Archer, the Haddonfield-based law firm, has named a new chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, it announced this week.
Shelley R. Smith, a member of the firm’s Commerical Litigation and Labor and Employment groups, also will serve as chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, effective immediately, Archer said in a news release.
“Our longstanding focus at Archer has been on recruiting, engaging and sustaining a truly inclusive community of diverse professionals at all levels of our firm,” Deborah A. Hays, chair of the board of directors, said in a prepared statement. “Having worked closely with Shelley for many years, I recognize the depth of her experience with respect to DEI issues in the workplace and know that she is a passionate advocate who will partner with leaders across our firm to find new ways for us to learn from each other and create meaningful change that benefits not only our employees, but also our clients, business partners and the legal community generally.”
In her new role, Smith will play a key role in long-range DEI planning and implementation, as well as working with senior leadership on recruitment and retention, mentoring and professional development, and more.
“I know from my experience in a diverse public law office the invaluable contribution of diverse perspectives to everything we do as lawyers on behalf of our clients and within our firm,” she said in a statement. “Everyone’s experience is different, and the greater the variety of experiences we can bring to assisting our clients and to managing our own operations, the better we will be able to serve those clients and each other.”
Formally known as Archer & Greiner P.C., the firm has 180 lawyers and eight offices, including four in New Jersey.
