Rutan & Tucker recruits, retains and promotes talented professionals from a variety of backgrounds and skill sets, resulting in a culture that thrives on a variety of perspectives. Diversity is a valued and important part of our culture and our community. Our work environment is characterized by respect for others, encouragement for all to excel and equal opportunity for everyone.
Recognizing the significant benefits and value of a diverse work force, Rutan & Tucker is committed to increasing the diversity of our law firm in a manner that promotes the firm's core values of excellence, teamwork, and integrity. As the largest full-service law firm based in Orange County, California, Rutan has played an active role in the County's maturation into a world-class metropolitan area that reflects the richness of California's cultural diversity. We strive to achieve that same result within our law firm, acknowledging that diversity benefits our firm, our clients, and our community.
Diversity at Rutan means more than a guarantee of equal opportunity in hiring, compensation, promotion and career development. Rutan's commitment to diversity is a permanent and ongoing part of firm management, as embodied in Rutan's Recruiting and Diversity Committees. Our Recruiting Committee's efforts to bring outstanding new lawyers of varied backgrounds to Rutan have resulted in new associate classes consisting of more than 50 percent women and 33 percent persons of color over the past five years.
The Diversity Committee's primary task is to assist in retaining and promoting women attorneys and associates of all cultures, backgrounds, and lifestyles who might face particular challenges in a traditional law firm environment. We are pleased that a growing number of Rutan's partners are women and minorities.
The firm and its Diversity Committee promotes mentorship, and senior attorneys conduct small group meetings with associates to encourage open dialogue on issues of concern. The Diversity Committee also encourages participation in wide-ranging activities that promote diversity outside of the firm, such as those sponsored by the Orange County Diversity Task Force (of which Rutan is a founding member) and minority bar associations.
At Rutan, our commitment to diversity is inseparable from our commitment to excellence.
