IMPACT

At Porter Hedges, we believe that fostering an inclusive culture – one that values different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds – enhances the quality of our work and enables us to better understand our clients' needs in order to exceed their expectations. 

Our goal is to attract, support, advance, and retain outstanding lawyers and professionals who reflect the marketplace, communities, and clients that we serve. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone has a sense of belonging and access to opportunities.

Through the development of programs and policies, the Porter Hedges Impact Committee leads the effort to embed inclusion and community into the fabric of the firm. The Committee works to assess the firm’s culture, drive initiatives that promote belonging within the firm, and cultivate an inclusive and collaborative work environment with appreciation for each of our unique backgrounds.

First Year Forward

First Year Forward is our signature eight-month professional development program designed for all new associates joining the firm directly out of law school. The program equips first-year lawyers with practical skills in project management, the business of law, professional communication, timekeeping, and giving and receiving feedback, among other topics. Through interactive sessions taught by firm partners and associates, First Year Forward bridges the gap between law school and practicing law. It is the foundation for a confident, successful start to a career at Porter Hedges.

1L NextGen Fellowship

The Porter Hedges 1L NextGen Fellowship is awarded annually to a first-year law student who is committed to breaking barriers in the legal profession for the next generation. The fellowship provides the selected candidate the opportunity to receive up to $25,000 in stipends during their participation in the program. Additional details can be found here.

Pre-Law Scholarship at Texas Southern University

The Porter Hedges Pre-Law Scholarship at Texas Southern University (TSU) is awarded annually to an undergraduate student at TSU who is interested in pursuing a career in the legal profession upon graduation. The scholarship provides the selected student with scholarship money up to $10,000 and the opportunity to participate in a 9-month mentorship program. Additional details can be found here.

Billable Hours Credit Policy

Porter Hedges offers billable hour credit to recognize the involvement and contributions by individual lawyers who support the firm’s IMPACT efforts in the legal profession. The Billable Hour Credit Policy allows all non-partner attorneys the opportunity to earn billable hour credit for approved IMPACT activities throughout the year. Additional details can be found here.

Juneteenth Holiday

Porter Hedges made Juneteenth an annual firm holiday starting in 2022. The firm recognizes the importance of this holiday and how it has shaped our community and country. 

Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification Program

Porter Hedges received Mansfield Certification the 2024-2025 program term.

The Midsize Mansfield Rule Program, Diversity Lab’s 12-month program geared towards firms ranging from 25-150 lawyers, measures the structural changes and steps taken by participating organizations to ensure the path to leadership is open and transparent to all lawyers. Each part of the Mansfield Rule Program aims to boost the representation of underrepresented lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of qualified candidates considered for hiring, promotions, and appointments. More information on the Midsize Mansfield Rule can be found here.

Leadership Council on Legal Diversity

The firm has been an active member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) since 2020. Our attorneys participate in multiple LCLD activities annually, including: the Fellows Program, the Pathfinder Program, the 1L Scholars Program, Alumni meetings, and law school mentoring. In 2024, Joyce Soliman completed the LCLD Institute for the Modern Inclusive Leader through Harvard Law School Executive Education. More information on LCLD can be found here.

Past program participants:
Gabriel Loperena, Fellow – 2020
Megan Luh, Pathfinder – 2021
Jamie Houston, Pathfinder – 2022
Daisy Puente, Pathfinder – 2023
Joyce Soliman, LCLD Institute for the Modern Inclusive Leader – 2024
James Keefe, Pathfinder – 2025
Gabriel Rincón, Pathfinder – 2025

IMPACT in Action

The firm received the Houston Business Journal's 2025 Diversity in Business Award.

The firm supports a variety of initiatives throughout the community, including:

• Firm membership and participation in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.
• Co-Managing Partner Joyce Kao Soliman is a past President of the Asian American Bar Association of Houston.
• Ephraim del Pozo, is a former President of the Mexican American Bar Association of Houston and is a former Director of the Hispanic Bar Association of Houston.
• Joe Cohen was selected as the 2019 recipient of the DRI Sheryl J. Willert Pioneer Diversity Award. 
• Ray Torgerson served as Co-Chair of the Native American Law Section of the State Bar of Texas from 2019-2020. Ray previously served as the Chair from 2007-2009, 2012-2013, and 2018-2019.
• Annual sponsorship of the Texas Minority Counsel Program (TMCP) Conference and Houston Save-the-Date Reception
• Annual sponsorship of the Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC) Career Strategies Conference
• Support many legal associations, including:
  • Asian American Bar Association of Houston
  • Hispanic Bar Association of Houston
  • Houston Bar Association’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
  • Houston Lawyers Association
  • Mexican American Bar Association of Houston
  • National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys
• Support law school student associations, including:
  • South Texas College of Law - Hispanic, Black, Asian Pacific American, South Asian, and Persian Law Students Associations
  • Thurgood Marshall School of Law - Hispanic Law Student Association
  • University of Houston Law Center - Hispanic, Black, and Asian Law Students Associations, Association of Women in Law, OUTLaw
  • University of Texas School of Law - Thurgood Marshall Legal Society, Women’s Law Caucus, OUTLaw, Chicano/Hispanic, and Asian Law Students Association

Internal Programming

• Celebrating Diversity
  • American Indian Law Program presented by Porter Hedges Partner Ray Torgerson
  • Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Program - Q&A with Stanley Mark of the Asian American Legal Defense Education Fund
  • Black History Month BINGO to Support Black Businesses
  • Black History Month Trivia
  • Conversation on Anti-Asian Hate presented by Porter Hedges attorneys Joyce Soliman, Janine Lundin, and Megan Luh
  • Hispanic Heritage Month Program – Q&A with former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman
  • PRIDE Month Program - CURED: Film Screening and Discussion with co-director Bennett Singer and LGBTQ activist Reverend Magora Kennedy
  • The History of Juneteenth with Sam Collins, President of the Juneteenth Legacy Project
• Professional Development
  
  • “Understanding Work Styles for Effective Collaboration” presented Tasneem Khokha
  • “Inclusive Communication in Belonging Cultures” presented by Kori Carew
  • “Master Yourself, Master Your World” presented by Denise Hamilton
  • “Navigating Difficult Conversations in an Evolving Workplace” presented by Michelle Silverthorn
  • “Cognitive, Implicit Biases, and Decision Making for Legal Professionals” presented by social psychologist and legal scholar Dr. Destiny Peery
  • Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation
  • Conversation on Race and (in)Equality
  • How to be an Active Ally
• On the Same Page is a firm-wide book club open to all personnel. Since its inception, our book club has hosted discussions on these books:
  
  • The House on Mango Street
  • Educated
  • Here for It
  • Stay True
  • The Great Divide
  • The Worlds I See
  • Black Cake
  • Killers of the Flower Moon
  • Solito
  • Born a Crime
  • I Came as a Shadow
  • Things We Lost to the Water
  • The Vanishing Half
  • Between the World and Me
  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

    
Contacts

Joyce Kao Soliman Chair, IMPACT Committee	Ashley H. Black Diversity & Inclusion Manager