Diversity at
King & Spalding LLP
Commitment to Diversity
At King & Spalding, we recognize that diversity is more than just a buzz
word, it is an integral part of our culture. The diversity of our firm significantly
enhances our ability to provide the highest quality legal services to clients.
We strive to create a collaborative environment that benefits from the sharing
of experiences, ideas and unique qualities that each of our lawyers brings
to the firm.
Our Diversity Committee plays an integral role in helping the firm achieve
these advances. The Committee is charged with enhancing the firm's diversity,
monitoring the firm's progress on diversity issues and reporting to firm management
and partnership on these issues. In 2007, King & Spalding made substantial
changes to the structure of the firm's Diversity Committee to reflect our commitment
to diversity in the profession. The Committee is now chaired by partner Lovita
Tandy who devotes the majority of her time to implementing the firm's strategic
diversity initiatives. In addition, the membership of the Committee was modified
to ensure that key decision makers from across the firm, including members
of the Policy Committee, Associate Evaluation Committee, Partners Committee,
Hiring Committee, practice group leaders and office managing partners, all
play prominent roles.
Examples of our diversity initiatives are reported below. For more information,
please see the diversity page of our website and review a PDF copy of our
Annual Diversity Report.
Recruiting
King & Spalding's recruiting efforts demonstrate a comprehensive approach
that includes outreach to schools, on-campus interviews and events and fellowship
programs. Following are some of the initiatives the firm developed and participated
in during 2007:
- King & Spalding Diversity Fellowship Program: Our
Diversity Fellowship Program awards fellowships to up to four ethnically
or culturally diverse second-year students who show promise of contributing
meaningfully to the diversity of the legal community. Each recipient receives
a $10,000 stipend and a summer associate clerkship in our Atlanta, Washington,
D.C., Houston or New York offices during the summer following the completion
of his or her second year of law school.
- MCCA's Scholarship Program: The firm has pledged $30,000
over three years to sponsor the Minority Corporate Counsel Association's
Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program.
- Minority 1L Summer Clerkships: King & Spalding participates
in local bar organizations' minority 1L summer clerkships in the Atlanta,
New York and Houston offices.
- Writing Workshop for 1L Minority Law Students: Each
year, King & Spalding partners with the local law school minority
affinity groups and hosts a 90-minute writing workshop titled "Turning
Pro: Writing on the Job" at the firm's Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and New
York offices. In 2007, a total of 170 students participated in the program.
- Minority Recruiting Events and Programs: King & Spalding
participates in on-campus minority job fairs throughout the United States
and sends minority lawyers to support the efforts of affinity groups at various
law schools.
Fostering Diversity at Home and in the Community
Our efforts to promote diversity at home and in the community do not end
with the recruiting process. Our lawyers are active in community and professional
organizations and we provide them with a variety of resources to facilitate
the complete development of all lawyers through various stages of their
professional lives.
- Minority Retreat: The firm holds an annual Minority
Attorney Retreat. This event allows our diverse attorneys from across the
globe to come together and discuss their professional growth and success,
learn more about law firm economics and other topics impacting their careers
and spend time learning from the firm's many succesful minority partners.
- Internal Affinity Groups: In addition to our Minority
Retreat, we have created 12 affinity groups for the firm's diverse populations.
We have a women's affinity group in each office and firm-wide affinity groups
for African-Americans, Asians, Hispanic/Latino, International, LGBT, and
part-time attorneys. Our firm-wide African-American, Asian, Hispanic/Latino,
LGBT and Part-Time groups also receive funding to hold two mini-retreats
per year.
- Diversity Training: The firm recently completed a firm-wide
diversity program, which was required of all lawyers. In 2007, the firm also
added three new diversity-related continuing legal education courses: a three-hour
diversity training course for new attorneys, a partner course on communicating
across differences and a practice group-focused training course on interaction
style differences.
- Womens' Intitiatives: King & Spalding continues
to focus on advancing women's careers within the firm through the following
activities: holding a bi-annual women clients retreat, hosting informal lunches
with women associates and partners, sponsoring client development events
and periodic formal sessions on business development and other topics. In
addition, the firm has developed a comprehensive set of recommendations on
how expectant mothers, practice group leaders, human resources professionals
and the Diversity Committee can contribute to a new mother's successful re-entry
following maternity leave.
- Near-site Childcare Services: Recognizing the challenge
of finding excellent childcare and balancing that challenge with the demands
of working and raising children, the firm provides near-site childcare services
for the children and legal dependents of King & Spalding employees. In
2007, the firm opened its own licensed childcare center in Atlanta, built
to accommodate 135 children ages six weeks to 12 years. For years, the firm
has also provided back-up child-care services in all of it U.S. offices.
- Part-Time Program: King & Spalding has one of the
most flexible part-time programs in the industry. Part-time arrangements are
available on a short-term or long-term basis and associates may choose to
remain on partnership track while working part-time. The firm's Part-Time
Coordinating Partner oversees and facilitates these relationships in each
office. 2007 marks the first year where two of our newly elected women partners
are participants in the firm's part-time program.
Awards & Accolades
King & Spalding is proud of our diversity-related efforts, and we are
continually recognized for our accomplishments. Listed below are examples
of the accolades and awards the firm received in 2007.
- Named to Working Mother magazine's inaugural list of the 50 Best Law
Firms for Women.
- Received a 95% score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality
Index 2008 -- a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
equality
- Named as a 2008 recipient of the State Bar of Georgia's Women & Minorities
in the Profession Committee's Commitment to Equality Award
- A 2007 recipient of Chevron Corporation's Law Firm Diversity Award
- Named as a 2007 recipient of the Stakeholder 100 Law Firm Award