Diversity

Diversity at Dechert

At Dechert, we are committed to diversity in order to better serve our employees, clients and communities. We recognize the importance of having a more representative legal profession, one that can successfully address the challenges of a global economy.

Dechert maintains an inclusive environment that cultivates and values fresh perspectives. We seek opportunities to enrich our relationships with clients by offering diverse teams of talented, productive professionals to handle matters.

The Firm’s Diversity Committee

Dechert’s firmwide Diversity Committee is focused on translating our firm’s diversity commitment into action by developing and supporting new initiatives in the areas of leadership, recruiting, retention, professional development and community outreach. We actively seek to identify, recruit and advance a more diverse group of lawyers. Our Diversity Committee works with firm management, including the partners and administrators charged with associate hiring and development, to foster these ideals.

Recruiting

Dechert’s Diversity and Hiring Committees work together to ensure that lawyers from diverse backgrounds are involved in all aspects of the recruiting process. This extends to Dechert’s participation in minority outreach events designed to broaden the firm’s pool of women and minority applicants and increase the number of those applicants who receive offers.

Each year we employ strategies intended to increase the diversity of our legal team. We have sponsored diversity fellowships and internships, and have participated in minority job fairs and other diversity-related events at law schools where we recruit. We also sponsor and support activities designed to encourage female law students to join the firm as associates and to increase the number of women associates who are retained and elevated to partner.

Retaining and Promoting

The Diversity Committee works closely with our female and minority lawyers to gather information about their experiences and to provide direct support as they work to establish meaningful careers at the firm. We encourage ongoing dialogue among partners and associates by sponsoring events that stimulate knowledge sharing and networking. For example, to increase opportunities for interaction between women partners and associates, we hold a quarterly series of lunch and breakfast programs. We also hold annual diversity dinners in our U.S. offices that bring female and minority partners, associates and summer associates together.

The firm has adopted formal policies permitting partners, counsel and associates—both men and women—to work part time while raising children or taking care of other family members. The firm has even elected part-time associates to the rank of partner, and these partners are active contributors at the firm.

Diversity and Community Involvement

For years, Dechert attorneys have been involved in initiatives in the legal community aimed at improving diversity and promoting its importance. Many of our attorneys have held and continue to hold significant roles in local bar organizations and other community groups concerned with diversity issues.

The following examples demonstrate our continuing and active support for diversity initiatives:

• We are a signatory to official statements sponsored by the Philadelphia and New York City Bar Associations in support of increasing the representation of women and minorities in the legal community
• We are a founding member of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group (PDLG), which is dedicated to increasing diversity in Philadelphia-area law firms and corporate law offices. One of our partners has chaired the PDLG board, and a retired partner has run the group’s first-year law student placement program since its inception.
• We are a member of The Boston Lawyers Group, a consortium of more than 45 Boston law firms, legal organizations and government agencies committed to building a more diverse and responsible legal community