The Asian/Pacific Islander (API) Affinity Group uses regularly scheduled meetings and its own email distribution list as a means of communication to keep the firm’s API attorneys informed of important developments, opportunities for leadership and professional development. Its goal is to maintain a strong and productive network among our API attorneys, and to assist the firm with its goal of recruiting, promoting and retaining top minority attorneys.
Contact: Stacey Wang, Chair.
Asian/Pacific Islander Affinity Group
The Black Affinity Group promotes, supports and encourages the firm's African American attorneys by helping to maintain an environment that is inclusive, challenging and supportive in order to maximize both personal and career success. The Black Affinity Group supports an in-house mentoring program, and is dedicated to assisting the firm with its goal of recruiting, promoting and retaining top minority attorneys.
Contacts: Loren Forrest, Co-Chair; Leila Batties, Co-Chair.
Black Affinity Group
The Hispanic Affinity Group’s goal is to recruit, retain, promote, support, encourage and empower the firm’s Hispanic attorneys. Through its representation on the firm’s Diversity Council, the group works to ensure that Holland & Knight's diversity objectives are meaningfully represented and achieved by the firm's Hispanic attorneys. Among the major law firms in the United States, Holland & Knight is a leader in recruiting and retaining Hispanic lawyers. The group seeks to create and sustain an environment that is inclusive, challenging and supportive in order to maximize both personal and career success for its Hispanic attorneys.
Contacts: Eddie Jauregui, Co-Chair; Isabel Diaz, Co-Chair.
Hispanic Affinity Group
The DiverseAbility Affinity Group's mission is to focus on attracting, supporting and promoting the firm's attorneys and staff affected by disabilities of all types – physical and mental – by helping to maintain an environment that is inclusive, challenging and supportive to maximize both personal and career success. Its main goals are to support and enhance the professional, personal and career development of attorneys and staff affected by disabilities; encourage retention and promotion of attorneys and staff with disabilities; and encourage the recruitment and hiring of talented attorneys and staff with disabilities. The group also provides support to attorneys and staff who take care of disabled family members living at home.
Contacts: Michelle DeVos, Co-Chair; Daniel Sylvester, Co-Chair; Ashley Hart, Co-Chair.
DiverseAbility Affinity Group
The Native American Affinity Group's goal is to recruit, retain, promote, support, encourage and empower the firm's Native American attorneys. Through its representation on the firm’s Diversity Council, the group works to ensure that Holland & Knight's diversity objectives are meaningfully represented and achieved by the firm's Native American attorneys.
Contact: John Haney, Chair.
Native American Affinity Group
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) Affinity Group promotes equal opportunity and professional development for the firm’s LGBTQ lawyers. Through its representation on the firm’s Diversity Council, the group works to ensure that Holland & Knight remains a leader among law firms with regard to its LGBTQ-friendly policies and initiatives. Externally, members of the LGBTQ Group, in concert with the firm’s Community Services Team, have spearheaded pro bono “impact” litigation involving LGBTQ asylum issues and U.S. laws severely limiting the ability of persons with HIV-AIDS to travel to the United States.
Contact: Brian Goodrich, Co-Chair; Katherine Skeele, Co-Chair.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) Affinity Group
The Women's Initiative strives to help women advance professionally not only within the firm, but also within our communities. The oldest of our diversity initiatives, which began in the mid-1990s as an internal forum for women attorneys to voice their perspectives on creating a successful working environment, the Women's Initiative has become a respected and emulated program. This initiative helps our women partners and associates increase new client generation and expand relationships with existing clients and contacts, many of whom are also women.
Contact: Tricia DeLeon, Chair; Jessica Early, Deputy Chair
Women's Initiative
The Veterans Group was founded on the fundamental premise that the men and women who have served our country and defended our freedoms deserve our talent and resources to improve their quality of life. The group's goal is "do good work" by raising awareness and by providing pro bono and/or community services support for veterans and their families in each of the cities where Holland & Knight has offices. Attorneys work on pro bono case referrals through the American Bar Association (ABA) Military Pro Bono Project and respond to a wide range of legal needs including landlord/tenant issues, mortgage and foreclosure concerns, trust and estate matters, and family law matters. Holland & Knight and the group are dedicated to other military initiatives that benefit active-duty service members, veterans and their families as well, such as the Wounded Warrior Project and United Way's Mission United Initiative. The firm also partners with the ABA's Section of Taxation and the Internal Revenue Service to coordinate a Military Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program in various locations. Through our Veterans Business Partnership, we stand ready to serve you. We can match key attorneys to your needs, whether you require litigation, business, real estate, regulatory or lobbying counsel.
Contacts: Daniel Kavanaugh, Business Partnership Chair; Nicholas Hasenfus, Pro Bono Chair; Gordon Griffin, Executive Chair.
Veterans Group
Asian/Pacific Islander Affinity Group
Black Affinity Group
DiverseAbility Affinity Group
(for those affected by disabilities)
Middle Eastern/
North African (MENA) Affinity Group
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) Affinity Group
Hispanic Affinity Group
Women's Initiative
Veterans Group
Native American
Affinity Group
The Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) Affinity Group seeks to create a space for MENA-identifying teammates and allies. The group is committed to building connections internally and externally by fostering professional networks, organizing educational opportunities, and supporting the professional development of lawyers, law students and legal professionals with shared interests.
Contacts: Hamid Namazie, Chair; Tahany Alsabahi, Vice Chair; Sina Faizy, Vice Chair.
Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) Affinity Group