Diversity

Our Commitment To Diversity

Patterson Belknap is committed to employing a diverse workforce of attorneys and staff.  We consider a diverse workforce to include people of all social, racial, economic and cultural backgrounds.  As Co-Chair of the Firm and Managing Partner Bob LoBue has said, "For far too long, the door to practicing in the top ranks of our profession was open only to a privileged few.  That is changing for the better, and Patterson Belknap is both a beneficiary and a strong supporter of diversity.  We will continue to cultivate an atmosphere of civility, dignity and mutual respect in which all of our attorneys and staff are welcome and can flourish."

Patterson Belknap takes its commitment to diversity seriously.  A number of factors demonstrate the firm's commitment and success:

• The Firm undertook a diversity assessment to provide a basis for future diversity initiatives.
• The Firm is recognized by Work Life Matters magazine as one of the "Top LGBT Employers in 2011." 
• Peter C. Harvey, former Attorney General of the State of New Jersey, joined the firm as a partner in March 2006.  Mr. Harvey has been recognized as one of Black Enterprise Magazine's "Top Black Lawyers in America" and Ebony Magazine's "100 Most Influential Black-Americans."
• We have successfully encouraged the formation of Affinity Groups.
• We have a Flexible Work Arrangements Committee that supports and discusses issues associated with attorneys who work part-time.
• Our parental leave policy guarantees 18 weeks paid time off for a new primary parental caregiver and guarantees four weeks paid time off to new non-primary parental caregiver.
• In 1990, the firm was one of the first major New York law firms to select a woman as managing partner.  Rochelle Korman, our second woman in that position, served as Managing Partner from 2003-2007.
• Through Legal Outreach we participate in pipeline projects including mock trial and oral argument programs as well as its summer internship program.
• We support a number of legal organizations aimed at increasing diversity, including AALDEF, PRLDEF, NAACPLDEF, LeGAL, LAMBDA, area LSAs and the New York City Bar Fellowship Program.
• We are a signatory to the New York City Bar's Goals for Minority Recruitment Hiring and Retention.
• We are a signatory to the New York County Lawyers' Association's Statement regarding Diversity in the Legal Profession.
• The Firm supports ethnic receptions designed to celebrate our diverse community.

Diversity Committee

Our Diversity Committee was formed in the 1990s as a forum to discuss and address issues surrounding diversity.  The Committee consists of partners, including our Managing Partner, Chair of the firm's Hiring Committee, and associates.  Among the issues pursued by the Committee is improving diversity at the firm, retaining minority and women associates and increasing diversity at the partner level.  Committee members attend CLE classes and other programs outside the firm to help the firm develop ideas to accomplish its goals to increase diversity.  The Diversity Committee has worked with the firm's Management Committee to organize diversity training for partners, associates and staff.

Members of the Diversity Committee also participate in the New York City Bar's Diversity Working Sessions and sit on its Committee for Improving Diversity in the Profession.

Recruiting

The goal of furthering diversity requires hiring law students from different backgrounds.  Accordingly, we partner with student groups at law schools to present informative programs about law firm opportunities and actively recruit their members.  In addition, we encourage applications from lateral associates of color and other diverse backgrounds.

One of our partners is a board member of PALS - Practicing Attorneys for Law Students - an organization dedicated to increasing diversity in the legal profession.

Affinity Groups

To further our diversity efforts, the firm currently supports three affinity groups - Patterson Attorneys of Color or "PAC," Women Lawyers at Patterson or "WLAP" and Out at Patterson or "OAP," a group focused on issues relevant to the firm's LGBT attorneys.  These groups provide space for members to address any issues of concern and assist the firm in its recruitment efforts. 

To access information on PAC, click here.
To access information on WLAP, click here.
To access information on OAP, click here.

The Numbers

• Women currently account for 41% of our associates and approximately 17% of our partners.
• Nearly 19% of associates and 4% of partners and counsel are minorities, including former New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey.
• Nearly 6% of associates and 10% of partners and counsel identify themselves as openly gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

In the words of former Patterson partner and current Chairman of Citigroup, Richard D. Parsons, "[d]uring my 12 years at Patterson, I learned that what defined success wasn't pedigree or ethnicity but an undiluted devotion to the law and an unqualified commitment to give every client the most effective representation possible."  It is this culture that the firm strives to achieve and believes cultivates a diverse and successful environment.

To learn more, please contact any member of the Diversity Committee:

Peter C. Harvey (Co-Chair)
Richard R. Upton (Co-Chair)
Karen R. Berry
Solmaz F. Firoz
David M. Glaser
Michael J. Greis
Paul G. Hawthorne
Robin L. Klum
Robert W. Lehrburger
Robert P. LoBue
Melissa J. O’Neill
John P. Schmitt
Elizabeth Shofner
Jean L. Tom
Travis J. Tu