Our Commitment

“We believe in maintaining, by affirmative efforts, a membership of partners and associates reflecting a wide variety of religious, political, ethnic and social backgrounds, characteristic of that community. We believe that through this policy we may bring to the service of our clients greater breadth of understanding and wider contacts with the world at large, while enriching our personal lives and demonstrating the value of democratic principles as applied to the organization of a law firm.” –Judge Simon H. Rifkind, 1963, Statement of Firm Principles

Judge Simon H. Rifkind was a senior partner and leader of Paul, Weiss for more than 45 years. His words are a reflection of the values that the firm continues to embrace today.

Our efforts to recruit and retain a diverse workforce have been recognized through our rankings at the top of surveys addressing the hiring and retention of lawyers of color:

Diversity Accolades:

• Ranked among the top 15 “Most Diverse Law Firms” for eight consecutive years since 2002, with two number one rankings—Minority Law Journal Diversity Scorecard.
• Ranked second by the The National Law Journal on its 2009 list of the top 50 most diverse law offices in Washington, D.C.
• Consistently named among the top U.S. law firms for diversity—Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms.
• Named among the top 100 law firms for diversity—MultiCultural Law magazine.
• Named a “Best Law Firm for Women” by Working Mother magazine since the list’s inception in 2007.
• Since 1996, 30 percent of partner promotions have been women (in the litigation department it is 50 percent), and nearly 50 percent of the firm’s lawyers are women.
• Nearly 25 percent of our lawyers self-identify as ethnically diverse and almost 5 percent are openly gay, well above national and city averages.

Our success is derived from the unique skills, talents and perspectives of our lawyers and staff – people of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, marital status or physical capability.

Paul, Weiss has undertaken numerous initiatives to fulfill our commitment to diversity:

Diversity Programs

• Diversity Mentoring Program
• Diversity Recruiting Programs
• Diversity Pipeline Programs
• Diversity Events
• External Sponsorships of Diversity-Focused Events
• Cultural Competency Training

Women’s Programs

• Sponsors Program
• Women’s Networking Groups
• Women Recruiting Programs
• Women’s Events
• External Sponsorships of Women-Focused Events

Work/Life Balance Programs

• Alternative Work Policy
• Generous Parental Leave Policy
• Parental Affinity Groups
• Childcare Assistance

Paul, Weiss Events
Diversity isn’t just an in-house affair; it’s a commitment to connect our associates of color, women associates, and LGBT associates with larger legal and business communities outside the halls of the firm as well. Lawyers meet peers, business contacts, and mentors from the legal and business worlds at our renowned annual Diversity Networking Event, Women’s Networking Event and LGBT Networking Reception.

Past speakers at Diversity Networking Events include:

• Jeh Johnson, general counsel to the Department of Defense and former Paul, Weiss partner;
• John Payton, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and lead counsel in the University of Michigan affirmative action cases;
• Vernon E. Jordan Jr., senior managing director of Lazard Freres & Co. LLC and former political advisor to President William J. Clinton;
• Cory Booker, lawyer and Newark, New Jersey mayor;
• Charles J. Ogletree Jr., Harvard Law professor and author; and
• Honorable Robert L. Carter, U.S. District Judge for the SDNY and author.

Past speakers at Women's Networking Events include:

• Judith Rodin, Ph.D., president of the Rockefeller Foundation;
• Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor of New Jersey and former Head of the EPA;
• Ellen Malcolm, the Founder of Emily's List;
• Anna Quindlen, author and Newsweek columnist;
• Linda Fairstein, former prosecutor and chief of the sex crimes unit of the DA’s Office in Manhattan; and
• Hillary Rodham Clinton - then United States Senator, current U.S. Secretary of State.

Past speakers at LGBT Networking Events include:

• Christine Quinn, Speaker of the New York City Council.

Diversity Activities

• Our recruitment programs focus on attracting a diverse group of law students to join our firm. We do this through increased participation in minority job fairs and working with law school faculty, firm alumni and minority law student organizations to identify talented candidates.
  
  
• We are committed to growing a diverse talent pool to recruit from by participating in the following programs –
  • New York City Bar Association Fellowship Program, which matches minority students with law firms for summer employment
  • AnBryce Scholars Program at New York University (NYU) School of Law
  • Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Program, which provides talented undergraduate students with a law firm internship before they enter law school
  • Legal Outreach Program which provides early exposure to the legal profession to high-school students.
    
    
• We actively participate in important forums and programs sponsored by organizations such as the –
  • NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
  • Lesbian and Gay Law Association of Greater New York (LeGaL)
  • Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
  • Practicing Attorneys for Law Students Program, Inc. (PALS)
  • LAMBDA Legal Defense and Education Fund
  • Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY)
  • American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession
  • Harvard Black Law Students Association
  • Metropolitan Black Bar Association
  • American Bar Association Conference of Minority Partners in Majority Law Firms
  • Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
    
    
• Paul, Weiss was an original signatory of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York’s (ABCNY) “Statement of Goals of New York Law Firms and Corporate Legal Departments for Increasing Minority Representation and Retention” and the “Restatement and Reaffirmation of Goals” adopted by the ABCNY for the hiring, retention and promotion of female attorneys and attorneys of color.