June 15, 2020—Barclay Damon has been ranked among the nation’s top 200 firms by American Lawyer Media in its 2020 Diversity Scorecard. The firm moved up 20 spots this year over last year.
The 2020 Diversity Scorecard records the average number of minority attorneys at Am Law 200 and National Law Journal 250 law firms in 2019. For this purpose, Asian-American, African-American, Latinx and Hispanic, Native American, and self-described multiracial attorneys are included.
Sheila Gaddis, the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee chair, said, “All of us at Barclay Damon are pleased to be recognized by American Lawyer with inclusion on its Diversity Scorecard list of top firms, but that doesn’t mean our work toward increasing diversity will lessen. Our Diversity Leadership Teams will continue to lead the charge to foster a culture where gender and ethnic diversity is valued and is a powerful force that allows us to attract and retain high-performing talent and serve the best interests of our clients.”
“I’m proud of what this firm has done throughout our history and most recently under Sheila’s leadership to fully embrace a culture of D&I,” John Langan, managing partner, said. “We appreciate the positive feedback from American Lawyer and other leaders in our field, including the New York State Bar Association, which recently appointed two of our attorneys, Sharon Brown and Dena DeFazio, to its Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. At our firm, in our communities, and within our profession, we will never stop championing diversity and inclusion.”
A sample of the areas of the firm’s diversity and inclusion focus includes:
- Barclay Damon’s Women’s Forum, a platform for women attorneys at the firm to encourage, mentor, and champion each other in areas such as leadership development, client development, professional development, and marketing.
- Internships. The firm’s Diversity 1L Summer Associate Program, for example, offers paid summer associate positions to first-year law students from historically underrepresented groups in the legal profession. Other opportunities include the firm’s Diversity 1L Mentoring Program and Pipeline Internship Program for minority high-school students.
- Pro bono service. In 2019, for the third year in a row, the firm attained 100-percent pro bono participation by all full-time attorneys.
Barclay Damon attorneys team across offices and practices to provide customized, targeted solutions grounded in industry knowledge and a deep understanding of our clients’ businesses. With nearly 300 attorneys, Barclay Damon is a leading law firm that operates from a strategic platform of offices located in the Northeastern United States and Toronto. For more information, visit our award-winning website at barclaydamon.com.