| Richards, Layton & Finger is an inclusive workplace that recruits the finest lawyers and nurtures their talents. What allows for our success is the firm-wide belief that diversity of people—whether by reason of gender, ethnicity, race, religion, physical ability, educational background or sexual orientation—means a diversity of experiences and skills that enhances the firm’s ability to provide preeminent client service.
Our commitment to diversity means more than good intentions. It is a policy reflected in the results we have achieved over the years—the first major law firm in Wilmington to have a female partner, the first to have an African-American partner, the first to have a South Asian partner. The firm offers flexible work schedules for attorneys and staff with family needs, and provides health and dental benefits to domestic partners of attorneys and staff.
We also foster diversity though our involvement with service projects for the community, such as those in recognition of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and Dr. King’s dedication to service. Members of the firm also volunteer their time, effort and energies to other organizations dedicated to the improvement and advancement of traditionally underrepresented minorities, such as the National Hispanic Bar Association. Activities include volunteering through the National Latino/Latina Law Students Association as a mentor for prospective law school applicants.
We are engaged in a variety of projects, programs and initiatives in our community that are designed to foster greater diversity in the firm and the Delaware bar.
Delaware Minority Job Fair
In conjunction with the Delaware State Bar Association, the Delaware Minority Job Fair was originally organized by a consortium of Delaware legal employers interested in increasing diversity in the Delaware legal and business communities. Richards Layton took a lead role in that organization. This job fair offers law students an opportunity to interview with a variety of well-respected Delaware employers and to learn about the practice of law in the state from leaders of the legal community. A second annual job fair was added to attract first-year minority law students. Richards Layton has coordinated and organized the Delaware Minority Job Fair several times since its inception in 1992, and is an ongoing sponsor and participant.
Delaware Supreme Court’s Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts
This task force, established by Delaware’s highest court, studies and evaluates racial and ethnic fairness issues within Delaware’s court system. Richards Layton has been represented on this task force for more than 10 years.
Delaware State Bar Association Multicultural Judges and Lawyers Section
Members of the firm are involved in this active section of the state bar association. This section is responsible for several community-based initiatives, including one that seeks to establish mentoring relationships between members of the section and minority high school students who one day may become members of the bar.
USLFG Committees on Women and Racial Diversity
The United States Law Firm Group (USLFG) is a national network of 19 established law firms, each headquartered in a major city in one of the country’s leading commercial states. Richards Layton is represented on both the Women’s Committee and the Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity of the USLFG.
DirectWomen
DirectWomen is an initiative of the American Bar Association to identify women lawyers for appointment to corporate boards. The initiative involves a training institute to provide these women with the necessary tools to be effective board members. Richards Layton is one of the first sponsors, and directors of the firm have served on the Development Committee.
Delaware Chapter of CREW
CREW is a national organization of women working in all aspects of the commercial real estate industry. One of our associates founded the Delaware Chapter of CREW, which provides a network for women with at least two years of full-time experience at the professional level in a qualified field of commercial real estate.
High School Work-Study Program
Richards Layton participates in Howard High School of Technology’s Work-Study Program. Howard High School is a well-regarded technical school with a long history of leadership in the local minority community. The program introduces high school students to various fields, including the legal profession. The firm has hosted students in the program at our offices, introducing them to a law firm environment and providing us an important link with potential minority law school students.
Elementary School Mentoring
Attorneys and staff members mentor and tutor students at Bancroft Academy, a City of Wilmington elementary school with a predominantly minority population. Our mentoring program allows us to make a practical, direct contribution to the daily lives and education of the children in our community and exposes those young children to the opportunities available to them. In connection with this program, Richards Layton received a special tribute signed by the governor and lieutenant governor recognizing the firm’s dedication to youth mentoring in Delaware.
Richards Layton has a long tradition of valuing diversity. We also recognize that promoting diversity in our firm and community encourages even greater understanding and appreciation for diversity. Richards Layton is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability or on any other basis prohibited by state or federal law. |
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