Ranked as one of the largest law firms in the nation, Akin Gump has maintained a longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusiveness at all levels.
The firm continually works to assure the recruitment, retention and promotion of women and minorities by embracing a culture of inclusiveness and equal opportunity. When Robert Strauss began the practice of law, few firms welcomed individuals of his religious and ethnic background. That experience, combined with the understanding that our success in the global market and the delivery of unsurpassed client service depend on the diversity of our workforce, prompted Akin Gump to pursue a leadership role in promoting diversity within law firms.
The following excerpt from our Partnership Admissions Policy summarizes Akin Gump’s commitment to diversity:
As historical barriers to achievement in the legal profession have continued to fall, the best and brightest lawyers in their fields, and the best and brightest young lawyers emerging from law schools, come from ever more diverse backgrounds. Our success in the global market, and our success in meeting internal objectives of excellence in mentoring, supervision and professional development, depends on ensuring that we achieve and maintain a critical mass of diversity in our partnership and in our associate population.
Akin Gump’s commitment to diversity is implemented through active participation by our minority and female partners in the firm’s leadership. The Hiring Committees and Associates Committees across the firm also reflect the firm’s diversity, with numerous women and minority lawyers holding positions on each of these committees. Additionally, a female partner heads the firm’s Partnership Admissions Committee.
Akin Gump maintains a two-tiered Diversity Committee system, with both a firm wide committee and local office committees. The firm wide committee is chaired by
Dwayne Mason, an African American partner from our Houston office, and reflects the diversity of Akin Gump with minority, women, openly gay, and non-minority attorney members working with the firm in this important area.
The purpose of the Diversity Committee is to empower our lawyers and other Akin Gump personnel to participate in and initiate outreach to clients, lateral candidates, law students and each other. The Committee also provides opportunity for our lawyers and personnel to communicate proactively questions, concerns and ideas to Akin Gump’s management, and to recommend additional means by which the diversity of Akin Gump can be enhanced.
The firm wide Diversity Committee is composed of the following individuals:
The local office diversity committees are actively involved in the firm’s recruiting and retention efforts for summer and lateral associate candidates. Each office committee also serves as a resource for our lawyers by providing a forum for issues involving diversity and work-life balance issues.