Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz maintains a strong commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment that supports the recruitment, retention and advancement of women and men of all backgrounds, at all levels of the Firm.

We are proud to be an original signatory to the New York City Bar’s Statement of Goals for Increasing Minority Representation and Retention.  The Firm is committed to recruiting a diverse and talented body of lawyers considering diversity in its broadest form.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee provides guidance and recommendations on policies, initiatives and specific action steps to meet the Firm’s objectives with regard to our DEI Mission Statement.  The Firm has three full-time professionals who administer the Firm’s DEI initiatives, they are our Director of Recruiting & Legal Personnel, Recruiting & DEI Manager and Recruiting & Diversity Coordinator.

Our DEI Committee works in conjunction with our Associate Development Committee to increase development initiatives for all associates.

DEI Initiatives, Programs and Partnerships

  • Wachtell Lipton is a charter member of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, a program created to leverage the resources of the private bar to amplify the voices of communities and individuals oppressed by racism, to better use the law as a vehicle for change that benefits communities of color and to promote racial equity in the law and in government institutions.
  • Since 2009, we have hosted a series of heritage month recognition presentations at the Firm. We have been fortunate to welcome General Counsel of Fortune 500 Companies, Presidents and Directors of prominent public interest groups, Circuit Court Judges and Law School Professors, among others. 
  • We actively encourage and support affinity group meetings among our attorneys. While informal in nature, these forums have proven to be a good way for attorneys to get together to discuss shared concerns and work toward a common goal.  Currently, we have groups that represent our Women, African-American/Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, Women of Color, LGBTQ, Veterans and Parent/Caregiver attorneys.
  • We have administered a 1L Summer Associate Program for more than 20 years, which has produced a number of full-time associate hires, including an associate who was elected to the partnership.
  • The Firm has been an active participant in various school-sponsored minority job fairs.  We are also a proud sponsor of the Lavender Law Career Fair.  Throughout the year, we are also honored to sponsor and participate in numerous student affinity group activities, panels and conferences at various schools throughout the country.
  • We have been a partner firm in the Seizing Every Opportunity (SEO) Corporate Law Intern Program since 2007.  A number of these summer interns have gone on to become full-time associates.  We also participate in and are benefactors of the Prep for Prep Internship Program and the Legal Outreach Summer Internship Program.
  • We are proud to report that we were one of five pilot firms that participated in the NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program in 2009 and have continued and expanded our involvement in recent years.
  • We are a founding member of the Kate Stoneman Project (KSP), whose mission is to provide a forum to address issues regarding the advancement of women in the legal profession.  As such, we are an active participant in the group’s programming for attorneys and law school students.
  • We are sponsoring corporate members of the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), giving our women attorneys full access to their programming and networking opportunities.
  • We are proud sponsors of the NYU Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, which among other initiatives, offers an annual speaker series featuring leaders from academia and the public and private sectors on a range of topics relating to diversity and inclusion.
  • We are pleased to be a Title sponsor of the NYC Bar Office of Diversity & Inclusion and nominate associates for participation in their Associate Leadership Institute (ALI) and ALI LITE programs, which offer a series of professional development training workshops.
  • We are proud members of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). Our attorneys actively participate in the Fellows and Pathfinders Programs, while our 1L summer associates, selected through the Firm’s Summer Associate Program, take part in LCLD’s 1L Scholars Program.
  • The Firm is delighted to be a Supporting Partner of the Board Diversity Action Alliance (BDAA) and is committed to supporting the BDAA’s efforts to build a robust pipeline of diverse director talent through education and development opportunities.

Firm Initiatives in Response to Racial Injustice

In light of the tragic events during the summer of 2020 and the resulting unrest compounded by the pandemic, the Firm has implemented several initiatives and provided resources to help us gain an understanding of anti-racism and allyship. They include:

  • Speaker Series on Race
  • Firm-wide Meeting on Race and Racism in the Workplace
  • Facilitated Workshop Series as a follow-up to the Firm-wide Meeting on Race and Racism
  • Implementation of Donation Matching Program supporting organizations working to combat racial injustice
  • Book Distribution Program of titles to encourage active learning about anti-racism and allyship
  • Mandatory Online DEI Training
  • Development of a robust DEI Resources Intranet Page

Recognition

  • In October 2021, we were named a Top Performer and Compass Award winner for participation and commitment to all LCLD programming.
  • In March 2021, we were recognized with the Top Firm award in the COVID-19 Response category and also received an Honorable Mention in the Training & Mentorship category by the Yale Law Women’s Top Firms for Gender Equity & Family Friendliness Report.  Previously in 2020, we were recognized among the Top Firms for Inclusion Initiatives.  And in 2018, in the same report, we received category honors for Leadership & Promotions, acknowledging that at least 50% of attorneys promoted to equity partner in 2017 were women.
  • In 2020, we were recognized by the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance for being one of 46 firms that had 50% or more women in their 2020 new partner classes.