CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2016 - 2017...Quarles & Brady has demonstrated its belief in the...

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILIT Y REPORT 2016 - 2017

Quarles CaresSustainability

Pro Bono Wellness

Diversity& Inclusion

2016 - 2017 QUARLES & BRADY CORPORATE RESPONSIBILIT Y REPORT 2quarles.com

We l co m e Q u a r l e s Ca re s | S u s t a i n a b i l i t y | D i ve r s i t y & I n c l u s i o n | Pro B o n o | We l l n e s s

For many years,

At Quarles & Brady, we are fiercely proud of the work we do for our clients; but that alone does not define who we are as an organization. As citizens, our organization is also shaped by our efforts to advance the well-being of the communities in which we live and work. That’s why we partner with nonprofit organizations, particularly those that address hunger and education; why we commit to significant pro bono involvement; why we work to reduce our resource footprint; and why we support our team in expanding its impact. Our values—collaboration, integrity, respect, purpose, clients first, and continuous improvement—are strengthened by and applied within our client and community involvement. I am proud of our team and its impact, and thankful to all our community partners who enrich our identity and our work.

Quarles & Brady has demonstrated its belief in the importance of corporate social responsibility through efforts that address Community Volunteerism/Quarles Cares, Sustainability, Diversity and Inclusion, Pro Bono, and Wellness. This report shares the depth of our commitment, focusing on activities undertaken in 2016 and 2017.

Kimberly Leach JohnsonPartner & Firm Chair

This year we celebrated our 125th anniversary. Our legacyis grounded in a strong responsibility to community involvement. This involvement is multifaceted and involves all 10 of our offices. Our efforts focus on local activities/ Quarles Cares, sustainability, diversity, pro bono, and wellness. Each contributes to our culture, providing a richness that is meaningful to our team and our communities. We see our involvement as a responsibility and a privilege. This report highlights our endeavors and partnerships. We are pleased to share it with our many stakeholders, including our Quarles & Brady team, our clients, and our local partners. It’s said “it takes a village” and we are proud of our contributions to strengthen our teams, our communities, and our collective vision of the future.

Darlene AustinDirector of Diversity, Employee Relations, & Corporate Social Responsibility

http://www.quarles.com/


We l co m e Q u a r l e s Ca re s S u s t a i n a b i l i t y | D i ve r s i t y & I n c l u s i o n | Pro B o n o | We l l n e s s

Quarles Cares,the signature outreach arm of the firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility program, marked its 11th year of dedicated service to the communities inwhich we live and work. Our efforts are both national and highly localizedto address the unique needs of each office and its surrounding areas.

On a firmwide basis, we have supported anti-bullying, Go-Red heart disease awareness, and Autism Speaks programming. Local offices have supported the United Way, Salvation Army, United Performing Arts Fund, American Red Cross, and others. Additionally, with Hurricane Irma, when the devastating effects were felt among our own employees in Naples, the firm sponsored an internal campaign to raise relief funds for employees in that office.

For the last several years, Quarles & Brady has applied a special focus to education and hunger.

• Addressing education, many of our offices have cultivated relationships with local elementary schools, hosting anti-bullying programs, reading with children, donating blankets, spending time in the classroom, and securing/readying mountains of school supplies to ensure that every child feels special.

• Addressing hunger, we’ve raised funds for food agencies through jeans days, lunches, and cook-offs. We’ve collected food for schools. We’ve served meals to children, the homeless, and families. Our team has also donated, packed, unpacked, sorted, and stocked food for pantries.

These are just some of the organizations our offices have partnered with on our hunger-related and educational initiatives.

A Just Harvest (Chicago)

American Red Cross(Indianapolis)

Benjamin Franklin School(Milwaukee)

Blessings in a Backpack(Chicago)

Blossom Montessori School for the Deaf(Tampa)

Boys & Girls Club(Phoenix , Tampa)

Camp Boggy Creek(Naples)

Capital Area Food Bank(Washington, D.C.)

Capitol School(Phoenix)

Carrillo Communication/Creative Arts Magnet School(Tucson)

Children’s Theater of Madison(Madison)

Community Anti-Drug Coalitionsof America (Washington, D.C.)

Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona(Tucson)

End 68 Hours of Hunger(Tampa)

Food from the Bar(Washington, D.C.)

Gleaners Food Bank(Indianapolis)

Golden Terrace Elementary School(Naples)

Hendley Elementary School(Washington, D.C.)

Laces for Love(Naples)

Madison School District Transitional Educational Program(Madison)

Make Room for Youth(Madison)

Night Ministry Health Outreach(Chicago)

Operation Fresh Start(Madison)

Roland Park School(Tampa)

Second Harvest (Madison, Milwaukee)

Second Helpings(Indianapolis)

Shepherd Community Center (Indianapolis)

St. John’s Open Door Cafe Program (Milwaukee)

St. Mary’s Food Bank(Phoenix)

St. Mary’s Child Center(Indianapolis)

St. Matthew’s House(Naples)

St. Vincent de Paul(Phoenix)

TMM Family Services, Inc./Children’s Village (Tucson)

Tucson Medical Center-Girls on the Run(Tucson)

Voices for Children(Tampa)




Hi Vanessa,

You guys are rock stars! I just wanted to say THANK YOU on behalf of everyone here at Second Helpings for all of the hard work you all did for us on Saturday.

The dedicated support from community partners, such as Quarles & Brady, is what truly allows Second Helpings to be able to have the impact on our community that is so vital.

Your compassion for our mission and tireless volunteer efforts are irreplaceable and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Thanks so much and have a great week!

Adriane RiosManager, Volunteer ServicesSecond Helpings

S P O T L I G H T :

For more than 27 years, Quarles & Brady has served as a corporate partner to Capitol School in

Phoenix, Arizona. Members of the Quarles & Brady team have long served as “homeroom parents,” planning

classroom celebrations, assisting in reading programs, and providing supplies. In 2017, 45 team members volunteered their time to directly interact with students. In addition, the Phoenix office held fundraisers to purchase 362 sweaters, one for each child

in kindergarten through sixth grade. As part of Quarles & Brady’s 125th anniversary, the Quarles & Brady 125th Anniversary

Book Scholarship Fund was created. Funds were used to provide Scholastic Book Fair vouchers to students as recognition for individual achievement.

Phoenix Office & Capitol School




G A L L E R Y

Chicago: 2017 Race Judicata, fundraiser for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Indianapolis: Sorting food at Good Shepherd Food Pantry

Madison: Walking to support literacy Milwaukee: Going Red for heart disease awareness




Naples: Participating in community beautification Phoenix/Scottsdale: Biking for Phoenix Children’s Hospital

Tucson: Donating a Buddy Bench to Carrillo Communication/Creative Arts Magnet School.

Tampa: Walking for a Cure Washington, D.C.: Donating much-needed office supplies to Hendley Elementary

G A L L E R Y




June 19-23, 2017,Quarles & Brady celebrated its 125th anniversary with a week of activities that thanked attorneys, staff, clients, and the community. The following list details gifts provided to community partners in our office locations.

Community Appreciation Day | Our Gifts to the Community

Chicago

Indianapolis

Madison

Milwaukee

Naples

Phoenix & Scottsdale

Blessings in a Backpack

Shepherd Community Center

Goodman Community Center

Benjamin Franklin Elementary School

Golden Terrace Elementary School

Capitol School

Through Blessings in a Backpack, our gift helped provide food during the weekends to childrenwho don’t have access to good, reliable nutrition.

A Buddy Bench was donated to Shepherd Community Center, which aims to break the cycle of poverty by educating and empowering children, youth, and families. Its programming includes early elementary education, after-school, and summer programming.

A donation to subsidize educational programs was provided to Goodman Community Center. In one of its many programs, TEENworks, high school students are taught critical employmentskills in a supportive, hands-on environment.

Benjamin Franklin Elementary was provided with a roomful of new sporting equipment, including volleyballs, kickballs, footballs, jump ropes, hula hoops, chalkboards, sidewalk chalk, and more.

A donation was made to the Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) program at Golden Terrace. The program promotes positive behavior and acknowledges students for their positive behavior choices in school.

An Anniversary Book Scholarship was designed in coordination with Capitol School. The school gave students vouchers for a Fall Scholastic book fair as part of a reading intervention program.

Tampa

Washington, D.C.

Tucson

Roland Park K-8 Magnet School

Hendley Elementary School

Carrillo Communication/Creative Arts Magnet School

A Buddy Bench was provided to Roland Park School to promote friendship, caring, and awareness of the needs of others.

Hendley Elementary provides an enriching curriculum to underserved children. Funds were donated to provide the school’s uniform shirts to children who need them and restock much-needed office supplies.

A Buddy Bench was provided to Carrillo Communication/Creative Arts Magnet school to reinforce the school’s ongoing program on kindness.

OFFICE EDUCATIONAL PARTNER GIFT



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For more than adecade we’ve beensupporting strategies for strong corporate citizenship. At Quarles & Brady,sustainability means considering the environmental, economic, and social impact of the firm’s business practices—both internally and externally—when making business decisions.

The firm actively supports building management practices to drive greater sustainability outcomes, resulting in 5 of our 10 office buildings earning LEED certification. We also thoughtfully develop and engage in internal efforts to reduce waste and energy consumption, increase our recycling efforts around consumable and non-consumable office resources, and raise awareness among our Quarles & Brady team.

Each office has:

• Formal shredding and recycling programs for paper, toners, and other consumables

• High-efficiency equipment, including Energy Star appliances in kitchens

• Recycled paper for use in copiers and printers

• Incentives for commuters

• Warehouse file reduction programs

• Strategies to replace disposable plates, bowls, glass, and flatware

• Programmed HVAC schedules for off-hours work

Our Washington, D.C. office is leading the way with its completely paperless environment—in fact there is no file room at all. It’s not just the removal of paper, but the enhancement of overall processes to optimize efficiency. In addition, all reduced-energy LED lights are on timers; sinks are automatic; and bottled water has been eliminated in favor of a simple water dispenser.

We are proud of our

team’s diligence

and creativity in

continually moving

the bar on our

sustainability efforts.

S P O T L I G H T :

Over a three-year renovation program, the Milwaukee office not only integrated low

energy fixtures and other “green” technologies, it also donated more than six semi-truckloads of office furniture and equipment to 43 local

nonprofits, shredded and recycled 12,000 boxes of files, and reused building materials whenever possible.

Milwaukee Office



We l co m e | Q u a r l e s Ca re s | S u s t a i n a b i l i t y D i ve r s i t y & I n c l u s i o n Pro B o n o | We l l n e s s

At Quarles & Brady, we continually strive to create an atmosphere where staff and attorneys embrace the different experiences and perspectives brought to the table. The diversity of our people allows us to better understand—and better serve—our clients.

Recognizing the legal profession has traditionally been underrepresented by minorities and women, Quarles & Brady has developed robust policies and programs to recruit, train, and support diverse and women attorneys, so every member of the Quarles & Brady team can fully realize their potential and enjoy successful careers. The firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts include:

• Firmwide Committee. Quarles & Brady’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee is comprised of representatives from each of our offices and includes partners, associates, and administrators, as well as members of the firm’s Executive Committee. It is co-chaired by Firm Chair Kim Johnson. This past year the committee brought forth the request to formalize policies around the meaningful inclusion of women and minorities in Requests For Proposals and resulting new matters. The request was adopted by the Executive Committee and tactics are in place to monitor and measure inclusion.

• Local Councils. There is a Diversity Council in each office, comprisedof local administration and staff. The Diversity Council educates employees on diversity and inclusion matters, and regularly sponsors guest speakers on a variety of subjects such as autism, transgender issues, challenges related to the deaf and hard of hearing, and other salient topics.

• Business Resource Groups. The firm also sponsors Business Resource Groups for its women and diverse attorneys, in order to create internal networks to assist with business development and foster an increased sense of community and camaraderie in the workplace.

• Recruiting Policies. We actively recruit diverse and women candidates, and encourage the development of LGBTQ, minority, women, veteran, and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses in all of our communities through the firm’s Supplier Diversity Program.

• National Organizations. Quarles & Brady is involved with many local and national organizations that support diversity and inclusion.

Our firm has been recognized with numerous awards for our efforts, including:

WILEF 2016 & 2017Gold Standard -

(Seven years in a row)

2016 & 2017 Law360 Best BigLaw Firms for Female Attorneys

2016 & 2017 Working Mother Best Law Firms for Women

2016 & 2017 Corporate Equality Index-100% Human Rights Campaign

Quarles & Brady receives an award at Working Mother’s 2017 celebration of the Best Law Firm for Women.



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Pro bono is an integral part ofQuarles & Brady’s culture. The firm’s commitment to outreach speaks to the values held in high regard by our firm and our attorneys. Last year, Quarles & Brady attorneys dedicated almost 24,000 hours of pro bono time to individuals and organizations in need.

We recognize that there is a gap—a substantial one, in fact—between those who need legal representation and those who can access it.Too many people are forced to go it alone when facing a crisis such as eviction, deportation, custody, and domestic violence. By donatingtheir time, skills, and resources, Quarles & Brady attorneys help reduce this gap and provide much needed support to families in need.

In 2016 Quarles & Brady donated 23,101 pro bono hours. In 2017, that number was 23,626 hours, which equates to more than $8.2 million.

We work with dozens of organizations on both a local and national level, including the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program.

In August 2017, the firm launched its partnership with this nonprofit organization which assists veterans in accessing disability benefits. We trained more than 70 people—both internal to the firm as well as attorneys from client and other organizations—live in Milwaukee and via our videoconference capabilities to all other offices. In February, we will host another live session in Tampa.

S P O T L I G H T :

Legal Action of Wisconsin’s Eviction Defense Project (EDP) launchedin December 2016. The program is court-based and provides free legal aid for low-income tenants in Milwaukee County facingeviction. Quarles & Brady is proud to be in on the ground floor of this initiative, and to have assisted in its creation. With the aid ofQuarles & Brady and other volunteer attorneys, the EDP is helping to keep families in their homes and to stabilize neighborhoods. Volunteer attorneys may find a defense to an unlawful eviction, help negotiate a payment plan to keep a tenant in their home or secure a more practical move-out date, and even seal records, making it easier for tenants to find stable housing in the future.

Since January 2017, the clinic has: • Assisted 329 unique clients (across all of 2016 only 112

tenants had legal representation).• Engaged 96 volunteers: 81 attorneys and 15 students which

collectively have donated 700+ hours of time.

The Milwaukee Eviction Project launched December 2016

“I appreciate the help, and I truly wouldn’t knowwhat I would do without it!”— Quote from follow-up surveys given to a client after receiving assistance from the Eviction Defense Project

For best results, cut and paste video link into Chrome browser.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI7KIcNjNNE



THE GONRING AWARD

The Gonring Award is named in honor of retired partner Michael J. Gonring who served as the firm’s national pro bono coordinator for 15 years before retiring in 2016. The awards honor volunteer attorneys or teams who demonstrate dedication to the development and delivery of legal services through one or more pro bono projects during a fiscal year. The firm donates $1,000 to a nonprofit designated by each winning team/attorney.

2017 Pro Bono Partner of the Year Award winner

King, has worked for years to coordinate and lead pro bono cases in appellate courts across the country. He uses these appointments to work with younger associates, providing them with hands-on opportunities to work on appeals. He has represented clients in more than 100 appeals, including those involving arbitration, class action defense, commercial litigation, creditors rights and bankruptcy, employment, environmental claims, real estate disputes, school law, trusts and estates, and government regulatory matters.

Gift designee: John Howard Association of Illinois

E. KIng PoorPartner | Chicago office

2017 Pro Bono Associate of the Year Award winner

Emily heads up the Volunteer Lawyer project with Legal Action of Wisconsin where she helps find legal representation for petitions at domestic abuse injunction hearings. This year she worked with the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic and Milwaukee Justice Center to bring a recurring clinic to the Sojourner Family Peace Center. The new clinic assists individuals already receiving services through the Center, including sexually abused women and children, and homeless women living in the attached shelter.

Gift designee: Sojourner Family Peace Center

Emily K. FonsAssociate | Milwaukee office

Matthew SplitekPartner | Madison office

2017 Pro Bono Team of the Year Award winners

Partnering with the ACLU and Juvenile Law Center, this team has brought suit in federal court against four Wisconsin state officials citing unconstitutional use of solitaryconfinement and inhumane conditions at the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and the Copper Lake School for Girls. To date, the team has filed a complaint, moved to certify a class, tried an evidentiary hearing for a preliminary injunction, and is preparing for a June trial. This involvement has required a substantial commitment of time and effort.

Gift designee: Urban Underground

The team also includes Emily Stedman, Zachary T. Eastburn, Laura Olsen, Terrill Tyler, Bryce Loken, Francesco Howard, and Xavier A. Santistevan.

Rachel A. GrahamAssociate | Madison office




2016 Pro Bono Team of the Year Award winners

A team of attorneys in the Milwaukee office, led by Lauren Harpke and Hillary Wucherer,was recognized for their provision of pro bono legal services to more than 100 families, most of whom were parents seeking guardianship rights for their disabled children coming of age.

Gift designee: Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

Lauren R. HarpkeSenior Counsel | Milwaukee office

Hillary J. WuchererPartner | Milwaukee office

2016 Pro Bono Partner of the Year winner

James’ pro bono involvement includes working with Northwestern Law School’s MacArthur Justice Center Clinic (MacArthur Center) and serving as an advisory board member for the Northwestern University Law School Center on Wrongful Convictions. In the past several years, James has helped secure the release of a dozen men wrongfully convicted of murder in Illinois. This past year he also led a team for the National Innocence Network that won a major decision at the Illinois Supreme Court on witness identifications in homicide cases.

Gift designee: Northwestern University Law School Center on Wrongful Convictions

James I. KaplanPartner | Chicago office

2016 Pro Bono Associate of the Year winners

Hunter started a legal clinic in partnership with Wheeler Mission Ministries. The legal clinic marshalls support from Quarles & Brady attorneys, as well as dozens of attorneys from other local firms and government agencies, to assist Wheeler residents with their questions surrounding court hearings, family law disputes, debt issues, criminal expungement, wills, and other issues.

Gift designee: Wheeler Mission Ministries

Hunter G. DeKoninckAssociate | Indianapolis office

Julia provides pro bono assistance to the Florence Immigration & Refugee Rights Project, which offers services to detained adults and unaccompanied children facing immigrationremoval proceedings in Arizona.

Gift designee: AZ Common Ground

Julia J. KoestnerAssociate | Phoenix office

Colleen is recognized for her work in representing a client in a clemency application. Her efforts helped to commute the sentence of her client from life in prison to 360 months.

Gift designee: Everyday Children, Tampa

Colleen MillerAssociate (now Partner) | Tampa office



We l co m e | Q u a r l e s Ca re s | S u s t a i n a b i l i t y | D i ve r s i t y & I n c l u s i o n | Pro B o n o We l l n e s s

S P O T L I G H T :

Steven Hunter is a highly respected member of Quarles & Brady’s Commercial Litigation team

and a leader in many local civic organizations such as the Chicago Child Care Society, The Art Institute, and the

Museum of Science and Industry. It’s common to see him dashing out the door, briefcase in hand. That’s why you might be surprised to see him leading Wednesday’s lunchtime yoga class at Quarles & Brady’s Chicago office. Steven, a certified yoga instructor, sees yoga as a great stress reliever and wanted to bring it to his colleagues. The firm welcomed his request as part of its overall wellness programming. Seeing a busy partner find time to take a breath also has a powerful impact on others, and reinforces a culture of well-being.

Steven Hunter: Partner, Community Advocate, Yoga Instructor

Quarles & Brady has had a robustwellness program for nearly a decade. To do our best work for our clients and in our communities, we believe it is important to cultivate an environment that supports our team members and assists them in their well-being. We are seeing results of our programming. The average number of health risks per employee has declined over the last few years from 2.1 per person to 1.6 risks per person.

Employees earn discounts on health insurance by participating in a variety of monthly programs that focus on physical activity, nutrition, and financial wellness. They can also earn points by keeping up on their routine care, participating in 5Ks, donating blood or training in first aid. As a firm, we supplement those activities by offering flu shots, health screenings, onsite mammography clinics and more.

77%OF OUR POPULATION IS CONSIDERED LOW RISK.

WE HAVE EXPERIENCED HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS YEAR AFTER YEAR, AND ARE PROUD THAT

We believe that when employees feel

vibrant, they translate that energy to

their involvement with their colleagues,

their clients, and their communities.


CORPORATE RESPONSIBILIT Y REPORT 2016 - 2017

For more information, please contact:Darlene Austin, Director of Diversity, Employee Relations, & Corporate Social Responsibility

mailto:Darlene.Austin%40quarles.com?subject=

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