David R. Stepp
This is an environment where everyone can thrive. We have created an atmosphere that is incredibly inclusive and open. It’s baked into the place.
David R. Stepp
This Is My Story.
I grew up in a tiny farming community in rural South Carolina.
Even at a very early age, I knew things just weren’t right. I remember going to the movies for a Saturday matinee, and all the Black kids had to be upstairs while all the White kids were downstairs. When I was in the fourth grade the schools were integrated and there were protests. That experience, growing up with segregation, has always stuck with me.
Diversity isn’t just a hiring initiative at Crowell. It’s our mindset and a part of everything that we do, right across the board.
Meet David
David Stepp is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Crowell & Moring with over 30 years of experience handling international trade regulatory matters. He is an experienced trade lawyer who provides multinational companies with strategic advice on global customs and international trade compliance matters.
Diversity is a Mindset
Crowell is making a huge commitment to diversity in hiring: Every diverse candidate’s first vetting has to be reviewed with diversity in mind and there are several layers of review. But diversity isn’t just a hiring initiative at Crowell. It’s our mindset and a part of everything that we do, right across the board—staffing for client matters, leadership positions, or who to take on a pitch.
Recently, we added a question to our partner self-evaluations: how long do you plan to continue to practice and who do you have in-line to transition your work to? The succession question is critical. It challenges us to not just think of attorneys that we already know well, but think about ALL possible attorneys. It challenges us to not just go with the status quo.
No Sitting on the Sidelines
It’s wonderful to see more firms taking diversity seriously, but at Crowell there’s a long history of inclusion and striving for equity. After the George Floyd murder, the firm released a statement clearly reinforcing its unalterable position against racial injustice. We did not sit on the sidelines. As stewards of the law it’s important for us to do this. We’re not just leaders in the legal industry, but leaders in our own communities.