Sidley has been one of the most prominent and progressive proponents of law firm diversity. Many of our lawyers come from diverse backgrounds, races and beliefs. Our mission is to attract and retain outstanding lawyers who reflect the global marketplace that we serve. The firm is committed to achieving greater diversity, not only for our firm but within the legal profession as a whole. Five (14%) of the lawyers who were promoted to partnership as of July 2007 were racially or ethnically diverse.

Carlos Rodriguez, a New York partner and member of the firm’s Executive Committee and Stanley Stallworth, a Chicago partner, serve as firmwide co-chairs of the Diversity Committee.

In 2005, the firm welcomed Kathryn R. Stell as our firmwide Director of Diversity. Ms. Stell is a lawyer with over ten years of experience in developing and administering policies and programs designed to promote a diverse and inclusive environment. She works in partnership with the firm’s Diversity Committee and the Committee on Retention and Promotion of Women to advance Sidley’s firmwide diversity initiatives.

Sidley’s recruitment efforts have been both innovative and progressive, demonstrating a commitment to increasing the number of diverse lawyers in the firm. Our on-campus recruiting includes schools that have significant numbers of racially diverse law students (e.g., Howard University, the University of Miami, Texas Southern University [Houston, TX] and Southern University [Baton Rouge, LA]) and we participate in several regional and diversity-targeted job fairs.

The Diversity Committee is also focused on retention. The Committee on Assignment and Compensation of Associates is charged with monitoring the progress of, and conducting the review process of, all associates. The firmwide and office chairs of the Diversity Committee receive (on a confidential basis) the monthly hours report as well as the semiannual review package for each racially diverse associate and meet with a representative of the Assignment and Compensation Committee on a periodic basis to discuss performance issues and ways to track the career progress of each racially diverse associate. This initiative helps the Diversity Committee identify associates’ issues very early and where called for, allows the Diversity Committee to work with others in the firm to provide assistance as needed. Committee members complement the firm's mentoring program for all associates by acting as informal mentors to racially diverse associates and assisting them in the development of their legal skills and client relationships.

Through our ongoing dedication to recruiting, retaining and promoting outstanding diverse lawyers, Sidley aims to continue as a leader in providing equal opportunity and access to people who reflect the diversity of the communities in which we live and work.

Sidley’s commitment to diversity includes issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people. Sidley was one of the first large law firms to provide health insurance benefits to employees’ same-sex domestic partners, and our nondiscrimination policy explicitly forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender expression/identity. Openly LGBT lawyers currently practice in each of the firm’s domestic offices, serve on the Diversity Committee and are actively involved in legal organizations such as the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association. Sidley is and has been a national sponsor of the Lambda Legal Defense Fund, and participates each year in the Lavender Law Career Fair. Sidley’s pro bono commitment included bidding on and being awarded all of the outside counsel work for Gay Games VII, held in Chicago in the summer of 2006.

Most recently, Sidley’s commitment to LGBT equality was recognized by the Human Rights Campaign, which gave the firm a perfect (100) score on its 2008 Corporate Equality Index.

In the Spring of 2006, Sidley inaugurated its Prelaw Scholars Initiative, the first program of its kind among U.S. law firms. The firm developed this Initiative to address the recent decline in minority enrollment in law school, due in part to insufficient preparation of minority students for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), resulting in lower test scores and diminished admission prospects.

Sidley Prelaw Scholars are minority college juniors and seniors who demonstrate academic promise and have financial need that might prevent them from enrolling in a LSAT preparation course. Each Sidley Prelaw Scholar receives an initial scholarship award to cover tuition for a commercial preparation course, LSAT registration fees, and application fees for five to seven accredited law schools. Upon documented completion of both the LSAT preparation course and the required number of law school applications, each Scholar receives an additional scholarship award during his or her last year of college. Sidley Scholars will also receive coaching on law school application preparation. During the summer before law school matriculation, Sidley Scholars will receive instruction on the structure of the American legal system and an introduction to the substance of the required first-year common-law courses.

For more information on our diversity efforts, please check out www.sidley.com