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Our Firm

Diversity

Diversity and inclusion are core values for Arnold & Porter. We are committed to cultivating diversity and inclusion in a positive work environment, where all talent is supported and accorded dignity and respect. We value the contributions that each person makes, enable our colleagues to be comfortable being themselves, and encourage every person to realize their potential. We believe that each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal opportunity.

Diversity & Inclusion Committee

At Arnold & Porter, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is not just a policy — it’s a collaborative initiative led by the firm’s executive leadership. Our Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee is a catalyst for lasting change. Led by Anand Agneshwar and Kathleen Harris, the Committee is comprised of senior lawyers and professionals bringing together voices from across different practice groups, departments, geographies, and backgrounds, ensuring varied perspectives help steer our path forward. We continually shape our approach across five key pillars: recruitment, retention, advancement, engagement, and service; and, with strong leadership support, we foster an environment where diversity sparks innovation, collaboration thrives, every individual feels valued.

Affinity Groups

Among Arnold & Porter’s most active diversity initiatives are our affinity groups. The firm’s affinity groups are open to everyone, including colleagues and their allies who identify or support those who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color), caregivers, first generation, LGBTQ+, veterans, women, and offer community and education throughout the year.

The following affinity groups are focused on creating a sense of belonging, support and community in the workplace for:

  • APCares: Focuses on supporting parents and caregivers.
  • ACCORD: (Attorney Community Championing Our Racial Diversity) Focuses on racially and ethnically diverse attorneys. 
  • BLAC: (Black Lawyers of ACCORD Caucus) Focuses on Black lawyers.
  • First Gen: Focuses on those who are in the first generation of their family to graduate from college and/or law school.

  • Interfaith Affinity Group: Focuses on colleagues from various religious backgrounds.

  • Jewish Professionals: Focuses on the firm’s Jewish community.

  • Muslim Professionals: Focuses on the firm’s Muslim community.

  • Pride: Focuses on the firm’s LGBTQ+ community.
  • Professionals of Color: Focuses on racially and/or ethnically diverse professional staff.

  • Professionals with Disabilities: Focuses on those who have visible and non-visible disabilities.

  • VALOR: (Veterans and Affiliates Leadership Organization) Focuses on veteran-affiliated individuals, including veterans, reservists, families of service members, and anyone interested in military and veterans communities.
  • WISE: (Women's Initiative for Success and Empowerment) Focuses on women.

Our affinity groups sponsor numerous firmwide events engaging the Arnold & Porter community on a variety of topics. Recent examples include:

  • Celebrating Women’s Leadership: A Discussion with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the First Woman Director General of the World Trade Organization and Co-Author of Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons
  • Fireside Chat with Award-Winning Journalist Juan Gonzalez: The Sweeping History of the Latino Experience in the U.S.
  • Disability Pride: Advancing Disability Rights in the Legal Profession
  • Pride Month: Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling with Dr. Layla McCay, Author of Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling: How LGBTQ+ People can Thrive and Succeed at Work
  • Black History Month Short Film Festival: a Curated Screening 
  • Advancing Veterans Causes: A Pro Bono Perspective at the Intersection of Diversity & Inclusion, Veterans Advocacy, and Pro Bono Work

Recruitment

Arnold & Porter welcomes people of all backgrounds and recognizes that a significant part of our strength as a firm is connected to the breadth of experiences and perspectives we bring to bear on every client matter. The diversity of our attorneys and staff is important to us. To ensure we provide equal employment opportunities, we engage in numerous opportunities to connect with candidates, including:

  • Hosting panel discussions and receptions for first-year law students, at which attorneys share practical advice and tips on the law firm recruiting process.
  • Holding mock interviews for first-year law students.
  • Participating in bar association career fairs.
  • Doing regular outreach to student groups at law schools across the country.
  • Providing scholarships and fellowships to rising second-year law students.

Learn more about our legal career and summer associate opportunities.

Learn about more our professional/administrative career opportunities.

Retention and Advancement

We take a holistic and interdepartmental approach to retention and advancement, implementing initiatives and programs that aim to foster the professional growth of our attorneys. From our firmwide professional development training curriculum and our mentoring programs to our family-friendly policies and our in-house career counselors, we strive to empower colleagues' ownership of their career and provide a variety of opportunities and resources that support their career advancement.

In addition to internal programming, we sponsor external educational, leadership and business development opportunities for all attorneys that expand our attorneys' networks. We regularly partner with clients to ensure that our attorneys—at every stage of their careers—can access client-facing opportunities and hone the skills that will make them invaluable members of our client teams.

We provide periodic firmwide education and training sessions on diversity and inclusion topics. These programs provide all colleagues opportunities to engage and learn in a variety of formats, including special emphasis month programming and cultural enrichment programs.

Engagement

Arnold & Porter is committed to having a positive impact on the communities in which it works—and has been since its inception. From using the rule of law to advance basic human and civil rights to making individual investments in grassroots and local organizations, we seek opportunities to engage with our community and invest in sustained improvements.

Pro Bono

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion extends to our pro bono legal work and includes litigation, transactional, regulatory, and public policy advocacy on both systemic and individual levels.  

Community Involvement

We strive to support charitable and nonprofit organizations that embody and support the values and public service commitments of the Firm, including those that support civil rights and the rule of law.  We also offer all colleagues paid leave to participate in approved community service activities.

To enhance the work of the firm's Community Service Committee and encourage colleagues who wish to give back, the firm instituted an annual day of service which gives each Arnold & Porter attorney and business professional one day a year of paid leave to do volunteer work.

Service

Part of our commitment to excellence includes partnering with clients to advance our mutual commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. Here are some examples of our client collaborations:

  • Partnering with clients to provide professional development programs for all summer associates.
  • Collaborating with clients on bespoke mentoring programs that pair Arnold & Porter lawyers with members of the client's legal team.
  • Involving our clients on panels organized by our affinity groups.

Pro Bono

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion extends to our pro bono legal work and includes litigation, transactional, regulatory, and public policy advocacy on both systemic and individual levels.