diversity

Do you want to participate in a vibrant and diverse workplace that fosters talented, creative and unique individuals from all backgrounds and viewpoints?

Welcome to Paul, Weiss, where diversity is the norm.

Almost a half-century ago, Judge Simon H. Rifkind embedded diversity in the firm's guiding principles. "We believe in maintaining, by affirmative efforts, a membership of partners and associates reflecting a wide variety of religious, political, ethnic and social backgrounds," he wrote in 1963. Through the years, our dedication to diversity has never waned. Below are some of the efforts and initiatives we've created to maintain our firm's commitment:

Mentoring: Our diversity mentoring programs invite lawyers to build formal and informal mentoring relationships with senior associates, counsel and partners.

Diversity Mentoring Program: As a lawyer of color, you can choose to be matched with a diversity mentoring team when you join the firm. Each team is made up of lawyers of varying seniority and is led by a partner within your practice area who can help guide your career choices.
Women’s Networking Groups: As a young woman attorney, you’ll be assigned to a women’s networking group when you enter the firm; each group is a cross-section of women lawyers — associates, counsel and partners — who provide mutual support and promote networking.
Women’s Sponsors Program: As a high-performing senior woman associate, you’ll be asked to join our Sponsors Program in your sixth year. The Paul, Weiss women’s initiative committee focuses on your skills and development.
Affinity Groups: We also support several informal affinity groups, including groups for lawyers of color, LGBT lawyers, women and parents. These groups host events throughout the year.

Taking Responsibility: Our diversity efforts are led by our diversity and women's committees, and implemented by a dedicated diversity professional who works to promote diversity and inclusion at the firm.

Building a Network: You'll be invited to networking events, lunches and presentations with guest speakers throughout the year. These events provide lawyers of color, women, parents and LGBT lawyers with connections to the larger legal and business communities outside of the firm.

Past speakers at Diversity Networking Events include:

Raymond J. McGuire, Head, Global Banking, Citi
Charles J. Ogletree Jr., Harvard Law professor and author
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
Vernon E. Jordan Jr., senior managing director of Lazard Freres & Co. LLC and former political advisor to President William J. Clinton
Deborah C. Wright, president and CEO of Carver Bancorp
Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey

Our Women’s events speakers have included:

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
Hillary Rodham Clinton - then United States Senator, current U.S. Secretary of State
Katie McCabe, award winning journalist and author

Speakers at our LGBT Networking Events have included:

Brad Snyder, Executive Director, LeGaL
Chris Courmier, Director of Political Advocacy at Gill Action
Christine Quinn, Speaker of the New York city Council
Evan Wolfson, Advocate and Founder of Freedom to Marry
James Esseks, former Director of the ACLU LGBT and AIDS Project
Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director, GLAD

Rankings and Accolades:

Ranked among the "Most Diverse Law Firms" every year since 2002, with two number one rankings, by Minority Law Journal (now The American Lawyer) Diversity Scorecard.
Named one of The American Lawyer's "A-List" law firms every year since the list's inception; the ranking is based on a firm's diversity, pro bono work, revenue per lawyer and associate traning and satisfaction.
Placed in the top quartile for the "Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity" ranking, and in the top ten for the "Top 100 Law Firms for Women" ranking by MultiCultural Law magazine.
Named a "Best Law Firm for Women" by Working Mother magazine every year since the list's inception.
Paul, Weiss was an original signatory of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (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 hiring, retention and promotion of female attorneys and attorneys of color.

Since 1996, 30 percent of partner promotions have been women, 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.

To read our Diversity brochure, please click here.