Platinum Sponsor

About Carlton Fields

www.carltonfields.com

Carlton Fields has more than 330 attorneys and government and financial services consultants serving clients from offices in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C. The firm is known for its national litigation practice, including class action defense, trial practice, white collar representation, and high-stakes appeals; its insurance practice, including life and financial lines, property and casualty, reinsurance, and title insurance; its regulatory practice; and its handling of sophisticated business transactions and corporate counseling for domestic and international clients. (Carlton Fields practices law in California through Carlton Fields, LLP.)

Why did you decide to become a NBA-CLS sponsor?

Carlton Fields has previously attended the NBA-CLS Annual Corporate Counsel Conference, and our attorneys have served as moderators at the conference and as leaders within the NBA, including as a member of the executive committee and past chair of the Commercial Law Section. This partnership has allowed us to develop professional relationships, share best practices and insights, and create opportunities that lead to the advancement of members’ careers and diversity, equity, and inclusion in law as a whole.

Additional Information

Appreciation of diversity is one of Carlton Fields’ core values and an integral part of the firm’s strategic plan. We promote and embrace diversity in all things, encouraging our attorneys and managers to prioritize the inclusion of diverse individuals in everything we do. This philosophy extends to recruiting, hiring, leadership appointments, case assignments, committee responsibilities, and the development of successors for leadership positions and client relationships. We believe that persons with diverse backgrounds enrich our work environment, add value to the legal services we provide, and enhance the overall culture of the firm.

• In 2020, Carlton Fields joined the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, a nationwide group of more than 200 law firms dedicated to furthering the pursuit of equal justice in the law.
• The firm is active in the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity and has participated in the LCLD Fellows Program annually since its inception.
• Carlton Fields is a sponsor of the Council on Legal Education Opportunity’s Summer Pre-Law Seminar, an intensive program for diverse students whose goal is to attend law school.
• We provide networking, informal mentoring, and professional development opportunities through the firm’s LGBTQ+, Minority, and Women’s Business Resource Groups, which work to spur opportunities for these groups within the firm, the legal profession, and the community.
• Carlton Fields ranked as the top Florida-based law firm for Black partners, according to the Daily Business Review’s 2020 Diversity Report. The firm also ranks in the top 5 for Black attorneys and minority attorneys.
• The firm was awarded a 100% perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index for the 12th consecutive year, recognizing innovative programs and initiatives that drive equality in the workplace for LGBTQ workers.

August 2022 Attorney Spotlights

July 2021 Attorney Spotlights

Platinum Sponsor

About Merrill, A Bank of America Company

www.ml.com

It starts with you.

For us success is about helping you reach your goals, not a number. Your life and priorities.

At Merrill, we believe that understanding what matters most to you is critical to a successful investing strategy.  Through a dedicated one-on-one relationship between you and your Merrill Financial Advisor, we are able to design a comprehensive strategy around you.

A clear and more open way to work.

We believe trust comes from transparency, which is why our advisors lay out everything you can expect from the beginning.  So you’ll know what we’re doing, how you’re tracking toward your goals, and what you’re paying.

For more information about Merrill visit:  www.ML.com

To connect with an advisor to answer your questions email us at:   baalc@ml.com

Why did you decide to become a NBA-CLS sponsor?

Merrill and Bank of America have been consistent supporters of the NBA CLS.  In addition to representation on the NBA CLS Executive Board, a member of our legal team was a co-chair of the NBA CLS Corporate Conference.  Our commitment extends to many of our financial advisors attending the conference and providing complementary financial advice to conference participants.  Bank of America has also found diverse outside council at the conference from both NAMWOLF and majority firms.

Additional Information

Our Company

From building an inclusive, diverse company to promoting equality and inclusion in our communities, we recognize the value in welcoming different voices and perspectives. Three areas that are key in how we do this are:

Being transparent:

One of the first in the industry to do so, Merrill last summer released detailed data on the racial and gender makeup of its leaders and financial advisors, a step to increase transparency and attract more diverse candidates to the firm. Over the last 18 months, over half our new advisor hires have been diverse.

Merrill currently has the most diverse class of advisors in our training program in our history.

Leading industry change:

Our Chief Investment Office has begun to incorporate diversity analysis into the review and selection of all existing and new asset managers.

Giving to causes:

Bank of America announced a $1.25 billion, five-year commitment to help local communities address economic and racial inequality accelerated by the pandemic. The programs will be focused on assisting people and communities of color that have experienced a greater impact from the health crisis.

Our Employees

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion helps make our company a great place to work. The diversity of our employees makes us stronger and is essential to our ability to serve our clients.

A culture of inclusion:

In 2019, more than 20K Merrill employees across the country participated in inclusion training sessions, led by senior leaders from the business and HR, with a focus on understanding unconscious bias and cultivating inclusive environments in our offices.

In 2014 we formed a Black/African American Leadership Council. The Council is chaired/sponsored by members of the business’ senior leadership team and includes several B/AA advisors who help shape our strategy.

We introduced an annual B/AA FA Symposium in 2016, which is an opportunity for the community to come together and form relationships and share best practices.