Philip T. Inglima
Each one of us has a role to play in improving diversity, equity and inclusion. And each of us needs to have a sense of urgency in making things better.
Philip T. Inglima
This Is My Story.
I literally grew up around the law.
I was raised in New Jersey, in the shadows of New York City. My father was the first in his family to go to college and then law school. He started his own firm in the 1950s, because at that time, most prominent firms didn’t embrace people with names like “Inglima.” During high school and college, I worked at his firm doing everything from cleaning bathrooms to preparing interrogatories and doing accounting. It certainly sparked my interest in being a lawyer by the time I was heading to Georgetown for college, and then law school. I know many people don’t have that orientation and introduction to the law as a potential career path; it provided me a leg-up as I started my career.
No one wants to believe that they have biases. No one wants to believe that they have been given an unfair advantage because of their race or gender, but we know what the numbers tell us.
Meet Phil
Phil Inglima is a partner in Crowell & Moring’s White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement Group, chair of the firm’s Management Board, and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He has litigated a broad range of criminal and civil matters in trial and appellate courts, with an emphasis on criminal fraud and parallel civil and regulatory enforcement proceedings.
Each of Us Can Make a Difference
I have been fortunate to have some amazing people who have mentored and inspired me along the way. My campus job included working for the President of Georgetown, a Jesuit priest who had pioneered the open admissions program at CUNY, making it possible for anyone and everyone to go to college. And I clerked for Judge June Green who was only the third woman appointed to the federal bench. She was a trailblazer, instrumental in developing the local court system in Washington and pioneering a path for women in the law. She led a life of service, teaching inmates and ensuring diverse women lawyers had a better shot. These people helped me understand that each of us can really make a difference. I was privileged to have these mentors, and they propelled my progress.
Reshaping the Entire Playing Field
Getting closer to people and learning about their different experiences has helped me see how I had been advantaged when others had been disadvantaged—and how others have made the most of their diversity. That has been so instructive to me. The number of people of real import in our courts, in business and in private firms who are diverse by race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation has significantly increased but, as a total number, the representation levels are still low compared to society as a whole. Diverse lawyers usually have to either overcome enormous obstacles, or benefit from a combination of not just their talents, but some good luck as well. Talent simply has not been enough for too many of our diverse lawyers.
We are at an important inflection point, and the legal industry needs a sense of urgency when it comes to diversity and racial equity. For decades, I think there was a desire in White America to presume a collective level of goodwill that is not always present. With the Ahmaud Arbery case, with the George Floyd case, Black Americans are saying, “finally, you’re waking up to our reality.” No one wants to believe that they have bias, no one wants to believe that they have been given an unfair advantage because of their race or gender, but we know what the numbers tell us. At Crowell, we’re trying to reshape the entire playing field: how we recruit people into our firm, how we give them opportunities to show their talents and their contributions, how we position them with clients, and how we recognize and advance them. We’ve made progress, but there is still much more to do.