Most elite law firms profess a devotion to diversity. Paul,
Weiss has a history of putting it into practice. In 1927, when
Louis Weiss and John Wharton merged their tiny outfit with the firm
that Louis's father had founded, they did so with the
then-exceptional policy of bucking the prevailing system in which
Jews and Gentiles did not mingle in practice or in clientele. In
the same year, Paul, Weiss hired William T. Coleman, top-of-his
class African-American graduate of Harvard Law School and former
Supreme Court clerk, at a time when no other law firm would hire a
black man despite his stellar qualifications.
But the history of diversity at the firm is much more than a
series of impressive milestones. Paul, Weiss owes much of its
success to a consistent and proactive commitment to diversity-a
dedication that has shaped the intellectual and cultural character
of the firm over many decades.
The true scope of this dedication is best expressed by Judge
Simon H. Rifkind, in his Statement of Firm Principles, written in
1963:
| "We are sensitive to the
fact that we practice in New York City, which is a pluralistic
community and the major international and financial center of the
Western world. 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 Rifkind,
Firm Principles, 1963
|
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP