Akin Hosts Inaugural Diverse Lawyers Summit
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(Washington, D.C.) – On June 23 and 24, in Washington, D.C., Akin Gump was proud to host its inaugural Diverse Lawyers Summit. The summit brought Akin Gump lawyers, policy advisors and summer associates from around the firm and the globe to the nation’s capital for two days of networking, learning, and sharing.
The first day’s program focused on meetings of the members of some of the firm’s various Firmwide Resource Groups (FRGs)—Asian, Black, Latinx, MENA, Native American and Indigenous Peoples—followed by a cocktail reception and dinner at the National Museum of the American Indian, part of the Smithsonian Institution.
The second day’s agenda kicked off with a breakfast meeting of the Out & Allied FRG, followed by a welcome from chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer (CDEIO) Nimesh Patel, and the launch of the summit’s workshops and panels.
Panels covered topics such as “Finding Your Way at the Firm: Insights from Partners” and “The View from Inside: Perspectives from In-House Counsel,” the latter featuring speakers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Blackstone.
Lunch featured keynote speaker Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law and the Director of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging.
Workshops, broken out by career stage, covered the topics relationship building, making the most of conferences and other networking opportunities, and building brand and creating preference with clients.
The summit closed with a takeaways session on how best to use all the ideas generated and learned at the summit, along with closing remarks.
Said CDEIO Patel, “We are so pleased to be able to host this summit. More than 250 attendees from around the firm, including the chair of the firm and many of our most senior leaders, came to D.C. to connect, build community, and focus on career advancement. Our commitment to the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion go back to the founding of the firm. This summit is a fantastic example of our commitment to the professional development and career advancement of our diverse lawyers.”
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
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