Rickman featured in Cincinnati Bar Association’s “Black Lawyers Making An Impact”

The Cincinnati Bar Association (CBA) is “shining a spotlight on local Black attorneys in the Greater Cincinnati legal community” as part of their celebration of Black History Month (BHM) 2022. Bricker & Eckler’s Danyel Rickman was the first attorney featured in this series in which CBA members nominate peers for recognition. Rickman shared her insights as a Black female attorney in an interview with CBA’s Young Lawyers Section Diversity & Inclusion committee co-chairs.

When asked what representation in the legal field means to her, Rickman said it means “active inclusion of underrepresented groups in the rooms and forums where decisions impacting the legal field, both big and small, are made. Ultimately, for me representation is about making sure the viewpoints of underrepresented folks are seriously considered and included.” As to what she’d like her legacy to be, Rickman said, “I strongly value being a resource to Black students in law school and to anyone else I could possibly help to navigate practice as Black lawyers. . . . I want every Black attorney coming after me to find the road a bit easier, to have a level of access to law school, jobs, mentorship, and anything else that makes their professional lives easier than mine.”

On Black History Month, Rickman said it’s important to take the time to reflect, think back, and celebrate Blackness because “[f]or Black people, we are our ancestors’ wildest dreams — we have to celebrate that during BHM.” Additionally, for everyone else, “it’s important to pause during BHM and reflect not only on the historical elements of the Black experience in America but to also reflect on the current experience of Black Americans” because “there is value in simply knowing.”