USD School of Law 1L Students Diversity Reception Hosted by Wilson Sonsini

Date and Time

Friday, September 22, 2023

• Friday, September 22, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Cost

Details

• Consistently Recognized as a Leading Law Firm for Diversity

  Wilson Sonsini incorporates DEI considerations into all talent management practices, including recruiting, hiring, reviews, partner promotions, and retention. The firm's approach has helped foster a culture in which DEI thrives—a quality that is substantiated by the firm's top rankings and recognition in key DEI benchmarks. For example:

  • Wilson Sonsini ranked No. 2 among firms with more than 600 attorneys in Law360’s 2023 Diversity Snapshot. The firm ranked No. 2 for the highest representation of minorities in its partnership among large firms.
  • In 2022, for the third consecutive year, the firm achieved a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. 
  • In 2022, for the fourth consecutive year, Wilson Sonsini achieved Mansfield Plus Certification, signifying that the firm has affirmatively considered at least 30 percent women, lawyers from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, lawyers with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ lawyers for top leadership roles, senior-level lateral hiring, promotions into the equity partnership, and participation in client pitch meetings.

  In November 2022, Wilson Sonsini held its Women's Leadership Summit featuring two days of interactive panel discussions, presentations, and workshops focused on building connections, leadership, career development, and women's advancement at the firm and in the legal profession. The summit brought together more than 350 women attorneys and business services leaders from the firm's offices and provided numerous opportunities for colleagues to meet and network.

  Additionally, in February 2023, Wilson Sonsini hosted its third annual 1L Student Diversity Summit. Fifty-two impressive first-year students from 20 law schools around the country joined the firm in Palo Alto for panels, talks, and fireside chats featuring its partners and associates, as well as alumni and judges. Our scholars also enjoyed social opportunities with  attorneys, clients, judges, and Recruiting, DEI, and Professional Development teams, and participated in insightful small-group conversations about practice areas and firm culture. Throughout the summit, firm scholars scholars experienced first-hand the firm’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and heard great advice on navigating law school and the legal profession from a variety of perspectives. 

• Diversity at the Leadership Level

  At Wilson Sonsini, diversity is not merely about numbers—it is about leadership. Diverse partners—which the firm defines to include individuals of color, women and nonbinary individuals, LGBTQ+ individuals, and attorneys living with disabilities—hold prominent roles at all levels of management, including the following:

  • Board of Directors
  • Career Development Committee
  • Culture Committee
  • Department and Practice Group Leaders
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
  • Hiring Committee
  • New Partner Nominating Committee
  • Partner Compensation Committee
  • Practice Technology Innovation Committee
  • Recruiting Committee
  • Wilson Sonsini Foundation's Board of Trustees

  The firm’s board chair is a woman, and diverse partners hold chair positions on nearly every standing committee of the firm. At the associate level, two of the three co-chairs of the Associates Committee are women, and numerous committee members are diverse in other ways.

  Retention, career development, and promotion are key components of the firm's diversity strategy.

• Inside the Firm: Affinity Group Activities at Wilson Sonsini

  Wilson Sonsini's Affinity Groups (Asian American, Black, Latin, Parents and Caregivers, Pride, Women of Wilson (WoW), Wellness @ Wilson, and Veterans and Military Families) provide opportunities for attorneys and staff to connect across offices, build relationships, access mentors, and become more involved and visible at the firm. Additionally, they help to foster professional development. Allies are welcome in Affinity Groups to listen, better understand others, and show support. In response to the current remote work environment, our Affinity Groups have hosted several virtual gatherings over the past several months. For more details, please see the latest edition of our Diversity Newsletter. 

• Beyond the Firm: Promoting Diversity in the Legal Profession and in Our Community

  Wilson Sonsini is actively involved with many external organizations that promote diversity, including:

  • Asian Law Alliance
  • Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus
  • Asian Pacific American Bar Association
  • Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF)
  • The Berkeley-Haas Africa Business Forum
  • Casa Cornelia Law Center
  • DirectWomen
  • Equal Rights Advocates
  • Japan Society of Northern California
  • Korean American Bar Association of Northern California
  • La Raza Centro Legal
  • Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund
  • Legal Diversity & Inclusion Alliance
  • Medtech Women
  • National Center for Lesbian Rights
  • Silicon Valley Japanese Entrepreneur Network
  • theBoardlist