The firm recognizes the unique needs that individuals often face and maintains a balanced hours policy that applies to partners and non-partners alike to best position our lawyers for success. This unique program allows lawyers to tailor their work arrangements to their individual and practice group needs, providing often needed flexibility while supporting our goal of providing exceptional service to our clients. Many of our lawyers maintain balanced hours schedules and work arrangements that reduce their billable hours target and adjust their work expectations.
Crowell is very special. No other firm treats diversity, equity and inclusion with such seriousness and in such a positive way.
—David Stepp, Partner
Without accountability, there is no change. Our programs and initiatives provide the structure for that accountability, while supporting transparency and open communication.
The difference is, it’s genuine. They’re not checking a box. They actually want to be in our corner.
Counsel
Chris Garcia Dedicated Programs
- Racial Equity Task Force
Ensuring accountability for and advancing the cause of racial equity and justice. The task force is comprised of members of the firm’s Management Board, Black Affinity Group and other firm leaders. The task force identifies immediate actions and longer-term goals that ensure that firm policies and practices are equitable and provide meaningful opportunities for our entire community. Through this initiative, our leadership has devised a set of diversity representation goals, created a policy to offer billable credit for DEI activities and increased client access for our diverse lawyers through our dedicated client service teams.
- Sponsorship Program
Recognizing the crucial role sponsorship plays in the growth and development of lawyers, Crowell & Moring was one of the first law firms to create a formal sponsorship program, ensuring that every lawyer has equitable access to the advocacy, support and opportunities necessary for their success. Sponsorship involves the use, influence, relationship capital and/or position to create opportunities for another, intervening on their behalf, or advocating to enhance their career development and advancement. The firm’s annual Sponsorship Program focuses on the inclusivity and promotion of women, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers of color and consists of a variety of workshops, programs and internal networking opportunities. The program targets associates, counsel and partners from a broad range of practice areas and geographic locations and provides meaningful opportunities to our high-performing lawyers, particularly women and lawyers from diverse backgrounds. Through this program, we aim to: 1) further develop our strong pipeline of talent; 2) broaden diverse talent visibility within the firm leadership ranks; 3) equitably promote access to critical relationships across the business; 4) accelerate key development opportunities; and 5) encourage a greater sponsorship culture at the firm.
- Allyship Training
Addressing bias and building empathy requires collective effort and is only the first step. We provide the additional training and guidance to help make progress stick. We host programs and trainings focused on the concept and action of allyship, introducing the topic to our firm community and inviting intimate and courageous conversations in order to allow us to better understand the impact and immense responsibility that each of us holds in making our firm a more inclusive and welcoming environment. This allows us to better serve our own communities and, ultimately, our clients.
Social mobility, ensuring access to economic opportunities and providing the ability to progress through society, is central to any effort to promote diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities. Focusing on social mobility is central to our efforts to diversify the places in which we live and work. Our London office leads Crowell’s efforts to make an impact in this area. Lawyers and professional staff work to support the organization, Education and Employers, through their Inspiring the Future program which connects schools with volunteers from the world of work, giving children and young people insights into careers and inspiring them to be ambitious.
- Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI)
Creating future women leaders only happens by recruiting, retaining and developing our women lawyers. Our Women’s Leadership Initiative, or WLI, has hosted and moderated discussions with thought leaders and experts on the topics of allyship and the advancement of women in the workplace, with a particular focus on racial and ethnic intersectional experiences. Other takeaways have included practical strategies for interrupting the status quo, eliminating toxicity in the workplace, the history of feminism through the lens of race and the role that white women can play in the pursuit of an anti-racist world.
- Accessibility
We are committed to challenging attitudes on, and increasing our understanding of, disability and removing barriers for disabled people and those with other long-term health conditions at our firm. Through these efforts, we work to ensure that people of all abilities have equitable opportunities to reach their full potential. For example, in 2018, the firm became a signatory of the ABA’s Pledge for Change: Disability Diversity in the Legal Profession. This Pledge affirms our commitment to diversity, specifically disability diversity, and encourages others in the legal industry to be accountable to these values. This has involved our annual conversations with clients and our community on the importance of disability awareness, self-education, and empathy toward others. In addition, our London office has received Disability Confident Committed accreditation from the UK government, and the firm prides itself on inclusive recruitment and support of our disabled employees.
- Crowell Caregiver Network
Balancing professional and caregiving responsibilities takes support and intentionality, and Crowell colleagues are ready to help. Open to both lawyers and professional staff, CCN provides resources, support and a safe discussion forum for lawyers and professional staff who are navigating the challenges of balancing their professional lives and caregiving responsibilities. The focus of the network encompasses parenting as well as challenges associated with caring for aging and/or ill parents, persons with disabilities, special needs adults and children and other loved ones.
- Professional Staff DEI Training and Support
Our DEI initiative spans the entire Crowell community, including programming on inclusive leadership and mental health conversation practices for our professional staff. This focus allows us to ensure we are building culturally responsive teams across the firm, and that all feel supported.
Talent Development Approach To Diversity
Recognizing and supporting the individual talents and development needs of our lawyers is important. Identifying issues directly and immediately at the practice group level creates meaningful and impactful change. In addition to regular review by each practice group, members of our professional development team meet quarterly with each practice group leader and staffing partner to review and discuss the utilization levels and nature of assignments of individual attorneys.
There is particular emphasis on ensuring proper utilization of women and diverse lawyers, as well as caregivers and lawyers working on non-traditional schedules to make sure they are properly supported and help us address and avoid the challenges and missteps that these groups often face.
This is not a sink-or-swim environment. You get real, sustained support from the beginning.
Partner
Emily Kuwahara Mentoring and Promoting Diverse Talent
How are women and lawyers from diverse backgrounds supported on their career journeys? Crowell offers programs to promote sponsorship and mentorship to not only provide support, but the necessary access to advocacy that all lawyers need to advance in their careers.
Sponsorship on the Journey to Success
The path to success is never the same for all. While some may provide guidance through traditional mentor programs, Crowell & Moring goes further. Building on our history and culture of sponsorship, we have developed a unique Sponsorship Program that matches high-performing women and diverse lawyers with partner sponsors to help them grow and develop into the leaders they aspire to become.
- Maximizing Development Through Mentorship
Every new associate is assigned a partner Professional Development Advisor (PDA) and peer mentor to ensure they receive the integration assistance, training, guidance and work assignments necessary to be successful here. The PDA and Mentor Program helps lawyers build bonds with mentors, accelerate their progress, and seek out meaningful development opportunities.
- Creating a Pipeline for Diverse Talent
Attracting and retaining diverse talent requires sustained effort and intentional communication with our internal and external communities. Crowell sponsors a number of pipeline initiatives throughout the year, including LCLD’s Pathfinders and Fellows program, as well as LCLD’s 1L Scholars and Success in Law School Mentoring programs. We have also endowed upwards of $500,000 to The University of California, Irvine School of Law to support the Crowell & Moring Diversity Scholarship, which promotes diversity in the legal profession. In addition, we have established the Crowell Engineers in Law (CEIL) program, an early pipeline career development internship designed to help diversify the pipeline of engineering students to career opportunities as a patent legal service provider.
