Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have always been critically important to the Astellas Legal and IP Division. Since 2017, the Astellas Legal and Intellectual Property (IP) Division has actively worked to promote DEI internally and externally including helping those in need by sharing their skills outside of work to advance equity and justice.

“Within the Legal and IP Division, we believe that having diversity in all areas—including background, ability, thought and experience—creates a more dynamic and successful organization, enabling us to provide the best possible service to our internal clients and the patients we serve,” shares Laura Greenspan, Director of U.S. Litigation and Investigations and Legal’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead.

In 2021, as part of the Legal Strategic Plan, the Legal & IP Division created several Inclusion Resource Teams (IRTs) – similar to the Astellas Employee Impact Groups (EIGs) that exist in various regions – to provide educational programming and resources to the team members of the global Legal and IP Division. The IRTs are groups focused on women, race and ethnicity, faith, and LGBTQ issues; a fifth IRT was added in 2023 that focuses on disability issues.  The Legal and IP Division has also been a long-standing member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, an external organization whose goal is to build a more equitable and diverse legal profession. 

The Astellas Legal and IP Division is proud to announce its participation in the Mansfield Rule Legal Department certification program.

To further its commitment to DEI, in September 2023, the Legal and IP Division began participating in the Mansfield Rule Legal Department (Mansfield) certification program run by an external organization called Diversity Lab. Mansfield is considered the gold standard DEI certification in the legal profession, and many of Astellas’ peers have achieved or are currently seeking certification. The goal of the program is to boost diversity and inclusion within the legal profession – which, historically, has been underrepresented by diverse lawyers, particularly in leadership roles. The program focuses on broadening the pool of U.S. and Canadian talent considered for open positions, high-visibility opportunities, and promotions; it also encourages U.S. and Canadian Legal and IP personnel to consider diverse lawyers when seeking to hire outside legal counsel to represent Astellas for certain matters.

If the Legal and IP Division is successful, it will become Mansfield Certified in the U.S. and Canada in September 2025. Our General Counsel, Catherine Levitt, highlights the importance of Legal’s participation in this program: “We are firmly committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, and through our participation in Mansfield, we are taking tangible and visible steps to incorporate this priority into the hiring, development and retention of both internal talent and outside counsel.” 

The Legal CARES Program Furthers Legal and IP’s Commitment to Equity and Justice

The Legal and IP Division’s dedication to these principles extends beyond furthering the interests of its own personnel and the legal profession. Formed in 2017, Legal CARES (Community, Advocacy, Representation and Service) is an initiative conceived by the Legal and IP Division with the mission of promoting the wellbeing of our communities, growing the passion of the Legal and IP Division’s employees, and reflecting Astellas' call to service. The Legal CARES program offers Astellas Legal and IP employees the opportunity to volunteer, support charities and provide pro bono legal services to those in need. "Whether baking food for local at-risk youth or providing free legal advice to those in need, we are always looking for new opportunities to share our skills, and we very much look forward to partnering more with business clients, including in partnership with Astellas EIGs, to identify and support under-served communities,” shares Annie Caruso, Legal Regulatory Lead for Oncology Portfolio and co-lead of the U.S. Legal CARES Committee. The US Legal CARES Committee has previously partnered with the Abilities EIG to support volunteerism with young adults with disabilities, the Military EIG to connect with homeless veterans and the Hispanic EIG on various outreach projects supporting those seeking immigration support. Its most recent partnership with the Hispanic EIG to provide legal advice to Spanish-speaking parents seeking legal guardianships of their disabled children earned Astellas the Pro Bono Partner of the Year award by the Center for Disability & Elder Law. A video of Lisa Kistler, Lead, Litigation & Investigations for the U.S., Japan and Greater China, accepting this award on behalf of Astellas can be found here.

Lastly, while Legal CARES initiatives originated in the United States, Legal’s UK colleagues have begun to build out a robust set of volunteer offerings in that region. “We are proud of the support that we have provided to communities in need based in the UK. In the last year we have conducted donation drives, undertaken gardening in care homes, donated chocolate Easter eggs to vulnerable children, and continued our annual giving of Christmas cards to elderly care home residents. The UK Legal team is passionate and energised to support Legal CARES,” shares Phyllisea Peltier, Senior Director, Litigation & Investigations, and co-lead of the UK Legal CARES Committee. 

The Legal and IP Division strives to advance the important values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and service—both within Astellas and the communities we serve.