Continuously building a culture of belonging and close collaboration within the firm and promoting access and opportunity throughout the legal profession is a core component of Patterson Belknap’s identity. It guides our practice of the law and delivery of exceptional client service.
We endeavor to foster a collegial and welcoming environment where all our talent can thrive, succeed, and experience career fulfillment. We continually challenge and confront unconscious biases and behaviors, as well as remove other barriers that could hinder or undermine our efforts to cultivate inclusion.
Our firm’s approach to building inclusion and engagement is guided by the following pillars: promoting inclusive leadership and education; sponsorship and advancement of all talent; enhancing integration, retention and professional development; and philanthropic support and pro bono representation.
We offer a robust curriculum of CLE-accredited content to support the professional development of our attorneys and business professionals as they lead teams and assignments and collaborate with key stakeholders of varying backgrounds, perspectives, and seniority both inside and outside the firm. Our education and awareness-raising sessions cover a variety of topics such as Inclusive Leadership Sessions on Giving Assignments and Providing Feedback.
The firm provides coaching and leadership development workshops tied to our core competencies for all attorneys and business professionals seeking to cultivate skills, broaden their expertise, and ultimately achieve their career ambitions. We adopt a holistic approach when preparing our talent for expanded roles and responsibilities.
Our resource groups support integration, retention and professional development throughout our firm. These networks sponsor firmwide events, educational programs and serve as a resource for leadership to better understand the unique challenges members face and recommend initiatives to improve their experience. Membership in resource groups and participation in programming is open to all colleagues.
Our mentoring program focuses on embedding new joiners into the firm’s culture; introducing to junior attorneys best practices learned when honing private law practice skills; and providing a “career compass” for mid-level and senior associates to help them identify and pursue individual career passions.
The firm contributes to a variety of charitable organizations. We dedicate over 20,000 pro bono hours annually in support of underserved communities and protect voting, human rights, immigration, housing and education rights, and access to reproductive healthcare. We also advocate for victims and families in cases involving law enforcement misconduct. Click here to learn more.
