Global Women's Initiative

SASS

The firm’s Sponsorship and Sustained Support (SASS) program, launched in 2015, is designed to help senior women counsel, national partners and associates navigate the path to partnership. SASS provides targeted individual and small group support, which includes general information sessions; skill-level appropriate training; individualized attention from Dechert partners; access to consultants and advisors; and networking opportunities. In the five years prior to its implementation, 18 percent of lawyers promoted to partner were women. In the five years since its implementation, 31 percent were women.

Most recently, the GWI welcomed current affairs journalist, author and broadcaster Mary Ann Sieghart. Sieghart shared insights from her recently released book “The Authority Gap,” explored why women are still taken less seriously than men in today’s society and what measures we can take on an individual and societal level to address this imbalance.

Community Support

Dechert provides pro bono legal services to women who cannot afford legal counsel. We represent women in domestic violence cases, assist them with petitions made under the Violence Against Women Act and, with partner organizations like The Advocates for Human Rights, work to improve domestic violence laws in countries around the world. We regularly staff clinics, including those organized by the New York City Family Court Legal Services Project, which counsel women on a range of family law, homelessness and human trafficking issues.

We also support Inspiring Girls International, an organization that is dedicated to raising the aspirations of young girls around the world by connecting them with women role models.

Learn more about our renowned pro bono program.