Action, Accountability, Results
Cooley's commitment to attracting, mentoring and retaining an exceptional team of attorneys from as many backgrounds as possible is embedded in the Firm's culture. Today, as the Firm has grown and expanded, this commitment remains, through active participation and leadership in local and national minority law organizations, diversity pipeline projects, law school diversity programs and community outreach. The Firm's Management, Hiring and Diversity committees work closely together to create programs and policies to advance its goals.
Initiatives
- Cooley is proud to offer Diversity Fellowships to outstanding first-year law students as part of our ongoing commitment to recruiting, developing and retaining a diverse and talented team at all levels throughout the Firm. The annual fellowship provides a substantial monetary award to assist with law school tuition and a Summer Associate position.
- The Diversity Committee sponsors the Minority Associates Group which is comprised of associates engaged in promoting the interests of minority associates both within Cooley and within the legal profession. The Group works closely with the Diversity Committee in realizing the Firm's diversity goals and commitments. Participation is open to all associates, regardless of minority status.
- In 2007, we committed to support a teaching fellowship for five years at Stanford Law School for the Immigrants' Rights Clinic (IRC), which enables law students to get practical training by representing individual immigrants and immigrants' rights organizations. Attorney Jennifer H. Lee was named the inaugural Cooley Fellow for the 2007-2008 academic year.
- Cooley was one of the first law firms to commit to the Bar Association of San Francisco's (BASF) 1988 goals and timetables for minority attorney hiring and advancement and we renewed our commitment to the Bar Association's minority goals and timetables for 2010.
- Cooley management, attorneys and staff regularly attend a number of diversity-related conferences throughout the year to keep up-to-date on diversity matters, concerns and initiatives.
- We signed BASF's "No Glass Ceiling" initiative, a commitment to promoting women in leadership roles within the legal community.