Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

In 2017, A&K formed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (“DEI”) to increase and support diversity at A&K, within the legal profession, and in our community. Our DEI Committee’s first tasks, working with the firm’s Hiring Committee and Associate Development Committee, were to establish hiring practices to ensure we attract the best talent from a variety of backgrounds, and to develop workplace practices that help all lawyers and staff thrive. We revamped our hiring practices, including expanded geographic outreach and enhanced connections to law school and ethnic and racial affinity bar groups. We instituted regular, mandatory DEI trainings, including implicit bias, bystander awareness, and bias against women in the workplace. In addition to our formal DEI trainings with outside consultants, we regularly hold firm-wide DEI town halls to discuss topics related to racism, discrimination, inequality in the legal profession and in our community, and what we can do as a firm to drive change.

We know that we have work to do before our leadership reflects all of the work that we have put in to attract and retain diverse attorneys and staff, but we are committed to placing diversity, equity, and inclusion at the core of A&K’s work. We’re also determined to use our resources to expand opportunities and to diversify the legal profession. To that end, this year we launched the A&K Diversity Fund through which we are directly investing in the future of aspiring lawyers from racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in the legal profession. And, we know A&K cannot make the changes needed in the legal community by itself, so we support and have developed ongoing partnerships with the Women’s Workforce Council, 100% Talent Compact, Boston Lawyers’ Group, and the Hispanic National Bar Association, as well as a host of non-profit and pro bono organizations.