Barran Liebman places a high priority on diversity in the legal industry and are proud to employ team members of diverse ethnic backgrounds and members of the LGBTQ community. In addition to an equal balance of male and female firm ownership, more than half of our attorneys (including the firm’s Executive Director) are female and/or diverse.

We are strong advocates of women professionals and executives, hosting a “Tribute to Women in Business” event annually. We were also honored with a Portland Business Alliance A Place with No Ceiling award for paving the way for women in the workplace and have been recognized as a Chambers and Partners Diversity Award recipient for being one of the “Most Pioneering Firms for Female Lawyers” in our nation. We are also proud to have been named a “Most Diverse Law Firm” by the Portland Business Journal since 2018.

Outside of our firm, Barran Liebman participates in bar and community activities designed to enhance and support diversity within the practice of law. The firm is proud to take part in the American Bar Association’s Annual 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge©, offering team members with billable credit for participation. Ed Harnden, our Co-Managing Partner and Past President of the Oregon State Bar, has delivered cultural diversity seminars in law firms and Bar-related organizations throughout the state, and was a member of the Northwest Regional China Council and the Urban League of Portland. Ed Harnden and Rick Liebman are both involved with the Japan American Society of Oregon, with Ed currently serving on their Board of Directors. Rick Liebman and Andrew Schpak have both served as Past Chairs of the NW EEO/Tri-County Affirmative Action Association. Shayda Le serves as a Multnomah Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Past President and Andrew Schpak serves as a Past President of the Multnomah Bar Association. Shayda Le is also a Past President of the Andisheh Center for Iranian Cultural Heritage, and Amy Angel is a member of the Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center Board of Directors. In support of women in the legal practice, Paula Barran serves as a member of the National Association of Professional Women, Traci Ray serves as a Past President of the Oregon Women Lawyers Foundation Board, and Iris Tilley is a Past Board member of Oregon Women Lawyers.

Barran Liebman has also sponsored and hosted programs for the Oregon Minority Lawyers Association, including the Oregon Minority Job Fair. In addition, Co-Managing Partner Andrew Schpak helped develop the mandatory Oregon State Bar New Lawyer Mentoring Program and served as the Chair of the Committee from 2011-2013. Notably, several of our most recent attorney hires who identify as diverse, started as mentees of Barran Liebman mentors through the Multnomah Bar Association and American Bar Association. We have also have hired multiple summer associates through the Multnomah Bar Association’s Bar Fellows Task Force, which is a program aimed to increase the diversity of our local bar by supporting a cohort of talented law students (at both Lewis & Clark and the University of Oregon law schools) who come from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

In addition to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within our own firm, our team is passionate about helping other employers do the same. Our Co-Founding Partner, Paula Barran, recently earned her Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University, and has developed a comprehensive DEI training and toolkit for employers, managers, and team leaders. To receive this toolkit along with instruction on how to customize training for your workplace, please reach out to our Executive Director, Traci Ray, at tray@barran.com.