At Morgan Lewis, we believe that a commitment to diversity and inclusion (D&I) is vital to realizing our true success as a firm. We are dedicated to D&I not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it is integral to how we succeed for clients. It influences how we serve clients, collaborate with colleagues, and recruit, retain, and promote talented lawyers and professional staff, as well as how we engage the global communities where we live and work.
Our holistic D&I framework is underpinned by four pillars that impact every aspect of our culture:
Our Stories
D&I is woven into the fabric of who we are. Each of our skilled, dedicated lawyers and professional staff has their own unique story to tell that enriches, enlivens, and uplifts our culture and work for clients.
Awards & Recognition
Allying with Key Diversity Organizations
We seek out and welcome opportunities to join in common cause with important organizations working toward a more diverse and inclusive industry and global community. Below are just a few examples of how we partner for change.
Morgan Lewis is proud to have housed MCCA in our Washington, DC, office for more than 15 years. Aligned with MCCA’s vision of making the next generation of legal leaders as diverse as the world we live in, a number of our diverse lawyers have participated in MCCA’s Pitch Session Network, Sources of Success Program, G-TEC Forum, and Pathways Conference.
We participate in LCLD’s marquee programs, including the 1L Scholars Program for diverse first-year law students, the Pathfinder program for diverse lawyers with 3–7 years’ experience, and the LCLD Fellows Program for mid-career emerging leaders with 8–15 years’ experience. These programs connect our high-potential diverse lawyers with outside counsel from more than 300 member organizations.
We were one of the first law firms to adopt the Mansfield Rule, which measures whether law firms have affirmatively considered diverse lawyers—women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and lawyers with disabilities—as candidates for leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, and lateral positions. Diversity Lab awarded us Mansfield Certification in 2018 and 2019 and in 2020 and 2021 we earned Mansfield Certification Plus.
Morgan Lewis is honored to have been recognized in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality since 2009—earning a 100% score for 2022. The Business Coalition for the Equality Act is a group of leading US employers that support the Equality Act, federal legislation that would provide the same basic protections to LGBTQ+ people as other protected groups.
Noteworthy
Morgan Lewis Named One of Only 8 Inclusion Champions by Diversity Lab
Morgan Lewis has been named a 2022 Inclusion Champion by Diversity Lab, as part of the incubator’s 2022 Inclusion Blueprint.
Advancing D&I in the legal profession means nurturing the diversity of pipeline talent. We invest in law students, high school students, and underserved communities through a combination of financial aid, mentorship, and critical preparation for success.
Initiatives that bolster our recruiting and outreach efforts include:
1L Diversity Fellowships
1L Diversity Fellowships
1L Diversity Fellows receive a paid 1L Summer Associate position at the firm and a $50,000 fellowship stipend made in two payments conditioned on satisfactory completion of the 2L summer and subsequently joining the firm as an entry-level associate.
Georgetown Early Outreach Initiative
Georgetown Early Outreach Initiative
Program founded by Georgetown Law School designed to increase the diversity of the law school applicant pool by reaching out to high school students in underserved communities. Morgan Lewis is one of only four law firm sponsors.
SEO Law Program
SEO Law Program
The only summer internship program in the United States for incoming African American, Hispanic, and Native American law students that offers paid law firm internships in the summer before law school, immersive mentorship and networking, and law school prep and training.
ML Foundation Diversity Scholarship Program
ML Foundation Diversity Scholarship Program
Gives scholarships to second- and third-year law students from underrepresented groups with demonstrated academic excellence and financial need.
Building Equitable Futures
At Morgan Lewis, the career development of diverse lawyers is a top priority. This involves close attention to the work assignment process to ensure that our diverse lawyers receive the right opportunities and exposure, as well as paying for and encouraging them to attend and actively participate in external programs that enhance their professional development, while also providing networking and leadership opportunities.
ML Foundation
A commitment to D&I is one of our core values, influencing how we serve clients, collaborate with colleagues, recruit prospective lawyers and professional staff, and engage with our communities.
Established in 2014, ML Foundation uses funds awarded to Morgan Lewis in a historic settlement on behalf of African American families working to combat nearly a century of government-sponsored racial segregation in the Baltimore area. Our foundation provides financial support to promising law students from underrepresented groups to promote diversity, and thereby strengthen the legal profession and improve its contributions to our communities.
Our ML Foundation Recipients
Andres Solis
Boston College Law School
Brittany Warren
University of Michigan Law School
Clare Connaughton
University of California Berkeley Law
Dejonay Tulcidas
The George Washington University Law School
Destinee Haller
Duke University School of Law
Kenedi McCormick
University of Michigan Law School
Maripau Paz
University of California Berkeley Law
Phoebe Sam
University of Virginia School of Law
Ry Walker
New York University School of Law
Sheila Marie Orfano
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Elizabeth Dia
New York University School of Law
Esosa Asemota
Duke University School of Law
Ugo Uche-Anya,
The George Washington University Law School
Yvonne Diabene
New York University School of Law
Noteworthy
Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Names Morgan Lewis Lawyers as 2023 Fellow, Pathfinder
The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) has named Morgan Lewis partner Su Jin Kim a 2023 Fellow and associate Shenae Bell as a 2023 Pathfinder.
Morgan Lewis Foundation Awards 2022 Scholarships to 14 Diverse Law Students
The Morgan Lewis Foundation has awarded its 2022 Diversity Scholarships to 14 students from eight US law schools. With this latest class of scholars, the independent 501(c)(3) organization has awarded 67 scholarships to promising law students since its founding in 2014.
Chief Engagement Officer Amanda Smith Honored for Collaborative Leadership by Corporate Counsel
Morgan Lewis Chief Engagement Officer Amanda Smith has been recognized by Corporate Counsel as part of its 2021 Women, Influence & Power in Law (WIPL) Awards, which honor general counsel, in-house leaders, and law firm partners who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in law. Amanda is one of six honorees recognized for achievements in the Collaborative Leadership—Law Firm category.
What we have believed for decades has become something we know: Teams of top-tier lawyers with diverse backgrounds are more powerful in overcoming our clients’ most pressing challenges. This is why we unceasingly strive to provide the best training, mentoring, access to promotion, and well-being support to cultivate an elite and inclusive workforce.
Support from the Top
Our Diversity & Inclusion Committee turns commitment into action. The committee helps actualize our holistic D&I approach by bringing together firm leadership and influential partners with senior diversity, talent, engagement, and recruiting personnel who meet regularly to ensure that we are strategically focused on diversity—in recruiting and hiring, in firm leadership, and throughout the Morgan Lewis culture. Our D&I Committee reports directly to Firm Chair Jami McKeon and reviews all diversity efforts with her.
A Culture of Belonging
Morgan Lewis has a number of internal affinity groups that serve as resources for our diverse lawyers and professional staff, as well as providing opportunities for allies to listen and learn about the experiences of their diverse colleagues. Each group meets regularly, shares information, and enables group members to gain valuable insights from more senior leaders.
Our affinity groups and their missions:
Asian American/Asian
Seeks to advance the recruitment, development, and promotion of Asian American and Asian Lawyers, and to support Morgan Lewis’s core value of fostering a community of inclusion. The network strives to host quarterly meetings, share information, and enable junior and mid-level lawyers to gain valuable insights from senior lawyers.
Black
Provides a platform for associates to develop and build professional relationships; receive informal mentoring, guidance, and advice from influential partners; gain valuable work-related insights; and discuss matters of importance and issues impacting the African American/Black legal community.
Disability Awareness
Serves as a resource for our disabled lawyers and caregivers of disabled family members to share their experiences and learn from one another. Works to educate our colleagues and clients about the value our disabled lawyers and those caring for them bring to our community, and to make our lawyers aware of resources both within and outside the firm.
First Generation
Seeks to provide “first generation" lawyers with the tools necessary to be successful at all stages of their careers—from summer associate to partner—and aspires to build a supportive community through professional development, mentoring, networking, community outreach, and social events.
Hispanic/Latino
Seeks to provide a forum for increased participation in the firm's D&I efforts at the global and local levels, to serve as an internal and external networking resource for Hispanic/Latino lawyers and the firm in general, and to provide opportunities for educational and professional development.
LGBTQ+
Committed to creating and fostering a sense of community among LGBTQ+ lawyers. Meets regularly to support the recruiting, retention, and professional development of diverse lawyers, and routinely takes on cases involving LGBTQ+ immigration and civil rights issues.
Middle Eastern/North African
Seeks to connect and support lawyers who identify as Middle Eastern by providing a community to encourage personal, professional, and business development, as well as enhancing their connection to the Middle East region and its rich culture.
Parent
Aims to support, promote, and retain our parent lawyers by providing resources including mentoring, guidance, and advice; programming on topics important to parents; avenues for creative feedback and suggestions about the firm's parent-assistance programs; and a fellowship of lawyers dealing with the unique issues facing parents at our firm.
Veterans
Aspires to promote the leadership and development of current and former military service members within the firm and foster a sense of community—collaborating with clients in working and networking with veterans, addressing issues important to veterans and active-duty military, and joining with organizations committed to providing pro bono legal services to veterans.
ML Women
Morgan Lewis women are dynamic, determined, and successful. Our commitment to supporting our women lawyers is embodied by our ML Women initiative, which harnesses the strength of our women through partnership with our clients, creating opportunities to come together around a shared industry or practice and develop skills that catalyze the next generation of women leaders, ceiling smashers, and game-changers.
Every day, our women lawyers deliver remarkable results for our clients—garnering recognition from the legal and business communities.
Keeping the Dialogue Open
While we place great emphasis on purposeful and consistent action, we also know that keeping an open, frank, and ongoing dialogue on issues of racial justice and societal challenges for diverse individuals is vital to our path forward.
ML Women Hosts Latin America Women Lawyer Network Kickoff, The WILEF Tribune
The WILEF Tribune detailed a virtual forum that Morgan Lewis hosted in honor of International Women’s Day, aimed at fostering the promotion of female lawyers throughout Latin America. More than 60 women from Morgan Lewis joined over 80 women from 15 Latin American countries in a discussion on how to help women advance in the legal field and break long-standing biases.
A CONVERSATION ON INTERSECTING IDENTITIES, ADVOCACY, AND ALLYSHIP
Women of intersecting identities—including race, gender identity, class, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and disability—face unique challenges in the workplace. Morgan Lewis, the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) recently joined together for a candid discussion on these issues.
A Conversation: Asian American History and How It Impacts Us Today
In a recent firmwide discussion with Robert Chang—Professor of Law and Executive Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, Seattle University School of Law—Morgan Lewis partner Michelle Park Chiu explored the collective past experiences of the Asian American community and asked Professor Chang to share his thoughts on how this history has shaped the present.
Recognizing Disabilities as Diversity
Partner Craig Bitman, practice group leader for the employee benefits and executive compensation practice and co-leader of Morgan Lewis’s Disability Awareness Lawyer Network, shares how his experience being legally blind has shaped his career and how important it is to have a network of allies.
IT’S BEEN A YEAR SINCE GEORGE FLOYD WAS MURDERED. HAS BLACK AMERICA SEEN MEANINGFUL PROGRESS?
As part of the firm’s ongoing conversations on anti-racism and allyship, Morgan Lewis hosted a panel with Dr. Lisa Coleman, senior vice president of Global Inclusion and Strategic Innovation for New York University; George Holland, president of the NAACP’s Oakland branch; and John Harmon, founder, president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
Leadership and Race: A Conversation with Toyota’s Sandra Phillips Rogers
In a fireside chat with Morgan Lewis partner Grace Speights, Sandra discussed her career path, including her time at Morgan Lewis, secondment at Toyota, the challenges of being a Black woman in business and law, and her ongoing dedication to diversity and inclusion.
Noteworthy
How to Stay on the Partner Track as a New Parent, Bloomberg Law
Partner Klair Fitzpatrick wrote an article for Bloomberg Law to share some best practices on how to support clients and your family. Klair, who took four parental leaves while at Morgan Lewis, highlights how the ML Parent Network assists those going out on leave for the first time navigate matters such as the benefits process, how to alert your clients about your leave, what to do about deadlines that may fall during your leave, and how to communicate your return to work effectively.
How Law Firms Measure Progress on Diversity and Inclusion, Law360
Recruiting diverse talent is just one piece of the puzzle. We also work on creating safe and inclusive workplaces where everyone has an opportunity to fully engage in the practice of law in an environment that respects, values and supports their development and contributions throughout their careers.
Progress Is Not a Straight Line: Michelle Park Chiu Reflects on Her Time as AABA President
When Michelle Park Chiu first joined the board of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, long before taking the role of president in 2021, she never could have predicted the challenges that would face the group—and the world.
2021 Diversity Roundtable Discussion, The Legal Intelligencer
Partner Sarah Bouchard discussed insights on law firm retention efforts, pandemic-related effects on diversity initiatives, and ways to keep the momentum going amid a wave of “diversity fatigue” during The Legal Intelligencer’s biannual Diversity Roundtable Discussion.
Mobilizing for Equality
In the somber aftermath of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, Morgan Lewis launched Mobilizing for Equality to determine what more we can do as a firm to more directly, effectively, and aggressively mobilize against racial injustice. Firm Chair Jami McKeon and Grace Speights, leader of our global labor and employment practice, lead working groups across the firm curating and taking action on substantive racial and social justice projects.
Our Mobilizing for Equality Leadership Task Force comprises 20 members from all ranks of our firm and around the globe, and encompasses 14 working groups—each tackling racial injustice from a unique angle. Each working group has four or five leaders and dozens of individual volunteers.
Mobilizing for Equality: 2021 Annual Report
Our inaugural MFE annual report shows that we have made great strides toward our ambitious goal of focusing the immense resources of our firm toward creating a more racially just society. The report graphically illustrates some of our meaningful projects and highlights the great work of our hundreds of volunteer lawyers and professional staff, many in cooperation with clients who share our dedication to this effort.
Our Mobilizing for Equality working groups are:
Access to Education & Opportunity: Leveling the Playing Field
MISSION
Identify and advocate for access to education in multiple forums.
Community Engagement & Volunteerism
MISSION
Partner with community-based racial justice organizations, grassroots groups, and nonprofits to support solutions through volunteerism efforts.
Conversations on Privilege & Anti-Racism
MISSION
Develop an internal platform for small group discussions on topics including racism, discrimination, power, and privilege to create changes in our collective understanding, discourse, decisions, and behavior.
Economic Development & Investment
MISSION
Identify opportunities to support low-income entrepreneurs and participate in community economic development.
Educating Ourselves
MISSION
Develop an internal curriculum on the context and manifestations of racism, and share resources and reading materials to aid in changing practices and mindsets in favor of racial justice.
Engaging With Alumni
MISSION
Identify tactical opportunities to partner with Morgan Lewis alumni on racial justice issues.
Engaging With Clients
MISSION
Identify tactical opportunities to partner with clients on racial justice issues.
Impact Litigation
MISSION
Identify and litigate high-impact racial justice matters.
Law Enforcement Policy
MISSION
Collaborate with federal and state law enforcement to develop and implement safe policing practices, including de-escalation.
Legislative Reform
MISSION
Partner with racial justice organizations on legislative reform efforts in support of racial justice, including work on police unions and qualified immunity.
Measuring Our Progress & Coordinating Our Efforts
MISSION
Track progress, hold our firm and working groups accountable, and identify future projects.
Racial Justice Pro Bono
MISSION
Identify opportunities to provide traditional pro bono legal services to racially disadvantaged individuals and families and legal services organizations with racial justice missions.
Transforming the Next Generation
MISSION
Equip the next generation, and those influencing their development, with resources and tools to achieve a more diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist society and legal system.
Voting Rights & Engagement
MISSION
Mobilize Morgan Lewis resources, in partnership with existing voting rights organizations, to promote the education of underserved minority communities regarding their rights and ability to vote and to protect their rights to do so before, during, and after upcoming elections.
Noteworthy
A Conversation: Asian American History and How It Impacts Us Today
In a recent firmwide discussion with Robert Chang—Professor of Law and Executive Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, Seattle University School of Law—Morgan Lewis partner Michelle Park Chiu explored the collective past experiences of the Asian American community and asked Professor Chang to share his thoughts on how this history has shaped the present.
Morgan Lewis Associate Kevin Benedicto Appointed to San Francisco Police Commission
Morgan Lewis associate Kevin Benedicto has been unanimously confirmed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to serve as a member of the San Francisco Police Commission. As a police commissioner, Kevin will oversee the San Francisco Police Department and the Department of Police Accountability, including by setting policy for the police department and conducting disciplinary hearings on charges of police misconduct.
We know many of our clients are focused on their own D&I, social justice, and anti-racism initiatives, and, like Morgan Lewis, are leveraging resources and influence to maximize their positive impact. For this reason, many of our client partnerships naturally extend beyond our initial legal service work to advising clients on their own D&I programs or joining in common cause to make meaningful progress to promote justice for all. Below are some of the ways we assist or join with clients to partner for change.
Pro Bono Partnerships Advancing Social Justice
Our innovative, award-winning pro bono practice spans all of our offices around the globe. Our lawyers contribute more than 130,000 hours to pro bono representations each year, and we are particularly focused on these efforts as part of our dedication to combat racism and advance equality. We partner with clients on pro bono matters involving voting rights, criminal justice, minority-owned small businesses, immigration, and housing preservation, to name just a few. In addition, we share our experience in helping launch, develop, and nurture successful pro bono programs at our clients’ organizations, offer training for clients’ pro bono teams, and connect clients with relevant pro bono organizations from our extensive network.
Workplace Culture Consulting & Training
Our workplace culture consulting and training lawyers tailor our D&I services by listening to each client’s unique needs—drawing on our experience in developing diversity initiatives and aspirational goals, providing tailored advice on anti-harassment approaches, and drafting workplace policies. We also offer a broad spectrum of training solutions that can be customized to each client’s particular requirements to transform the workplace into a diverse, inclusive, and respectful environment. Our highly interactive training programs are designed to educate all levels of management on issues including implicit bias, workplace harassment, and creating a culture of respect. We also help clients build and implement their own in-house training programs.
Partnering on Community Engagement
Every year in June we host our Community Impact Week with our lawyers and professionals around the world participating in more than 150 community service and pro bono events. We offer opportunities for clients to partner with us on location-specific initiatives, such as service days in local communities, as well as firmwide webinars and educational events on relevant topics. We are also available to assist companies in building a community impact week of their own.
Thought Leadership on Racial Equity
Our thought leaders help clients in their goals to achieve greater racial equity within their own organizations by participating in their internal panel discussions, hosting webinars on topics of interest or importance, or sharing advice on the most recent legal changes impacting the conversation.
Diversity Internship & Scholarship Programs
Leveraging our experience creating our own internship and scholarship programs, Morgan Lewis assists clients in building such programs from the ground up—from recruiting diverse candidates, to structuring and helping run the program, to retaining diverse talent. We can also pair these opportunities with scholarship programs, or create an independent scholarship program designed to support deserving diverse students through college and beyond.
Mentorship and Sponsorship Partnerships & Programs
Using knowledge gained from our own successful internship and sponsorship programs, Morgan Lewis partners with clients to create or refine their mentoring programs that pair senior mentors with diverse junior mentees, to give mentees a sounding board for advice, tap into mentors’ knowledge and experience, and learn skills to advance their careers. We also partner with clients to create or refine internal sponsorship programs for their organizations that pair successful senior employees with diverse, junior employees with high potential, whereby the sponsor actively seeks out opportunities for the individuals they sponsor, highlights them for opportunities or recognition, and works to elevate their status to ultimately get them promoted.
Noteworthy
Verizon’s IDEAward Celebrates Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Industry, Verizon
Verizon named Morgan Lewis a Diversity Champion—a recognition given to only three law firms that promote, encourage, and lead diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts within their firms and the legal industry.
Recognizing Partner Law Firms for Furthering Diversity in the Legal Profession
Microsoft recognized Morgan Lewis for exceeding the benchmarks set out in its Law Firm Diversity Program for 2021 in its Microsoft TechNet blog. The program was created in 2008 to recognize the accomplishments, progress, and commitments of Microsoft’s law firm partners to create more diverse and inclusive legal organizations.
Morgan Lewis Receives Excellence Award from Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network
Morgan Lewis has been recognized by Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) with a 2022 Excellence Award for its outstanding contributions on behalf of low-income and marginalized Pennsylvanians.
rachael.hutt@morganlewis.com
