Fish & Richardson has been named one of the 20 “Best Law Firms for Minority Attorneys” by Law360 – and one of only five firms in the 300-599 lawyers category – based on a survey of more than 300 U.S. firms.
Law360 grouped firms based on U.S. attorney headcount in order to evaluate them with similar-sized peers. Any firm that had below-average minority representation at even a single level of the firm – from associate to equity partner – was excluded, and then the rest were ranked based on their percentage of minority attorneys both at the non-partner and partner level.
“Fish has a longstanding commitment to diversity, and we are honored to be recognized for these ongoing efforts,” said Ahmed J. Davis, National Chair of Diversity Initiative and Principal of the firm. “While many of our diversity programs have been in place for a long time, we continue to focus on new strategies to effectively recruit, develop, and retain a diverse workforce. As this survey shows, there is still much work to be done. We are committed to advancing diversity in our own firm and setting the bar higher for the entire legal profession.”
Earlier this year, Fish undertook two new diversity initiatives. It was among the first 30 U.S. law firms to adopt the “Mansfield Rule,” which focuses on increasing the representation of women and attorneys of color in leadership positions. Fish also participated in the Google Summer Associate Scholars Program, a diversity-based educational leadership program that is designed to help prepare law students and junior associates for the many factors that affect a client’s business, beyond just day-to-day legal matters.
Fish’s 1L Diversity Fellowship Program, which was launched in 2005, provides annual fellowships to diverse first-year law students across the U.S. Each Fish Diversity Fellow receives mentoring throughout their law school education, a paid summer associate position in one of Fish’s U.S. offices, and a $5,000 academic scholarship. Diversity Fellows receive an additional $5,000 scholarship if they receive and accept an associate offer with the firm after the completion of a 2L summer clerkship at Fish. All of Fish’s Diversity Fellows are also given the opportunity to participate in the 1L Scholars Program of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), which was created in 2011 to strengthen the legal pipeline by expanding the number of opportunities for diverse first-year law students.
Fish started its Women’s EMPOWER Initiative in 2009 to promote the recruitment, retention, and advancement of the firm’s female legal staff and provide expanded professional and business development opportunities, mentoring, training, and support. Fish was also one of the original 15 law firms to participate in the pilot OnRamp Fellowship Program, a unique re-entry program that matches experienced women lawyers – many of whom have opted out of the legal field for a period of time to raise children – with law firms for a one-year paid fellowship.
Fish is consistently recognized as one of the country’s top law firms for diversity. In 2016, the firm was ranked in the top 15 percent of law firms for diversity, based on the number of minorities in its offices, according to the American Lawyer Diversity Scorecard. Fish also was named to Vault, Inc.’s 2016 Best Law Firms for Diversity including its Top 25 List for Minorities, Top 25 List for Individuals with Disabilities, and Top 25 List for Military Veterans. In 2016, the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index named Fish a “Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.”
Fish & Richardson is a global patent prosecution, intellectual property litigation, and commercial litigation law firm with more than 400 attorneys and technology specialists in the U.S. and Europe. Our success is rooted in our creative and inclusive culture, which values the diversity of people, experiences, and perspectives. Fish is the #1 U.S. patent litigation firm, handling nearly three times as many cases as its nearest competitor; a powerhouse patent prosecution firm; a top-tier trademark and copyright firm; and the #1 firm at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, with more cases than any other firm. Since 1878, Fish attorneys have been winning cases worth billions in controversy – often by making new law – for the world’s most innovative and influential technology leaders. For more information, visit https://www.fr.com or follow us at @FishRichardson.
