Wyrick Robbins Statement on Racial Injustice

In the wake of the unjust and inexcusable killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and unfortunately many others, Wyrick Robbins stands together with the Black community in seeking to eliminate systemic racism, injustice, and inequality that have impacted the lives of too many members of our nation and our community. We unequivocally condemn racism and injustice and remain committed to advancing our founding values, called The Wyrick Way, which emphasize mutual respect for each and every individual.

Wyrick Robbins is committed to equality, diversity, inclusion, and justice – not only within our firm, but in our judicial system and in society at large – and to action in support of these principles. While we are proud of our efforts to advance equality, diversity, inclusion, and justice, we acknowledge that we still have much work to do.  As members of the legal profession, as well as community leaders, we bear a heightened responsibility to effect change. To that end, Wyrick Robbins is embarking upon facilitated sessions on racial injustice to help us learn from the experiences of others and to share ideas and aspirations on how to build a more just and equal society.  Wyrick Robbins will continue and reaffirms our commitment to the diversity and inclusion initiatives we have implemented over the years, including, among others: mandatory implicit bias training for every member of the firm; open forum discussions on diversity and inclusion; diversity-based recruiting and scholarships; participation in diversity-based legal organizations; and community service through pro bono and other activities.

As a firm, we believe our founding values, including that of mutual respect, have guided us well. During this time of crisis, we reaffirm our pledge to continue to advance these values at Wyrick Robbins and in the communities we serve. Most importantly, we acknowledge our work is not done and promise to continue to seek additional ways in which to build a more just and equal future for all.

Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP     

Jimmy Yates, Managing Partner
Merrilee Carlson, Executive Director
Amy Risseeuw, Executive Committee Member
Todd Eveson, Executive Committee Member
Josh Otto, Executive Committee Member
Charles George, Executive Committee Member
S. Halle Vakani, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Chair