Since the firm's earliest years, Ropes & Gray has welcomed people based on their abilities not their backgrounds. Our first Jewish lawyer, Abe Berkowitz, was hired over 100 years ago in 1907, long before other large law firms opened their doors to Jewish lawyers. In 1942, well before women were welcome in the practice of law, especially at a large law firm, Ropes & Gray hired its first women associates, Mary Lennon and Blanche Quaid. Unlike most of the few women who entered the profession during World War II, Mary and Blanche remained as lawyers with the firm after the war ended. Ropes & Gray is proud to have been a step ahead of firm practices at the time. The precedent we set long ago created the foundation for our now well-established values of embracing and encompassing all races, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and family structures. As an internationally operating global law firm, diversity is an integral part of our firm-wide focus across all of our offices.
Ropes & Gray has consistently been recognized as being among the nation’s leading law firms in the area of diversity overall, as well as with respect to minorities, gays and lesbians, and women.
Ropes & Gray has earned the top rating of 100 percent since 2009 for the Corporate Equality Index (CEI), an annual survey administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The HRCF survey gave Ropes & Gray the highest possible rating based on our non-discrimination and other policies aimed at making the firm a welcoming workplace for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Also, in 2009, we were recognized by MultiCultural Law Magazine as one of the top 25 Law Firms for Asian Americans and, for the sixth year in a row, as one of the top 100 Law Firms for Women and Diversity.
Illustrative of the firm’s commitment to diversity, Ropes & Gray covers the extra taxes that same-sex couples pay for domestic partner benefits. The firm was recognized along with other leading businesses and law firms that offer this reimbursement policy by The New York Times.
Other recent recognition includes “Top Twenty” rankings by Vault.com
in its surveys of the 150 most prestigious law firms in the country in:
- #2 - “Diversity With Respect to LGBT”
- #3 - “Overall Diversity”
- #3 - “Diversity With Respect to Women”
- #3 - “Diversity With Respect to Minorities”
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Bernard Guinyard and Sree Gadde accepts our Vault Diversity Awards at Vault Breakfast. |
Diversity Committee
The Diversity Committee's mission is to cultivate a culturally
rich and diverse community within the firm by providing support,
education, and an open dialogue with firm management and staff on
diversity-related issues. The Diversity Committee develops programs
and events, addresses policy issues, and sets strategy to promote
the recruitment, retention, and advancement of people from diverse
backgrounds.
Affinity Groups/Forums
The firm offers educational and professional development programs through
various diversity forums. These include the Women's Forum, the Attorneys
of Color Group and the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/ Transgender Forum. These
forums help ensure that we afford the type of collegial and collaborative
work environment that long has been, and continues to be, a hallmark
of our success as a firm. Mentoring programs and educational and
support activities that reach out to all members of the firm are
also offered through these forums.
The Women’s Forum
In 1996, the firm established the Women’s Forum to provide a formal structure for women lawyers to consider matters of common interest, to offer opportunities for mutual support and community, and to generally assist in professional development and progress at the firm. The Women’s Forum sponsors educational programs designed to help women lawyers manage their careers, augment their skills and deal with professional and personal issues. The firm has also launched the Impact program, designed for associates and counsel who need to adjust their work arrangements for family, health or similar reasons. The program offers a flexible framework for building a long and fulfilling career that can include an alternative (reduced) time commitment for a short or long period, a flexible approach to working off-site and the opportunity to manage the traditional work day to accommodate childcare and other responsibilities, a different pace to partnership, or some combination of these.
The Attorneys of Color (AOC) Group
The AOC Group was established to further the firm's commitment to diversity by fostering the inclusion and development of its members of color. The AOC Group conducts quarterly meetings and holds special events including firm-wide social events, intended to provide opportunities for the firm’s attorneys of color to share their unique experiences within the firm. The programming also works to ensure that attorneys of color feel welcomed and supported at Ropes & Gray. Through its Full Circle Mentoring Program, seasoned attorneys at Ropes & Gray get together with newer attorneys for informal meetings to discuss any questions or concerns their colleagues may have. The program is intended to allow attorneys of color to connect with each other on a regular basis.
In 2008, the firm implemented the AOC Leadership Program. The program, sponsored by the AOC Group, seeks to achieve even greater levels of career development and satisfaction for associates. Offered in all Ropes & Gray offices and spanning several months, participants attend peer-networking sessions and interactive training modules led by external diversity consultants that specialize in development of associates of color. Through these sessions, participants focus on concepts of assessment, professional branding, and leadership. As a critical component, the program also facilitates mentor-mentee relationship between each associate and a team of partners.
The Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Lawyers (LGBT) Forum
The LGBT Forum was organized as part of the firm's tradition of promoting equality and rewarding merit without regard to sexual orientation. The LGBT Forum is active in welcoming LGBT attorneys to the firm and providing ongoing coordination and support regarding issues important to the LGBT community as a whole and within the firm. The Forum works to attract notable individuals to the firm to speak on important topics, and holds special events for associates and summer associates. In addition, Ropes & Gray is active in sponsoring programs and events in which LGBT personnel participate, as well as serving the LGBT community through pro bono representation.
Programs and Events
Pathways to Success Symposium
The Diversity Committee, joined by Attorney Development, presented the Pathways to Success symposium to the firm. The symposium offered associates a candid discussion by a diverse panel of Ropes & Gray partners of the highs, lows, triumphs, and obstacles they have experienced over the course of their legal careers. Following the symposium, several panelists and additional firm partners facilitated dinner conversations with associates in all our office locations in order to continue the discussion in a social setting.
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Women’s Forum Speaker Series
Valerie Plame Wilson
The Women's Forum hosted the former CIA covert officer Valerie Plame Wilson whose then-classified identity was leaked to the press in 2003. In what became known as the Plame Affair, investigations, charges and countercharges led to the indictment of a high-ranking White House official and Plame's resignation from the CIA. Her autobiography, Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, published in 2007, chronicles the controversy and its legacy. The event featured excerpts from her book, a Q&A session and book signing.
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Valerie Plame Wilson, seated center, is pictured with some of the members of our Women's Forum, after a recent event where she spoke about her autobiography. |
Dr. Sarah Weddington
The Women's Forum hosted Dr. Sarah Weddington, the attorney who argued Roe
v. Wade before the US Supreme Court. Dr. Weddington gave a captivating presentation
on her experience handling this landmark case. As one of the relatively few female
attorneys at the time, she took the case on a pro bono basis never imagining
it would lead her to the Supreme Court.
LGBT Forum Speaker Series – Susan Sommer
The Diversity Committee welcomed Susan Sommer, senior counsel of Lambda Legal,
for a discussion on "Marriage Equality in New York: What Happens? What
Happened Next?" Ms. Sommer served as lead counsel in Hernandez v.
Robles, which sought the right for same-sex couples to marry in New York.
She discussed the impact of the New York Court of Appeals holding that the
New York state constitution is not violated by restricting marriage to opposite-sex
couples.
AOC Group Speaker Series
Brent Henry
Brent Henry, the vice president and general counsel of Partners Health Care, discussed the important role that diversity plays in the selection of outside counsel and shared lessons that he has learned in his two decade career tat the intersection of law and medicine. During his presentation he applauded the legal and medical professions’ strides toward inclusion and stressed the need to better serve patients and clients.
Diversity Workshops
Throughout the year, Ropes & Gray offers workshops focused on diversity issues to attorneys and staff. The workshops create a forum in which to discuss and understand the many definitions of diversity and inclusion, and the impact that diversity issues can have on the workplace. This past summer, the firm welcomed Fabian DeRozario, a consultant and facilitator, to conduct a training program on diversity of thought. Through a highly interactive session, participants learned about a model for understanding four main thinking styles and had an opportunity to assess their own style to understand their communication and problem-solving approaches. By understanding the differing perspectives surrounding the ways in which people think and operate, the participants were given concrete tools to leverage this information to become more effective team members.
The Massachusetts Lesbian & Gay Bar Association (MLGBA) Law Students' Reception
Ropes & Gray sponsored and co-hosted with the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association (MLGBA) Annual Law Students' Reception. This event featured guest speaker Carol Rose, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts. According to the MLGBA, this gathering accounted for the largest attendance at any of the law school receptions hosted by the organization.
Trent Hankins Award for Outstanding Contributions to Diversity
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Our beloved colleague Trent Hankins (Yale Law School '96) tragically
passed away in December 2002 at the age of 31. Among his innumerable
contributions to Ropes & Gray during his six years with the
firm, Trent was a tireless supporter of and contributor to the
firm's commitment to diversity, acting as a leader of the Attorneys
of Color Group and as one of Ropes & Gray's representatives
on the Boston Lawyers Group's Associate Advisory Committee.
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In March 2003, the firm announced that the Trent Hankins Award for Outstanding Contributions to Diversity would be given each year to one or more of the firm’s lawyers for their outstanding contributions to the firm's diversity efforts. At the firm's seventh annual awards ceremony on November 30,, 2010, David Fine was presented with the award for his stewardship of the Diversity Committee . David was recognized for his inspiring leadership of the firm’s diversity effort, and his development of new approaches to attracting and keeping a diverse and talented workforce. As former chairman of the diversity committee, David established new long-term diversity goals, implemented new programs and kept the firm informed about progress while coaching and mentoring associates about the importance of diversity and inclusion.
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David Fine was presented with the award for his stewardship of the Diversity Committee. David was recognized for his inspiring leadership of the firm’s diversity effort, and his development of new approaches to attracting and keeping a diverse and talented workforce. As former chairman of the diversity committee, David established new long-term diversity goals, implemented new programs and kept the firm informed about progress while coaching and mentoring associates about the importance of diversity and inclusion. |
Past winners:
2009 - Stuart Yothers
2008 - Hemmie Chang
2007 – Rajib Chanda
2006 – Joan McPhee
2005 – Pedro Sandoval
2004 – Roscoe Trimmier, Jr.
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Stuart Yothers is presented with the Trent Hawkins Award for Outstanding Contributions to Diversity. |
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At the firm’s fourth annual awards ceremony in 2007, Rajib Chanda won the award for being the driving force behind strategies to entice candidates of color to come spend their 2L summer at Ropes & Gray. |
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David Fine, former Chair of the Diversity Committee, congratulates partner Joan McPhee, Policy Committee Member and 2006 winner of the Trent Hankins Award for her outstanding contributions to diversity. Joan, now a member of the firm's Policy Committee, was the founding Chair of the Diversity Committee and served in that role for many years. |
Ropes & Gray Diversity Committee Members
Richard Batchelder- Diversity Committee Member
Albert F. Cacozza - Diversity Committee Co-Chair
Rajib Chanda - Diversity Committee Member
Dennis M. Coleman - Diversity Committee Member
Asheesh Goel - Diversity Committee Co-Chair
Jane D. Goldstein - Diversity Committee Member
Bernard Guinyard, Manager of Diversity
Gene W. Lee - Diversity Committee Co-Chair
Winifred I. Li - Diversity Committee Member
David M. Mandel - Diversity Committee Member
Richard Marshall - Diversity Committee Member
John T. Montgomery, Policy Committee Liaison
Diane Patrick - Diversity Committee Chair
Sasha Rao - Diversity Committee Co-Chair
Hugh Simons, Chief Operating Officer
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