wake County Diversity Task Force