Bill Hollander, Managing Partner

Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP recognizes the benefits of attaining diversity at all levels of our Firm. Wyatt continually seeks to recruit, develop and retain the highest level of legal talent and to promote and develop that talent without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, disability, ethnicity or sexual orientation. To that end, Wyatt strives to increase the diversity of its applicant pool by actively recruiting an increased number of qualified candidates to participate in the application process. Wyatt also focuses on the development and retention of its attorneys through efforts such as its formal mentoring program, associate orientation and ongoing training programs.

Diversity Initiatives and Achievements:

• Regular participation in various minority job fairs including the DuPont and Cook County Bar Association minority job fair events.
• Wyatt is a three-time recipient of DuPont's "Meeting the Challenge" award for our efforts to promote diversity in the legal profession.
• Five of the six Summer Associates in our 2009 Class were women and two were minorities.
• The Firm has also received International Paper Company's Legal Department's "Lighthouse" award for our efforts in promoting diversity in the legal profession.
• In a past biennial survey of The National Law Journal, WTC ranked second in the nation in the employment of women lawyers.
• The establishment of an affinity group for female lawyers.
• For 2010, Wyatt has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Kentucky. This is the fourth straight year that we have earned this distinction. Wyatt has also been named one of the Best Employers in Tennessee for 2010.

The Wyatt Diversity Committee:

Wyatt's Diversity Committee is comprised of partners and associates representing the Firm's several offices. The mission of Wyatt's Diversity Committee is to ensure the Firm maintains best practices in the recruitment and retention of lawyers so that we can meet our goal of having a team of excellent lawyers that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.

The Diversity Committee is co-chaired by David Calhoun and includes the Firm's Managing Partner, Bill Hollander, the chair of the Firm's Professional Personnel Development and Evaluation Committee, Arthur Rouse, and the chair of its Professional Personnel Recruiting Committee, Deborah Patterson. The other members of the Diversity Committee are: Larry Crawford, Chris Cashen, Angela McCorkle Buckler, Mike McClain, and Klint Alexander.

Wyatt Pipeline Building Initiatives:

Wyatt is actively involved in several initiatives aimed at increasing the number of minorities entering the profession of law:

• Wyatt established and funds four, full tuition, three-year scholarships intended to increase minority enrollments at the University of Kentucky, the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, the University of Tennessee, and the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis. Qualified scholarship recipients will be eligible for first year summer internships in one of Wyatt's Kentucky or Tennessee offices.
• Kevin Hable spearheaded the establishment of the Every 1 Reads program, an initiative aimed at improving reading achievement in the Jefferson County Kentucky Public Schools. This initiative, which kicked off in September 2003, contributes to building the local pipeline of minorities entering the profession by focusing on improved achievement from the earliest stages of students' academic careers. Minority and English as second language students comprise approximately 38% of the student population of the Jefferson County Public School system and thus a large percentage of its beneficiaries.
• Wyatt's Louisville office participates in a summer internship program for Central High School students. Central High is an historic, inner-city school and is the alma mater of Muhammad Ali and generations of local black leaders. This year, for example, Wyatt will employ two students on a full-time basis for the summer. These students are participants in the Jefferson County Legal/Government Career Magnet Program. The students are assigned an attorney mentor and are included in many different Firm events throughout the summer.
• Dr. Benjamin Hooks, former head of the NAACP, and a 2007 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is of counsel to our Firm.
• LaToi Mayo is involved in the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Color of Justice Program. The objective of this program is to encourage minority students in grades 8 through 12 to consider law practice and judgeships as career goals.

Diversity in Leadership:

Wyatt prepares and encourages women and minority members of the Firm to assume leadership roles, both inside and outside the Firm, and to attain success as business developers. Some notable examples are:

• Women and minority members actively participate in the management of the Firm, chairing various Firm committees and service teams, such as the Professional Personnel Recruiting Committee, Professional Personnel Evaluation Committee and the Labor & Employment, Health Care and Financial Institutions service teams, as well as serving as members of the Firm Diversity Committee.
• Cynthia Young served as President of the Louisville Bar Association in 2005, and currently serves on boards of the Louisville Bar Foundation and Legal Aid Society.
• Angela McCorkle Buckler is the 2008 President of the Women Lawyers Association of Jefferson County. She is also the current Vice-Chair of the Louisville Bar Association Labor & Employment Section.
• Sarah Osborn Hill is the 2008 Vice-President of Membership of the Women Lawyers Association of Jefferson County.
• Michelle Wyrick is a past chair of the Louisville Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Section.
• LaToi Mayo received the Fayette County Bar Association Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. She also serves on the Lexington, Kentucky Mayor's Commission on Race Relations, the Board of the Lexington Urban League Young Professionals and participates as a mentor and volunteer in several University of Kentucky programs, including, for example, the University of Kentucky NAACP Chapter's panel discussion on affirmative action.
• Mike McClain serves as a member of the Louisville Bar Association's Diversity Committee.

Wyatt Advocacy and Sponsorship in Support of Diversity:

Wyatt and Wyatt attorneys regularly serve as advocates for diversity efforts. We support and lead local programs that ensure everyone in our communities has access to legal representation. We also organize, sponsor and contribute to activities and organizations that promote diversity. Some notable examples are:

• Wyatt has long been a supporter of community programs that benefit minorities and others disadvantaged by age, ethnic origin, sex or poverty. Members of the Firm have served and presently serve on the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society and have served as Chair of the Board of that organization.
• Wyatt is the only firm in Louisville, Kentucky that has established a fellowship program with Legal Aid that fully funds the salary of a staff attorney. In addition, Wyatt makes yearly donations to Legal Aid, with the donation this year in excess of $30,000. Legal Aid programs are directed at those in need who cannot afford legal representation and the organization is heavily involved in efforts supporting minorities and others who are disadvantaged. Wyatt is also a major financial supporter of Memphis Area Legal Services which provides those services in Memphis.
• Wyatt lawyers have been named pro bono lawyer of the year by the Louisville Bar Association, the Kentucky Bar Association and the National Legal Aid and Public Defender Association.
• Wyatt lawyers founded and established the public defender program in Louisville and Jefferson County.
• Wyatt is a sponsor of the DuPont Women Lawyers' Network Business Development Conferences.
• Carter Ruml provides pro bono representation to The Somali Bantu Community in Kentucky, Inc. Carter is also on the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities of Louisville, Inc., which is very active in refugee resettlement.
• Jimmy Bradshaw is a Director of Kids on the Block of Middle Tennessee, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to educating elementary school children on, among other things, diversity issues. Wyatt is a regular sponsor of Kids on the Block events and fundraisers.
• LaToi Mayo and Karen Greenwell are both involved with The National Conference of Community and Justice, a human relations organization that promotes understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution and education.
• Wyatt is a sponsor of the Jefferson County Woman Lawyers' Association Annual Dinner.
• Wyatt is a sponsor of Louisville Urban League events, including the Diversity Soiree.
• Wyatt is a sponsor of the Women 4 Women Annual Luncheon.