Our Firm

Diversity

TAYLOR PORTER DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Taylor Porter values and embraces diversity in the workplace and in the local community. We believe that our 110-year tradition of excellence in client service is strengthened by our differences in perspective, talents and interests, as well as socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Our commitment to diversity is fostered through our efforts to recruit, employ, and develop exceptional talent without regard to age, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ethnicity, or disability. We firmly believe that our inclusive culture encourages collaboration among the members of our firm – which is necessary to achieving superior client outcomes.

NEWS AND ALERTS

DIVERSITY · INCLUSION

Taylor Porter Diversity Committee Chair
Barrye Miyagi, barrye.miyagi@taylorporter.com, 225.381.0207

Taylor Porter Diversity Committee Members

Taylor Porter's Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

We actively encourage a diverse and inclusive firm environment by:

  • Recruiting and retaining diverse attorneys and staff
  • Recognizing, respecting and appreciating the dignity, individual talents and contributions of our colleagues
  • Providing equal opportunities for professional and personal growth, including leadership positions
  • Promoting an inclusive and welcoming culture
  • Maintaining a collegial, cooperative spirit
  • Seeking enduring relationships with our clients and with each other
  • Treating others as we want to be treated

A strong, growing diversity commitment helps us:

  • Better serve our clients – Close and inclusive working relationships among our members place Taylor Porter in a unique position to service our clients’ organizational, demographic, cultural, economic and social needs.
  • Enrich our community – Our diversity commitment benefits not only Taylor Porter and the legal profession, but also the community in which our attorneys, staff, families, and clients live and work. Our active participation in non-profit and professional organizations helps us advance and promote diversity locally, regionally and nationally.
  • Position the firm for long-term success – The varied backgrounds and experiences of our attorneys and staff enable our firm to continue to provide exceptional service and creative solutions. Attracting, recruiting and retaining diverse members is essential to firm growth and prosperity.

BUILD Community Outreach 

The Taylor Porter BUILD (Building Unity, Inclusion, & Legal Diversity) Community Outreach Program provides assistance to community organizations and nonprofits. Taylor Porter’s Diversity Committee launched BUILD in 2017 with the goal of promoting unity and inclusion in the legal profession as well as providing positive and rewarding experiences for our community.  BUILD contours Taylor Porter’s 109 years of community outreach and volunteer work. Taylor Porter has partnered with organizations such as VIPS, Mentorship Academy, White Hills Elementary, Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Franciscan High School, Dialogue on Race Louisiana, Habitat for Humanity, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Baton Rouge. Taylor Porter’s attorneys and staff are actively involved in more than 100 organizations across Louisiana.

Our Diverse Leadership

Celebrating its 110th year of professional client service, Taylor Porter has assembled what is arguably one of the most diverse management teams of any law firm operating in Louisiana. Charged with the responsibility of developing and implementing firm policy, Taylor Porter’s nine-member Executive Committee includes among its ranks two women. The members of our Executive Committee are elected from all levels of partnership.

  • Practice Team Leaders – Several women attorneys lead our practice area groups, including, Vicki Crochet, Labor and Employment; Anne Crochet, Environmental Regulatory and Litigation; and Barrye Miyagi, Medicare Secondary Payer Compliance.
  • Women Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs – Taylor Porter has appointed several women to committee chair and vice chair positions. Our leaders include Partner Barrye Miyagi, Diversity Chair; Partner Vicki Crochet, Executive Committee Vice Chair, Paralegals Vice Chair, Personnel Vice Chair, and Lake Charles Office Vice Chair; Partner Amy Lambert, Associates Committee Co-Chair and Laterals Committee Vice Chair; Partner Nancy Dougherty, Opinion Review Committee Vice Chair and Diversity Committee Vice Chair; Partner Kiki Bergeron, Charitable Contributions Vice Chair and Contingency Fee Chair; and Partner Robin Toups, Executive Committee Member and Firm Events Chair.
  • Influential Women in Business and Top 40 Under 40 – Vicki Crochet and Nancy Dougherty have been recognized among the most “Influential Women in Business,” while Katie Goodson, Amy Lambert and Amy Groves Lowe have been selected among the “Top 40 Under 40,” by the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, for their professional careers and community contributions.
  • Bar Leadership – Our attorneys remain active in leadership roles in the legal profession. Amy Lambert formerly served as President of the Baton Rouge Bar Association.

Our Emphasis on Diversity Recruiting

The firm focuses its recruiting efforts for lawyers at Southern University Law Center, a historically black institution; Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University; Tulane University Law School; Loyola University New Orleans School of Law; and at minority job fairs. In addition to these recruiting efforts, the firm offers scholarships each semester to outstanding law students. The firm is a past sponsor of the National Counsel of Law Reviews hosted by Southern University. These recruitment efforts have resulted in the employment of diverse lawyers  of various ages, genders, races, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. Several Taylor Porter lawyers serve as adjunct professors at law schools in Baton Rouge, including Southern University Law Center, and LSU, Paul M. Hebert Law Center.  

Our Diversity Outreach and Community Impact

​Whether serving on the boards of directors of nonprofit organizations or making contributions to worthwhile causes, Taylor Porter’s attorneys and staff are actively involved in the community. Some examples of these organizations include:

  • 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge - Retired partner and diversity committee member Deborah Lamb, received the “Portrait of Caring” award from Cox Communications and 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge for her efforts to promote diversity and unity in the Baton Rouge community. Taylor Porter also sponsors or donates to events benefitting this organization devoted to helping African-American males assume roles of community leadership, responsibility and guidance.
  • Volunteers in Public Schools - Deborah Lamb served on the VIPS board of directors for many years and currently serves on its advisory panel. Taylor Porter received a Golden Apple award from VIPS for its work at Kenilworth Middle School, and was recognized by the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board for its partnership with the Dufrocq School and Glenn Oaks High School through VIPS.
  • Franciscan High School, formerly Cristo Rey Baton Rouge High School - Taylor Porter has committed to serving as a corporate sponsor to Franciscan High School (formerly Cristo Rey Baton Rouge High School). The school combines college prep education with a corporate work study program  through which several Franciscan High students will work at Taylor Porter. The school is open to young people of limited economic means to help them become men and women of faith, purpose and service.
  • Capital Area Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) - Our executive committee member and partner, Robin Toups, formerly served on the board of directors of CASA, and Deborah Lamb is the past board chair and current nomination committee chair of this organization that serves the best interests of children in foster homes. 
  • Baton Rouge Bar Association Holiday Star Project - Retired Partner Margaret Tooke received the President’s Award from the Baton Rouge Bar Association for her efforts in the establishment of the BRBA’s Holiday Star program, a tradition that has been continued for many years by Taylor Porter. 
  • Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank - Partner Eddie Hughes formerly served as Chair of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. The Bank supplies food to 156 agencies in the Baton Rouge area, aiding the underserved population.  
  • Baton Rouge Blues Foundation - Partner Anne Crochet helped chair the 2015 Annual Blue Carpet Blues Gala for the Baton Rouge Blues Foundation, a non-profit that promotes, preserves and celebrates Baton Rouge blues culture. Among other projects, the Foundation sponsors a Blues Education program and Blues Music History Project, to help artists in need. Taylor Porter is a sponsor of the annual gala.
  • Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra - Partner Blue Loupe and Attorney Deborah Lamb serve on the board of the BRSO, and Taylor Porter sponsors several BRSO performances throughout the year.  
  • Theatre Baton Rouge - Partners Amy Lambert and Barrye Miyagi previously served on the board and currently serve on committees. Taylor Porter sponsors several performances throughout the year.  
  • Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge - Attorney Jim Ellis serves on the Habitat board, and Deborah Lamb formerly served as a board member. Attorneys and staff volunteer to build homes throughout the city.
  • Louis A. Martinet Legal Society - Taylor Porter is a strong supporter of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, an African-American legal association and an affiliate of the National Bar Association. 
  • Louisiana State Bar Association Diversity Committee - Taylor Porter is an annual sponsor and participant in the Conclave on Diversity. The Conclave is a statewide event that brings together Louisiana judges and attorneys regarding the importance of diversity within the legal profession. 
  • Minority Corporate Counsel Association - Taylor Porter has participated in several events sponsored by the MCCA, which advocates for the expanded hiring, retention, and promotion of minority attorneys in corporate law departments.
  • Defense Research Institute’s Diversity Conference - Taylor Porter demonstrates its commitment to encouraging diversity in the legal profession at the national level by participating in DRI's Diversity for Success Conference. 
  • Louisiana Women’s Conference - Partner Vicki Crochet has been a speaker at this conference. 

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