Daniel H. Golden,
Partner in Charge, New York Office
Founded in 1945 by Robert S. Strauss and Richard A. Gump, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has more than 1,000 lawyers and professionals in 15 offices worldwide.
The New York office is one of the firm’s fastest growing and most diverse offices. It opened in 1993 and is now home to more than 160 lawyers. Nearly 19 percent of the attorneys in the New York office are minorities and 39 percent are women. In the partnership ranks, 16 percent are women and 7 percent are minorities. In 2006, women comprised 44 percent and minorities comprised nearly 23 percent of the office’s new hires.
“Akin Gump was founded on principles of diversity, and our tradition challenges us to remain resolute in our commitment to an inclusive environment,” says Daniel Golden, partner in charge of the firm’s New York office. “While we are proud of these results, we are dedicated to building upon our record of success. At Akin Gump, diversity is not about numbers; it is how we define excellence.”
Ackneil M. (Trey) Muldrow III,
Partner
Diversity is an important and integral part of everyday life at Akin Gump. The firm continually works to attract, retain, and promote racially and ethnically diverse attorneys by implementing innovative practices and embracing a culture of inclusiveness and equal opportunity. For example, Akin Gump’s firmwide diversity committee—comprising minority, female, openly gay as well as non-minority attorneys¬—works hand in hand with the diversity committees in each of the firm’s offices. These committees provide open forums for attorneys and personnel alike to proactively communicate questions, concerns, and ideas to firm management, to assess progress in diversity, and to recommend additional means by which the firm can enhance its diversity.
In 2002, the firm instituted a formal “reduced workload policy” to enable attorneys to fulfill family responsibilities along with their work responsibilities. The policy specifically provides that attorneys working a reduced workload remain eligible for partnership and counsel promotions.
Appreciating the significance of mentoring, Akin Gump has a formal program to help new lawyers integrate into the firm. Akin Gump has also developed a Partner Recognition Award in each office to recognize and reward the partner who excels in the mentoring and professional development of associates and counsel; a donation in the award winner’s name is made to the charity or educational institution of his or her choice.
The Yale Law Women ranked Akin Gump third in the country in its 2007 list of “Top Ten Family Friendly Firms.” The American Lawyer ranked it among the top five firms for the greatest percentage of minority partners in 2005, and the Minority Law Journal recognized it as one of the ten law firms with the highest number of minority partners in 2006. Akin Gump also earned the highest rating (100%) by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index which measures gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equality and inclusion.
From the November/December 2007 issue of Diversity & The Bar®