Jennifer Post talks to ALM’s The Recorder about serving as Thompson Coburn’s first LGBTQ office managing partner

Los Angeles managing partner Jennifer Post talked about diversity, attorney recruitment and the new location for Thompson Coburn’s Los Angeles offices in a new interview with The Recorder, an ALM/Law.com publication focused on the intersection of law, business and technology in California. 

The August 18 article, “Creating a ‘Mirror of the LA Community: Thompson Coburn’s first LGBTQ office MP on architecting the future,” discussed the Firm’s new location at 10100 Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City. Jennifer described the space as “light, forward-looking and if there is such a thing as the opposite of stuffy, it is that.” The space “reflects the next generation of Thompson Coburn in Los Angeles,” she said. 

Jennifer, who is openly gay, also talked to The Recorder about serving on Thompson Coburn’s 14-person Management Committee and becoming the first LGBTQ person to serve as an office managing partner. 

Jennifer reflected on her 30-year career in corporate law, which began in 1990 in Boston, when even progressive firms frequently lacked meaningful diversity in their management ranks and struggled with unconscious biases. “I had to stand up for health benefits for unmarried couples,” Jennifer reflected. “Knowing how hard to persist, through what channels, and to who, was an important skill set to have,” she said. 

The article noted that while there is still much room for improvement, the legal industry has taken significant steps to address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, such as Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule, which in recent years has challenged large law firms to consider diverse pools of candidates for recruitment, promotion and leadership positions. In 2020, Thompson Coburn was one of just 65 Mansfield 3.0 certified firms that achieved “Plus” status, meaning that in addition to meeting or exceeding the baseline requirements, Thompson Coburn successfully reached at least 30 percent diverse lawyer representation in a notable number of current leadership roles. The Firm is already committed to the latest iteration of the standards, Mansfield 5.0. 

“Post attributed Thompson Coburn’s DEI progress, in part, to a ‘critical mass’ of passionate and dedicated leaders within the firm who aren’t merely spectators, but active participants in moving the needle forward,” the article noted.

“We have influential client relationships and we work with centers of influence within our cities,” Jennifer told the publication. “That personal commitment and passion to the people in the communities we serve, that makes a difference.”