Dechert Honored at Euromoney’s Americas Women in Business Law Awards

Dechert LLP has been named the “Best international firm for pro bono work” in Euromoney Legal Media Group's Americas Women in Business Law Awards program for 2016, reflecting the firm’s staunch commitment to gender diversity, service and innovation initiatives. The annual awards celebrate the achievements of law firms that have established female-friendly work policies, as well as top women lawyers leading the field in the legal sector.

Additionally, a number of Dechert lawyers were shortlisted for individual awards. New York partners Allison Fumai and Jodi Schwimmer were both finalists for Rising Star awards in the Finance category, while Finance and Real Estate partner Laura Swihart was shortlisted for the Best in Structured Finance category.

“Women’s issues rank high in Dechert’s thinking on corporate and social responsibility and the firm’s pro bono program includes a significant number of matters focusing on women and, more generally, on diversity. Dechert prides itself on fostering a culture that encourages diversity and we understand the value of bringing different perspectives to our work,” said Suzanne Turner, Chair of Dechert's Pro Bono Committee.

Dechert represents women in domestic violence cases and counsel women on family law, homelessness and human trafficking issues. In 2015 alone, Dechert performed more than 74,000 hours of pro bono work. Additionally, women within the firm are also encouraged to participate in women-focused professional groups and to promote women-oriented community causes.

Over the past few months, Dechert’s pro bono program has been the recipient of several recent awards, including:

• In its listing of the Most Innovative Law Firms 2015, the Financial Times commended the firm for its work in challenging restrictive and discriminatory voting laws and fighting for the enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act.
• The Philadelphia Business Journal ranked Dechert #1 for Philadelphia law offices donating pro bono hours in its most recent survey period.
• Dechert recently received Pro Bono Partnership’s 2015 Law Firm of the Year Award. In notifying us of the award, Pro Bono Partnership’s executive director wrote: “Dechert has outdone itself this year with 100 volunteers handling approximately 76 matters either started or concluded in 2015. The firm’s consistent work with us over the years has helped to strengthen the nonprofit communities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut by providing high quality, essential transactional legal services at no cost.”
• Dechert was recently honored by the Tahirih Justice Center as its Greater DC Firm of the Year. In their award announcement, Tahirih noted: “For nearly a decade, Dechert has been a committed partner to Tahirih, compassionately and effectively representing survivors of gender-based violence. Their office has taken on even more Tahirih cases recently, due to a firm-wide focus on providing pro bono services to survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. Tahirih is privileged to recognize Dechert for its steadfast service to our clients.”
• Demos, a U.S.-based research and policy center, recently honored Dechert at their 2016 Gala for work led by New York partner Neil Steiner in the voting rights sphere. In 2006, Dechert worked on Demos’ first NVRA Section 7 case in Ohio, which has led to more than 660,000 additional voter registration applications in that state. This launched Demos’ legal work on voting rights and since then, Dechert has co-counseled with Demos on voting laws in Georgia and, most recently, Nevada.

Winners were honored at an awards ceremony at Essex House in New York on Thursday, June 9. New York partner Linda C. Goldstein, co-leader of Dechert’s white collar and securities litigation practice, attended the event and accepted the award on behalf of the firm.

About Dechert

Dechert is a global specialist law firm focused on sectors with the greatest complexities and highest regulatory demands. We deliver practical commercial insight and judgment to our clients’ most important matters. Nothing stands in the way of giving clients the best of the firm’s entrepreneurial energy and seamless collaboration in a way that is distinctively Dechert.