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Schnader’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and public service are rooted in the Firm’s beginnings. In 1935, William A. Schnader, Bernard G. Segal, and Francis A. Lewis, attorneys of different religious backgrounds, shocked the legal community by deliberately embracing religious diversity and founding the firm of Schnader and Lewis. From the start, our attorneys fought against prejudice, including discrimination based on religion, politics, race, and gender.

Schnader has been active in the civil rights movement since the early 1960s. At the urging of President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Bernard Segal organized and co-chaired the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which sent lawyers to Mississippi to defend civil rights workers. Former partner, Jerome Shestack, worked with Segal in the formation of the Lawyers’ Committee, and served as its first executive director. Earl Harrison served on the board of trustees of Howard University and actively participated in civil rights cases, seeking to establish complete equality before the law. William H. Brown, III was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson as the fourth chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and served in that position from 1969 to 1973. Under Brown’s leadership, the EEOC tackled workplace issues related to adverse impact, job-testing validation, and national origin discrimination, and Brown won national recognition for his fairness and diligence. He joined the Firm in 1974 as its first African American partner.

The Firm was a pioneer in promoting gender diversity and inclusion. Schnader was one of the first major law firms in Philadelphia to hire a woman attorney, Josephine Klein, in 1954. In 1970, Brenda Kinney became the first woman to be elected partner at the Firm. Since that time, women have been appointed or elected to key leadership roles. In the 1990s, Marilyn Z. Kutler was elected as the first woman member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. Diana S. Donaldson served as Schnader’s managing partner from 2002 to 2009. Christine Carty served as managing partner of the New York office from 1995-1998 and 2003-2016, and also served as a member of the Executive Committee. Theresa E. Loscalzo serves as Schnader’s co-managing partner and is a member of the Executive Committee. Lisa Rodriguez serves as the managing partner of the New Jersey office, as the Firm’s ombudsperson, and as co-chair of the Firm’s DEI Committee. In addition, many of our practice groups are chaired by women.

Today, Schnader remains steadfast in its commitment to diversity. To read more, please click here for Judge Timothy Lewis’ 2015 Higginbotham lecture, and here for Judge Lewis’ 2017 speech, “It’s In Our Hands.” In both lectures, Judge Lewis (counsel to the Firm) implored the bar to do more, whether to address racial inequities, or to shift the national dialogue away from the language of division.

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The Higher Calling Of The Law Requires...

Inclusion. When Pennsylvania Attorney General William Schnader left politics and sought to return to private practice in Philadelphia, he discovered that no major Philadelphia law firms would hire his protégé, Bernard Segal, a Jewish attorney. In response, in 1935, William Schnader, Bernard Segal and Francis Lewis formed a new law firm, Schnader & Lewis -- the first religiously integrated law firm in Philadelphia.

Innovation. Because Schnader was religiously integrated from its founding, many local clients in the Philadelphia area would not retain the firm in the 1930s and 1940s. Accordingly, the firm sought to represent larger, national companies.

Vision. Firm founder William Schnader was president of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, which drafted and developed the Uniform Commercial Code. He successfully campaigned for the Code's adoption in 49 states.

The pursuit of freedom. At the request of President Truman, firm founder Earl Harrison, as Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, toured displaced persons camps at the end of World War II and recommended to the President that displaced persons in Europe be permitted to resettle in Palestine. His report was a major factor that led to American support for the establishment of Israel.

The pursuit of justice. Firm founder Earl Harrison testified on behalf of an African-American student denied entry to the University of Texas School of Law because of his race. The case challenged the "separate but equal" doctrine, as applied to state law schools and laid the foundation for Brown v. Board of Education. The Supreme Court eventually overturned the lower courts' decisions and ordered the University of Texas to admit qualified black applicants.

Courage. Firm founder Bernard Segal convinced the Philadelphia bar to defend nine accused Communists pro bono. The defendants were convicted but their cases were thrown out on appeal. As a result, the Justice Department abandoned Smith Act prosecutions across the country.

The pursuit of justice. When George Wallace threatened to block integration of the University of Alabama, Schnader’s Bernard Segal drafted a statement in opposition. He and Jerome Shestack called lawyers all over the country requesting their support. The statement was published in the Birmingham News with 53 prominent lawyer signatories and provided support for President Kennedy's Executive Order federalizing the Alabama National Guard.

The pursuit of justice. In the wake of George Wallace's efforts to impede the integration of the University of Alabama, and at the urging of Schnader’s Bernard Segal, President Kennedy convened 244 lawyers at the White House to ask them to move the battle for civil rights and racial equality to the courts. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law was born and Jerome Shestack became its full-time executive director while continuing to practice at Schnader.

Inclusion. Firm founder Bernard Segal was chair of the ABA’s Committee on the Federal Judiciary. He advocated the appointment of federal judges of all genders and races.

Inclusion. Firm founder Bernard Segal was the first Jewish person to serve as Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association. He encouraged the bar into public service and expanded its racial horizons.

Inclusion. Schnader was one of the first major Philadelphia firms to hire a female attorney.

Diversity. Schnader was a founding member of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group, which aims to increase the number of diverse attorneys in-house and in private practice.

Inclusion. The firm appointed Albert Dandridge as Chief Diversity Officer and charged him with increasing and developing our bench of diverse attorneys.

Service. The firm adopted Caton Village (now closed), a halfway house for women in Philadelphia, where we provided free legal clinics and social and educational activities for its residents.

Service. Schnader lawyers regularly represent undocumented children who were abused or abandoned by their parents. We help these children obtain guardians, stop removal proceedings, and begin the path to citizenship.

Service. As U.S. veterans waited an average of four years for a ruling on the denial of their disability benefits, Schnader attorneys led a campaign advocating for a solution to address the backlog.

The pursuit of justice. Schnader attorneys represented Guantanamo Bay detainees, advocating for fair treatment and due process against a byzantine legal landscape.

Service. With a nonprofit partner, Schnader attorneys and staff designed and taught a pilot life skills seminar for young adults aging out of the foster care system. The program included lessons on securing vital documents, opening a bank account, looking for jobs and going to an interview.

Service. Schnader attorneys help middle school students in Pittsburgh set up a youth court, prepare for mock trials and draft a bill of rights for their school. The students learn about Constitutional law, advocacy and restorative justice from participating in these programs.

Service. Bernard Segal, a founder of the firm, believed that Schnader's hallmark is its "dedication to the higher calling of the law," which he defined as "the lawyer's obligation to assume an active role in the pursuit of a just and ordered society, in helping to solve the emerging problems of social, economic and political importance, and to serve the public as his or her client, as she or he would serve a full-paying client."