We are pleased to introduce the HNBF’s 2024 Law Firm Leadership awardee. Please join us as we honor Frost Brown Todd for their outstanding achievements and their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Frost Brown Todd is a national, full-service law firm with more than 575 lawyers operating in 17 offices across nine states and Washington, D.C. The firm assists clients with transactions and litigation in every major industry around the globe, with notable depth and distinction in the energy, manufacturing, finance, technology, and health care innovation sectors. Its attorneys routinely rank among the top practitioners in disciplines including labor and employment, intellectual property, tax and environmental law, product liability, finance, and commercial litigation. Committed to refining the art of client service, the firm leverages technical, industry and legal knowledge and hands-on experience to serve a diverse client base, from leading multinationals to small, entrepreneurial companies. Frost Brown Todd has also garnered local and national recognition for its inclusive culture, community leadership, pro bono work, and innovative approach to the integration and development of associates.
Furthermore, with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Frost Brown Todd is a recognized leader among law firms and part of a select group nationwide to consecutively earn the Mansfield Rule™ Plus Certification in recognition of its efforts to diversify the legal and advancement pipeline to be more inclusive of attorneys from historically underrepresented groups. In 2023, Frost Brown Todd expanded to California through its merger with AlvaradoSmith—a decision based in no small part on the two firms’ cultural alignment and shared commitment to DEI. As a result of the merger, Frost Brown Todd was able to further amplify AlvaradoSmith’s legacy DEI initiatives. This includes the Raymond G. Alvarado Scholarship, a sub-fund of the Hispanic Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) that annually provides financial assistance to Hispanic students interested in pursuing a career in the legal field and who have demonstrated leadership and involvement in the community. Ruben Smith, who serves as partner-in-charge of the firm’s Orange County office and co-chair of its Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Belonging Committee, is a founding member and 30-year supporter of HEEF, which has provided nearly $3 million in scholarships to date.
In addition to supporting pipeline programs for Hispanic students, Frost Brown Todd has executed programming to educate its workforce on the unique obstacles that people from Hispanic communities face. Part of these efforts are internal workshops featuring prominent figures such as Judge Marily Zayas, author and civil rights lawyer Efrén Olivares, as well as the actors Tony Plana and Ada Maris. Externally, Frost Brown Todd sponsors local initiatives to support Hispanic students, attorneys, and communities across the United States. The firm has also sponsored numerous events and organizations such as the Mexican American Bar Foundation Gala, University of Kentucky BLSA & LLSA Gala, University of Michigan LLSA JLT Scholarship Banquet, Indiana Latino Institute Hispanic Heritage Month Luncheon, the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association.
In its inaugural Embracing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion special report, the Orange County Business Journal recognized Frost Brown Todd as a company whose innovative ideas are reshaping how DEI is practiced and seeing real impacts in both the workplace and community.
