For 60 years, Ryley Carlock & Applewhite has thrived in the Southwest.  As the region has grown, so too has the diversity of its population.  Ryley Carlock & Applewhite recognizes that law firms, like businesses, are strengthened by diverse views, histories and backgrounds.  Understanding issues from different perspectives facilitates our ability to provide valuable counsel and formulate solutions for our clients.  Ryley Carlock & Applewhite is committed to hiring and promoting exceptional professionals without regard to gender, race, national origin, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability or religion.

At Ryley Carlock & Applewhite, the commitment to diversity is more than mere rhetoric.  In fact, our firm's leadership reflects this. Women and attorneys bringing ethnic diversity serve both on our firm's Executive Committee and as practice group leaders.  Rodolfo Parga, Jr., not only helps manage the firm, but he also oversees the Diversity Committee.  With this leadership, aggressive goals for the firm's continuous improvement have been set.  We have developed aggressive goals to recruit and retain the best and the brightest professionals, from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

Ryley Carlock & Applewhite lawyers have a long tradition of professional and civic leadership roles in organizations whose core purposes reflect diversity.  We've been pioneers in tribal economic development, served on boards and in leadership positions of various women's and minority organizations, including Chicanos Por La Causa and Prestamos small business lending. As one of the leading water, energy resources and environmental law firms in the West, the firm has some of the leading female natural resource lawyers in the region.

As part of the firm's diversity efforts, the firm participates in a minority writing program sponsored by the Maricopa County Bar Association Task Force for the Recruitment and Retention of Minority and Women Lawyers, and the State Bar of Arizona Committee on Minorities and Women in the Law.  Under this program, private law firms work with second-year minority law students from Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law to improve the student's writing skills, and to expose them to real work clerking assignments in a private firm setting.  One of the firm's 2007 summer associates was a past participant in the program.  He will join the firm next Fall as an Associate.

Ryley Carlock & Applewhite will continue to make diversity a top priority.