Diversity at Orrick

Orrick's core value of "Cooperation and Individual Respect" is reflected in the firm's longstanding commitment to equal opportunity. Orrick is, and has long been, a leader in diversity. The firm's actions to promote diversity have included:

early recognition of domestic partnerships,
establishing formal mentoring programs for summer associates, new lawyers, lateral associates and newly-promoted partners,
organizing, sponsoring and participating in minority job fairs sponsored by law schools, Vault, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and other organizations and building relationships with professional search firms who focus on minority placement,
supporting law school minority organizations and minority bar associations and actively sponsoring their events,
encouraging volunteer services and pro bono work that benefit the diverse communities in which we practice, and
advising firm leadership on issues that impact diversity at Orrick

Learn more about our LGBT Community

Diversity Committee

The firm has had a Diversity Committee for more than sixteen years to advise management and take action on a range of diversity issues, including, but not limited to, issues related to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, identity and expression. By implementing a broad range of programs and initiatives in each office, the committee seeks to ensure that Orrick has a diverse group of lawyers and that all Orrick lawyers are in a position to thrive personally and professionally.

Orrick has a diversity committee in each U.S. office; the chairs of which serve on the firm wide committee under the leadership of Lorraine S. McGowen, Diversity Chair. Committee members in all U.S. offices assist in the firm's lawyer recruiting efforts, associate orientation, the summer program, and numerous other aspects of firm life. They are encouraged to support and participate in community bar associations and other organizations that promote diversity in the legal profession. Lawyers at all levels of experience are encouraged to join and participate in the office committees.

The firm understands that it must attract and retain top talent to achieve its strategic goals. Orrick established the Women's Career Initiative in 2003 to affirm the firm's commitment to recruiting, promoting and retaining women attorneys. We support the goal of work/life integration and assist our lawyers in balancing their obligations through alternative work schedules. In addition, we work with our clients and other professional organizations to increase business development opportunities for women. In May, 2006, we hosted our third women's networking event in San Francisco, California for our female partners, counsel and associates on the West Coast to meet with women executives, investment bankers and in-house counsel.

Diversity Committee Members

Diversity: Some of the Details

Training

The firm provides robust education opportunities to help each attorney strengthen existing skills, gain new ones, and develop expertise that contributes to each attorney's individual success, to the firm and to our clients, including:

programs focusing on specialized legal skills,
programs addressing business skills, including presentation skills, client relationship management and client service, and deal and case management,
a first-year associate orientation, which provides new associates with a comprehensive introduction to Orrick including an overview of our strategy, an introduction to our culture and practices, and an opportunity to develop skills that will be critical to early success, and
a midlevel associate development retreat, which helps associates transition effectively to their more senior role in the firm and provides the opportunity to hear from firm leadership about topics critical to career management.

Practice groups have established development benchmarks that provide associates with practice-specific descriptions of expectations for an associate's development over time. The benchmarks set forth general expectations in regard to the development of legal knowledge, legal skills and experience, professional skills and contributions to professional and community responsibility.

Through these and other professional development programs and initiatives, Orrick strives to equip associates with the necessary resources to manage their careers in a manner that is productive for them and for Orrick.

Firm Management

Lawyers who are women, members of minority groups, or lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) participate in all levels of firm management (such as office leaders, committee chairs, practice group leaders, and the Executive Committee) and play an integral role in managing the firm and shaping its future.

Policies

The firm's benefits and other policies ensure equal treatment and spark involvement and opportunity. Thus, Orrick has long provided domestic partner benefits; encourages lawyers to participate in minority professional association activities by paying membership dues for one minority and/or LGBT bar association membership for each associate who is interested in joining; and supports pro bono work by treating such work as billable client work for purposes of associate bonuses.

Community Involvement

Orrick lawyers volunteer for the New York "Constitutional Workers" program, which teaches high school students about the Constitution through a mock trial program; the East Palo Alto Mural Project, which brought together lawyers from several California offices; Rebuilding Together and countless other community activities.
Orrick hosted a reception for hundreds of New York lawyers and summer associates to introduce them to the ACLU Lesbian & Gay Rights Project; Orrick lawyers have given presentations on legal careers, interviewing skills, and other subjects to diverse students at Stanford Law School, University of California, Berkeley, BOALT Hall School of Law, Columbia Law School, and others.
Orrick lawyers currently serve or have recently served on boards and committees of numerous organizations that support diversity or issues and causes relating to diversity, such as: Asian Law Caucus; Bar Association of San Francisco; California Minority Counsel Program; Hispanic National Bar Association; Legal Outreach; NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.; New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project; Sacramento County Bar Association's Minority Hiring and Retention Committee; and Amber Charter School.
We currently have lawyers who are members of the Asian American Bar Association; Charles Houston Bar Association; Hispanic National Bar Association; Law Foundation of Silicon Valley; South Asian Bar Association, among others.

Mentoring

Orrick's mentoring program aims to build productive mentoring relationships that enhance the work experience and career development of associates and creates opportunities for greater interaction across levels of seniority. Mentors are assigned to new associates to act as a guide and a resource to the mentee for professional development.

In addition to our formal mentoring program, our Women's Career Initiative recently launched its mentoring circles program for women lawyers in our U.S. offices. The program provides women with opportunities to develop mentoring relationships and find role models, and provides a forum to discuss issues of common concern.

Affinity Groups

In 2005, Orrick created firm-wide affinity groups for minorities, women, men, and LGBT lawyers in our U.S. offices to develop recommendations for the recruitment, retention and professional development of attorneys in each affinity group. Members of Orrick’s Executive Committee are active participants in, and sponsors of, each affinity group.

Recruiting

Whenever possible, we take advantage of opportunities to meet minority and LGBT law students by sponsoring and attending receptions, lectures, panel discussions, and other events hosted by minority lawyer and law student organizations and local bar associations. We also attend recruiting events sponsored by minority law associations.

In August 2005, we organized and underwrote the First Annual Bay Area Diversity Career Fair, our second annual event is scheduled for August 12, 2006. We also participate in various minority job fairs. For example, in April Orrick was a premier sponsor of the first national minority legal job fair hosted by Vault and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. Orrick has participated in the Bay Area Minority Summer Clerkship Program since 2002 and hires one summer associate through the program each summer. We are one of only a few large law firms that participate in this important program.

Pro Bono
Much of our pro bono work relates to the diversity of the communities in which we practice; sample clients include: