Champions for Diversity & Inclusion 2026: Spencer Fane partner balances M&A practice with role shaping firm inclusion efforts
- ambale
- 7 hours ago
- 1 min read
By St. Louis Business Journal
Story Highlights
Jay Ji became partner at Spencer Fane LLP, focusing on mergers, acquisitions, and commercial transactions.
Spencer Fane appointed Ji to its DEI committee in September 2025 to shape firm inclusion efforts.
Ji serves on the St. Louis-Nanjing Sister City Committee, fostering diplomacy with China's first U.S. sister city partnership.
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION
As partner at Spencer Fane LLP in Brentwood, Jay Ji focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, distressed sales, private securities offerings, and other commercial transactions. In September 2025, he became the newest attorney named to the firm’s DEI committee, a team of attorneys and staff appointed to work directly with the executive committee and other firm leadership to provide educational opportunities for all attorneys and professional staff, measure and monitor each success and challenge, invest in formal and informal mentorship and provide financial support with a dedicated budget.
The committee works closely with the firm’s Connect Groups, which include Spencer Fane BOND (Black Opportunities to Network and Discover), Women ADVOCATE (Advance. Develop. Visualize. Own. Champion. Advise. Thrive. Engage.) and Spencer Fane+ for LGBTQIA+ and allied members. JI also sits on the St. Louis-Nanjing Sister City Committee, fostering diplomacy and facilitating gift-giving through a partnership that represents the first U.S. municipality to have a sister city in the People’s Republic of China.
