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Commitment

It’s Part of Our Work

Diversity is integral to Baird Holm's legal work, as the Firm represents a wide range of clients and organizations representing diverse communities inclusive of cultural, ethnic, social and racial minorities.

  • Our work not only involves representation of diverse individuals and communities but advocacy to challenge discriminatory practices. A significant example of Baird Holm's advocacy was its representation of the Omaha Public Schools (OPS) as well as several other Nebraska School districts in a lawsuit against the State of Nebraska challenging the funding formula by which the State allocates tax revenue for education. The lawsuit asserted that the State discriminated against parents and students of OPS and other school districts in its funding formulas based on race and national origin.
  • Baird Holm attorneys try cases across the country against municipalities which have denied our clients--group homes and other property owners--permission to establish and operate residences in neighborhoods in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Led by a former Senior Trial Attorney in the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice, the Firm has prevailed in several important cases.  (For example, New Hope Fellowship, Inc. v. City of Omaha, 2005 WL 3508407 (December 22, 2005).
  • Baird Holm has one of the most extensive immigration practices in the region. Firm attorneys regularly assist clients in overcoming legal barriers to hiring diverse individuals from around the world.
  • Baird Holm advises many clients on the establishment and implementation of Affirmative Action and Diversity plans.
  • Baird Holm obtained a Special Use Permit for Compassionate Memory Care to operate a residential group home for patients with Alzheimer's.
  • Baird Holm represented Compassionate Memory Care in a successful request to the Omaha City Council to approve a permit to allow a group home for Alzheimer patients to expand from eight to 11 paitents.  
  • Baird Holm’s David Kramer and Quinn Vandenberg submitted an amicus brief pro bono on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in support of the district court’s decision to uphold the termination of a state trooper due to his knowing and willful affiliation with a group associated with the Ku Klux Klan. The ADL, which fights bigotry by monitoring hate groups and extremists, filed the brief urging the Court to uphold the termination of the state trooper. The Nebraska Supreme Court’s decision was made based in part on the analysis used in the brief written by Baird Holm. View the press release with more details here.

Community Leadership and Diversity

Baird Holm attorneys lead by example in their commitment to diversity. A significant percentage of our attorneys serve on boards of directors and/or provide pro bono legal services to non-profit community service organizations. These include:

  • Latino Center of the Midlands
  • Educare of Omaha, Inc.
  • Head Start (Formerly Child and Family Development Corporation)
  • Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Midlands
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Worknet Foundation (secure housing for disabled)
  • OneWorld Community Health Centers
  • Nebraska Legal Aid Society
  • ARC of Nebraska (helping persons with disabilities) 
  • Girls, Inc.
  • 100 Black Men
  • Heartland Family Services
  • Social Settlement
  • Ollie Web Center, Inc.