A Woman-Owned Firm
Schwartz Hannum PC is a woman-owned business certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). According to the 2021 MA Office of Supplier Diversity Comprehensive Annual Report, one of only 2,300 to be located in Massachusetts. While the presence of female attorneys in the legal profession has grown (women account for 38% of all lawyers according to 2022 statistics from the American Bar Association), women-owned law firms continue to be rarities.
At SHPC, female attorneys play an integral role in the Firm’s leadership and governance and have held positions such as president and founder, managing partner, and partner.
SHPC promotes a culture of inclusion that celebrates diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences that we believe significantly enhances the perspective and depth of the legal services offered to SHPC clients.
We are proud to be active in the following organizations:
Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
The WBENC is the “leading authority on and certifying organization for women's business enterprises (WBEs) in the U.S. and U.S. territories” and fosters “diversity in the world of commerce.
Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE)
The Center for Women & Enterprise is a nationally known nonprofit organization that administers the certification and recertification of members in the WBENC program. www.cewonline.org
The Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office (SDO)
Housed under the Commonwealth’s Operational Services Division, the SDO “promotes equality in the state government contracting market by ensuring full participation of minority, women, veteran, service-disabled veteran, disability and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ("LGBT") owned businesses in all areas of state procurement by all Agencies.” It operates CommBuys.com, a website that houses profiles of all eligible vendors and applicable statewide contracts.
OMNIKAL
Formerly Diversity Business, OMNIKAL is recognized as the "Gold Standard of corporate excellence in diversity and inclusion.” SHPC consistently ranks on the organization’s top Massachusetts entrepreneur lists: Top 100 Women-Owned Businesses and Top 100 Diversity-Owned Businesses. The organization’s goal is to “equalize, broaden and level the playing field for both brands and an increasingly varied vendor/supplier marketplace.” www.omnikal.com
Professional Women’s Organizations and Bar Associations
SHPC encourages attorneys to become involved in professional organizations that offer resources, learning experiences, and networking opportunities with other lawyers.
The National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF)
Founded in 2001, NAMWOLF is a nonprofit trade association that promotes diversity in the legal profession. As active members of NAMWOLF, SHPC members serve on committees, attend and present at annual conferences and regional meetings, and attend networking sessions. SHPC is one of only three Massachusetts firms to be admitted as a NAMWOLF member. www.NAMWOLF.org
Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA)
The WBA’s vision is to “build a strong community of women lawyers who make a difference in the profession and in society at large” by offering leadership, learning, and networking opportunities, resources, and other relationships. www.WBAWBF.org
National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL)
Cultivating a diverse membership, NAWL provides a collective voice, leadership, and “essential resources to advance women in the legal profession and advocate for the equality of women under the law.” It encourages participation in amicus briefs, reviews and evaluates nominees to the United States Supreme Court with an eye toward women’s rights or laws that have a special impact on women, and monitors federal legislation “that has the potential to impact women’s rights and the ability of women to practice law.” www.NAWL.org
