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Our Commitment
Inclusion of attorneys with diverse ethnic, racial, cultural, social, economic, religious and personal backgrounds has been a cornerstone of our culture at Kutak Rock. Our long tradition of commitment to diversity was established through the strong leadership and personal examples of the firm's founding partners. For example, the late Robert J. Kutak served on the board of the Legal Services Corporation through presidential appointment and was also chairman of the ABA Section on Individual Rights. 

Under the leadership of our founding partners, Kutak Rock was a pioneer in the recruitment of women in the early 1970’s. In 1986, Kutak Rock received recognition from a women’s magazine, Savvy, as having the highest number of women partners among the top 150 law firms it surveyed. In 1992, The National Law Journal also found that Kutak Rock shared with another firm the distinction of having the highest percentage of women partners (23%) among the 251 largest law firms that participated in the survey. In 2008, Kutak Rock was named one of the Best Law Firms for Women by Working Mother magazine.

In 1991, Kutak Rock was selected to participate in the American Bar Association’s Minority Counsel Demonstration Program. Kutak Rock participated in the program for its entire duration, a period of over seven years. In 1995, the Midlands Bar Association, a professional association for minority lawyers in Omaha, presented the firm with the Pledge to Diversity Award. 

Our equal employment opportunity policy includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Since 2000, Kutak Rock has offered insurance benefits to domestic partners.

Today our commitment remains strong, with renewed focus to achieve sustainable diversity goals as part of our strategic plan for the firm. Our diversity goals are (a) to create and support an environment which provides equitable access and opportunities for professional growth to all employees, (b) to build a culture that respects and utilizes the diverse perspectives and skills of each and every employee, and (c) to increase representation of the underrepresented groups across all areas and levels of the firm.

Our Attorneys
Kutak Rock participates in, and supports its attorneys and staff to participate in, a broad range of community services, including those that promote diversity and inclusion. Many of our attorneys are actively engaged in promoting diversity in their legal communities, including the following highlights: 

• One of the three founding members of the firm is a member of the Minority and Justice Implementation Committee of the Nebraska Bar Association. In May 2006, he received the Visionary Award for his role as a tri-chair of the original Minority and Justice Task Force. 
• A Hispanic litigation partner in the Scottsdale office has assisted the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) in its challenge of Proposition 200, an Arizona initiative that limited certain benefits for undocumented workers. He is also a member of the Puerto Rican Bar Association and Los Abogados and serves as Secretary of the Hispanic National Bar Foundation, which provides educational programs and scholarships to Hispanics. 
• A Hispanic woman partner in the Irvine office is a member of the Hispanic Bar Association in Orange County, California. HBA is a resource for the Hispanic legal community, providing networking opportunities, MCLE classes and opportunities to serve the community through pro bono work, mentoring and volunteer work. 
• An Asian-American partner in the Richmond office is a member of the Asian American Bar in Virginia. The AAB is active in promoting the advancement of minorities in the legal profession. He was recently appointed to the board of directors of the Virginia Chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
• An Asian-American partner in the Fayetteville office is a member of the Arkansas Bar Commission on Diversity created to advance the cause of diversity in race, culture and gender throughout the legal profession in Arkansas. She is also a member of the Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers and the National Women Lawyers Association. In 2007, she was appointed to the board of directors for the Legal Aid of Arkansas.
• A partner in the Scottsdale office serves as the President and a steering committee member of the Arizona Women Lawyers Association in Maricopa County. In 2006, she was appointed to the Arizona State Bar’s Task Force on Diversity to promote diversity in the legal profession in Arizona. 
• An Asian-American litigation partner in the Irvine office has been serving on the board of directors of the Orange County Asian-American Bar Association (OCAABA) since 2006. OCAABA promotes professional development of its members, as well as educational and civic events for the Asian community. He has also participated in the Trial Attorney Partnership Program with the office of the Orange County District Attorney since 2004.
• A Hispanic "of counsel" attorney in the Wichita office is the Deputy Regional President for Kansas as appointed by the Hispanic National Bar Association in 2006. He is also a member of the Wichita Chamber's Government Relations Committee and the 2008 Legislative Director of the Kansas State Council of the Society for Human Resources Management. He has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Wichita Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for a two-year term.
• An African-American "of counsel" attorney in the Kansas City office has received numerous recognitions for his dedicated community service, including the 2003 Equal Justice Award from the Legal Services of Eastern Missouri,  the 2002 Cochran Community Service Award for the Young Lawyers Section of the Missouri Bar and the Arnold and Mildred Bringewatt Social Justice Award from the Lutheran Family and Children's Services in February 2007. He is a life member of the NAACP and the Urban League, and serves on the boards of directors of several community organizations.