Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Dynamically Driven

Shaping a diverse legal industry that pushes the boundaries with innovative and novel solutions.

We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can fuel a firm culture that reflects the richness of our communities and open us to new ways of understanding, thinking, and behaving. Lawyers of diverse backgrounds bring unique perspectives, inclusive teams make stronger decisions, and an equitable legal industry pushes the boundaries on innovative and novel solutions. It is for these reasons that Hollingsworth LLP has incorporated diversity, equity, and inclusion as an integral part of our firm’s long-term development and business plan. We recognize that our DEI focus makes us more effective, more welcoming, and more successful.

DEI efforts underscore both our hiring at all levels and our lawyer development emphasis. Our primary method of recruiting young attorneys is through our Summer Associate program.

  • Since 2015, 67% of our summer associates have been women and 30% are persons of color.
  • All of the summer associates since 2015 received associate offers, 94% of whom accepted our offers and began their careers as associates at Hollingsworth LLP.
  • Moreover, in 2018 and 2019, 75% of our summer associates were women; in 2020 and 2021, 100% of our summer associates were women; in 2022, 80% of summer associates were women; and in 2023, 100% of summer associates are women.
  • Since 2015, 100% of lateral partner hires have been women. In the same period, 50% of partners promoted from within the firm are women, and 50% are persons of color.

We actively recruit at LGBTQ- and POC-oriented career fairs, and interviews with prospective hires are conducted by a diverse group of our attorneys. We support and contribute to:

  • Hispanic Bar Association
  • Mid-Atlantic Black Law Students Association
  • National Asian Pacific Bar Association
  • South Asian Bar Association of North America
  • Women’s Bar Association of D.C.
  • Whitman-Walker Health (providing health and legal support to the LGBTQ community in Washington, DC)
  • Williams Institute at UCLA Law (focusing on LGBTQ 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, and provides opportunities for all attorneys to develop their skills as litigators and trial attorneys:

  • Designated partners ensure that diversity and inclusion are part of decision-making on work allocation, performance reviews, compensation, and promotion.
  • We ensure 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 in a meaningful way in our cases. They are not merely document reviewers; they are practicing attorneys.
  • The firm’s Advancement, Community, and Talent Committee is tasked with improving advancement opportunities, community development, and professional development. Led by a majority-female 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 COVID-19).
  • The firm supports several in-house affinity groups including, by way of example: “Woman Attorneys of Hollingsworth,” LGBTQ+, and “Working Parents”.

Ranked in the top 10 midsize law firms (50-149 lawyers) for women attorneys in Law360’s 2019 Glass Ceiling Report, we were also recognized by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCAA) as a regional finalist for the Thomas L. Sager Award in 2014. We don’t just pay DEI lip service, we intentionally live it. We strongly believe our service is genuinely enhanced through successful efforts to recruit, train, and retain women, POC, and LGBTQ+ attorneys.

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