David W. Brown
Paul, Weiss Associate, Litigation
Harvard Law School, 2000
“The commitment to diversity at Paul, Weiss is real. People of color already hold some of the most prominent positions at the firm. And Paul, Weiss is committed to becoming a firm that is even more diverse in the future.
A key component of this effort is the firm’s long-standing diversity mentoring program, which was created in 1998 because a group of associates challenged the firm to expand career development opportunities. Through this program, associates of color are paired with partner mentors who provide formal training as well as behind-the-scenes advice about how the firm works. As a member of the firm’s diversity committee, I get to help administer this program, and the eager participation of partners from all backgrounds has shown me that Paul, Weiss is devoted to creating an environment where everyone can succeed.”
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Diversity
We believe that to build a great firm you need great people — people of all backgrounds. Our success is derived from the unique skills, talents and perspectives of our lawyers and staff. Among law firms Paul, Weiss continues to be a pioneer in diversity efforts.
Mentoring: Our diversity and women’s mentoring programs are among the most important components in our efforts to encourage women and lawyers of color to grow and remain with the firm. Our programs invite lawyers — from the most junior to the most senior — to build both formal and informal mentoring relationships with their peers and with senior lawyers.
Open Dialogue: Our diversity and gender initiatives manager works to promote awareness and provide education through activities such as:
- organizing networking events for diverse lawyers
- ensuring that our mentoring programs for minority and women associates continually evolve
- coordinating our participation in legal and community events geared to the diverse population
- reaching out to diverse law student organizations at schools around the country.
Networking Opportunities: We hold networking events, informal lunches and presentations with guest speakers throughout the year. Our annual diversity networking event, which has been recognized as one of the premier events within the minority bar, has featured a variety of prominent speakers, including:
- Deborah C. Wright, president and CEO of Carver Bancorp, one of the largest U.S. publicly traded African-American banks
- The Honorable Robert L. Carter, U.S. district court judge for the Southern District of New York and a pillar of the civil rights movement
- Theodore M. Shaw, director and president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
- Charles J. Ogletree Jr., Harvard Law School professor
- Cory Booker, lawyer and Newark, New Jersey mayor
- John Payton, lead counsel in the University of Michigan affirmative action cases.
Our women’s networking events have featured guest speakers such as:
- Hillary Clinton, United States senator
- Anna Quindlen, author and Newsweek columnist
- Christine Todd Whitman, former New Jersey governor and former head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Rankings:
- The Minority Law Journal’ s 2006 Diversity Scorecard survey ranked Paul, Weiss as the most diverse law firm in the United States. The 240 largest firms in the country were ranked according to their percentage of minority lawyers.
- Paul, Weiss was named one of the top law firms in the country for diversity by the 2006 Vault Guide to Law Firms .
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