Minnesota Lawyer
Among her key accomplishments, Hoang spotlights her work chairing the Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce at the General Mills law department, an experience that allowed her to seamlessly transition to serving on the Diversity Committee at Dorsey.
“Seeing these issues from both an in-house and law firm perspective was valuable,” she said. Not only did that view allow her to identify areas of opportunity for greater diversity, but it also inspired her to start bringing lawyers of color together for informal networking events, like monthly coffee meet-ups.
At Dorsey, she’s led efforts to adopt a “diversity hours” policy that provides billable hour credit to associates for time dedicated to the firm’s diversity efforts. She’s also assisted in planning diversity education programs that bring in speakers who can relay the experiences of different cultural groups. She’s even been a speaker herself, sharing her story of being an immigrant and how that has shaped her commitment to diversity.
Hoang has also served as co-host of town hall meetings for lawyers and staff to discuss diversity issues and news events, creating a safe environment that helps build a culture of inclusiveness.
“We need to keep raising awareness that diversity can be our strength and not our vulnerability,” she said. “This is crucial for our country’s success. We need to be encouraging everyone to embrace their discomfort about this issue and work to be part of the solution.”
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