Our clients come to us for the finest legal advice and service. We provide that service by bringing to our firm the best and most diverse talent and working to build and sustain an inclusive community ‒ one in which our diverse group of lawyers can grow, thrive and work as a single team, weaving together the power of the many different perspectives and experiences they bring.
For more information about diversity at Debevoise, please read the Debevoise Statement on Diversity Equity Inclusion or download our Diversity Equity Inclusion brochure.
Debevoise earned a 100% ranking in the 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring company policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. The CEI rates firms on four detailed criteria: non-discrimination policies across business entities, equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families, supporting an inclusive culture and corporate social responsibility. Read the report here.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are Core Values and Critical Business Priorities
Debevoise’s top priority has always been to provide the best legal service to our clients, and we recognize that the inclusion, sponsorship and advancement of lawyers of color, women lawyers and LGBTQ+ lawyers within the firm are cornerstones of our continued success.
Our performance on diversity is an important business metric. Some of the ways we invest in attracting diverse talent are sponsoring diverse student groups at law schools across the country; attracting diverse candidates at the Northeast BLSA Job Fair, the Hispanic National Bar Association Job Fair and the Lavender Law Career Fair (LGBTQ+), and recruiting from historically black universities; connecting diverse candidates with diverse Debevoise lawyers to provide guidance during the recruiting process; hosting a diversity reception and social events for diverse offerees, enriching the summer associate experience through the involvement of affinity groups; and providing diversity, equity and inclusion training for summer associates.
Investing in the Development and Retention of Diverse Lawyers
We have embedded diversity, equity and inclusion within all elements of the firm’s broader talent development work.
- Diversity Equity Inclusion Leadership Team
Our Diversity Equity Inclusion Leadership Team is chaired by two senior partners of the firm who are former Management Committee members, Maeve O’Connor and Michael Gillespie, who work with Marc Grainger, our Global Director of Talent. Michael formerly headed hiring at the firm, and Maeve is currently co-chair of our global Talent Initiative, thereby increasing the integration between talent and diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Management Committee Sponsorship Program
In 2016, we launched our Management Committee Sponsorship Program to foster the advancement and promotion of diverse talent. Members of the firm’s Management Committee and departmental leaders are paired with top-performing mid- and senior-level diverse associates to promote and support their careers through opportunity generation, profile raising and internal leadership.
- Addressing Implicit Bias
We have instituted implicit bias training in all aspects of our talent cycle – recruiting, advising, staffing, evaluation – and for all levels of lawyers.
- Practice Group Leadership
We have put structures in place to ensure that all practice group leaders are responsible to firm management for successful implementation of DEI goals.
- Real-Time Informal Feedback
To enhance career development for our lawyers, the firm has implemented our Real-Time Informal Feedback Program. Lawyers are taught a number of simple yet effective feedback techniques, and meet regularly to discuss their experiences in giving more frequent feedback. All U.S. lawyers have now been through the program, which is being rolled out globally.
- Centralized Staffing
We apply a centralized approach to staffing our junior lawyers, with the objective of ensuring an equitable distribution of responsibilities and opportunities for our junior lawyers.
Building an Inclusive Community of Diverse Lawyers
Our lawyers hold leadership positions in a range of organizations dedicated to improving the diversity of the legal profession.
- Debevoise has a longtime relationship with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), an organization that provides mentoring and training of next-gen leaders with more than 400 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners. In 2022, Debevoise participated in LCLD’s Leaders at the Front campaign, making a public pledge affirming our commitment to furthering diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession, and detailing the steps we are taking to get there.
- Debevoise is a member of Catalyst CEO Champions for Change, a global nonprofit working with some of the world’s most powerful CEOs and leading companies to build workplaces that work for women. Partner and co-chair of Debevoise’s litigation department, Mary Beth Hogan, is a long-standing board member.
- Debevoise is a member of the NAWL Challenge Club, and in partnership with the Club, we designate high-potential women associates on the path to equity partner to network with in-house counsel, gain pitch experience and participate in mentorship sessions. Partner Elizabeth (Beth) Pagel Serebransky is a Member at Large of NAWL’s Board. Debevoise litigation partner Arian June was named co-chair of the 2020 NAWL Spring Conference.
Debevoise Women’s Review
The Debevoise Women’s Review, a first-of-its-kind platform among law firms, was developed to inspire the legal and business communities to engage in discussion and collective action around gender diversity. Unlike a traditional marketing platform, the content is developed and the editorial process managed almost entirely by lawyers at the firm, most of whom are associates, allowing for an authentic, first-person perspective. We invite you to join the conversation at women.debevoise.com.
Our Commitment
The recognition and awards we receive for diversity demonstrate the considerable success we have had in hiring diverse lawyers and law students. We are deeply proud that the quality of our practice, and the culture and people who form our firm, attract such great talent.
We also know that the work of building a truly diverse and inclusive firm cannot be measured just by accolades, and that numbers alone do not fully tell the tale. It is our job at Debevoise to create a professional environment in which all our lawyers can thrive and succeed.
We are deeply committed to driving change in our partnership and in the legal profession. That requires not only good intentions but effective initiatives and practices.
U.S. Diverse Supplier Program
Debevoise’s U.S. Diverse Supplier Program embodies our commitment to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our community. By identifying and leveraging opportunities to purchase goods and services from vendors who are diverse, we seek to ensure the inclusion of businesses owned by people of color, women, the LGBTQ+ community, veterans and people with disabilities. It’s our goal to utilize and assist businesses certified as diverse suppliers. Learn more about our U.S. Diverse Supplier Program here.
Recognition
Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index
Debevoise earned a 100% ranking in the 2023-2024 Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.
The American Lawyer A-List
Debevoise has been ranked among the top 10 firms in The American Lawyer’s 2023 “A-List” and is the only firm to appear on the list every year since its inception. The A-List recognizes firms based on a combination of factors, including racial diversity and gender diversity.
Asian American Bar Association of New York’s 2023 AABANY Law Firm Diversity Award
Debevoise received the Asian American Bar Association of New York’s 2023 AABANY Law Firm Diversity Award in recognition of its longstanding commitment to improving diversity, equity and inclusion within the legal profession.
Chambers Associate 2023
Chambers Associate recognized Debevoise as a "Leading Firm for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion," which is determined by a combination of factors, including hiring, mentoring, work allocation, promotion and policies related to mental health and parenting.
Leadership Council on Legal Diversity 2023 Compass Award
Debevoise was a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (“LCLD”) 2023 Compass Award recipient, recognizing the firm’s continued commitment to building a more diverse and inclusive legal profession.
Our DEI in Focus
Workforce diversity data relating to our London office is available from our London HR Manager.