Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Downey Brand is committed to fostering and maintaining a strong culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The that end, the firm works hard to attract, retain, and promote individuals of differing races, religions, ethnicities, genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, family structures, and backgrounds.

The firm encourages and supports its attorneys’ memberships and participation in diverse bar associations, community organizations, and events. These include ABAS, Cruz Reynoso Bar Association, the Sacramento Chinese of Indochina Friendship Association, Women in Environment, Women Lawyers of Sacramento, the Unity Bar Dinner, SacLegal, and the Wiley W. Manuel Bar Association.

Downey Brand’s number of female partners, female associates, and female attorneys overall each rank above the national average for law firms. Female attorneys serve on the firm’s executive committee and hold other key positions, such as hiring partner, marketing partner, and pro bono partner. In 2023, Janlynn Fleener became the firm’s first female managing partner.

Downey Brand’s strategy for increasing diversity within our law firm focuses on a far reaching approach that goes well beyond the confines of our individual business.

Downey Brand is a founding member of the Sacramento County Bar Association’s Diversity Fellowship Program, which places first-year law students from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds in summer internships with Sacramento area law firms for professional experience.

Downey Brand is also a founding member of the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law’s Sacramento Legal Employers Diversity Collective, which focuses on advancing diversity within the legal profession by exposing young students and prospective attorneys to well-known legal organizations. The program, which launched in 2020, connects 30 of the largest legal employers in the Sacramento area with McGeorge School of Law to establish new and strengthen existing networks between the university, local schools, and legal employers.

Additionally, Downey Brand is a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), an organization comprised of corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who are committed to “leading by example, taking action, and challenging the legal profession to prepare future generations of diverse talent for the highest positions of leadership.” In addition to the overarching organization, several programs within the LCLD umbrella are designed to assist younger attorneys as they gain experience, such as the LCLD Fellows Program and the LCLD Pathfinders Program. Since joining, Downey Brand has had several attorneys participate in the yearlong programs. Past participants include Tyler Horn (2022), Kelly Breen and Daria Gossett (2023), and Dani Nafekh (2025).

Still, we know we can do more. The firm strives to include diversity considerations in its mentoring, professional development training, business development, and strategic planning.