Hollingsworth LLP is proud of the diversity, equity, and inclusion of our firm, which is a product of concerted efforts to hire and retain diverse legal talent. It is an integral part of the Firm’s long-term development and business plan. We recognize that our diversity makes us more effective, more welcoming, more competitive, and more successful.
Our primary method of recruiting young attorneys is our Summer Associate program. Since 2015, 53% of our summer associates have been women, all of whom received offers. In 2018 and 2019, 75% of our summer associates were women and in 2020, 100% of our summer associates are women. Since 2015, 100% of lateral partner hires have been women. Over the same period, 74% of our lateral associate hires have been women and 41% have been people of color. Overall, the number of attorneys of color has more than doubled over the last five years, and people of color make up 43% of new associate hires.
We actively recruit at LGBTQ+ and POC career fairs. Interviews with prospective hires are conducted by a diverse group of our attorneys. We support and contribute to the Hispanic Bar Association, the National Asian Pacific Bar Association, the South Asian Bar Association of North America, the Women’s Bar Association of D.C., and the Mid-Atlantic Black Law Students Association. We also support organizations committed to fostering diversity, such as Whitman-Walker (providing health and legal support to the LGBT community in Washington, D.C.), and the Williams Institute at UCLA Law (focusing on LGBT policy issues). We are a member of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance (DFA), a community of industry leaders at law firms and corporations. We provide attorneys with opportunities to attend DFA seminars and other similar events.
Hollingsworth LLP attracts and retains attorneys from traditionally marginalized demographics in several different ways. Designated partners ensure that diversity and inclusion are part of decision-making on work allocation, performance reviews, compensation, and promotion. We ensure that all attorneys of the same experience and skill level are provided the same opportunities for work assignments and for substantive and front-line roles in internal and outward-facing positions. Our second-year associates – and even some of our first-year associates – are given professional opportunities unmatched by other firms of any size. These young associates take depositions, participate in trial preparation, and engage daily in our complex litigation cases. They are not merely document reviewers; they are practicing attorneys. The Firm’s ACT Committee is tasked with improving advancement opportunities, community development, and professional development. Led by a majority-women team, the work of this committee has resulted in policies designed to retain diverse talent, including improvements to our parental leave policy, the addition of part-time and flextime options for associates, and a telework policy (which pre-dates Covid19).
We have received recognition for our commitment to diversity and are ranked in the top 10 midsize law firms (50-149 lawyers) for women attorneys in Law360’s 2019 Glass Ceiling Report. The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCAA) recognized us as a regional finalist for the Thomas L. Sager Award in 2014. The Sager Award was created by MCCA to honor Thomas L. Sager, former Senior Vice President and General Counsel at DuPont, whose relentless commitment to increasing diversity in the legal profession has inspired others to do the same.
Hollingsworth LLP is focused on providing excellent client service in the field of complex litigation. That service is enhanced through our successful efforts to recruit, train, and retain women, POC, and LGBTQ+ attorneys.