Steptoe & Johnson LLP firmly believes that our success depends on ensuring that the diverse experiences of all of our attorneys contribute both to the first-class work that we do for our clients and to the congeniality of our workplace.  Excellence in the practice of law knows no racial, ethnic, gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, religious, or other such boundaries.  This conviction is reflected in our motto: Strength In Diversity.

We are dedicated to maintaining our long-standing efforts to recruit, hire, and promote lawyers from diverse backgrounds and to weave their experiences along with those of other attorneys into the fabric of the firm.  We are keenly aware that our diversity and inclusion efforts are not just about the firm.  They are about our clients, our communities, and the profession as a whole. 

Steptoe's Diversity Committee reflects a broad cross-section of the firm.  We have three affinity groups: Multicultural Attorneys at Steptoe (MAS), the Women’s Forum, and the LGBT Forum.  MAS meets regularly to discuss matters related to retention, advancement, business development, and to support each other generally.  The Women’s Forum hosts networking events at various partner homes, and sponsors discussions on how to succeed at Steptoe and work-life issues.  In 2009, Steptoe’s LGBT Forum affinity group was formalized and has broadened its membership to include both LGBT attorneys and those who support them.

Firm Honors & Recognition

• Steptoe was awarded the Law Firm Diversity Recognition Award by Chevron Law Function in 2011 and 2009.
• The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) and Flex-Time Lawyers named Steptoe as a “Best Law Firm for Women” for the third time in 2011, following recognition in both 2008 and 2009.
• Steptoe was selected as a recipient of the inaugural MCCA Innovator Award in 2011, which was presented to US in-house legal departments, law firms, bar associations or legal organizations that have led the way with innovative best practices to assist diverse lawyers.  Steptoe’s Diversity and Inclusion Client Interview Project was recognized with this honor.
• Steptoe was recognized as a Top 10 Family-Friendly Firm by Yale Law Women in 2010.
• Multicultural Law Magazine has recognized Steptoe in its Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity for the past three years.  In addition, the publication ranked Steptoe in the Top 25 Law Firms for Native Americans in 2009 and 2006.
• The firm was recognized as a Best Law Firm for Women by a division of Working Mother magazine for the past three times the survey has been conducted.

Key Demographics 

• In Steptoe’s largest office in Washington, DC, 34% of attorneys are women, including 18% of partners, 32% of counsel, and 49% of associates.
• In Steptoe’s Washington, DC office, 14% of attorneys are minorities, including 7% of partners, 11% of counsel, and 21% of associates.
• In Steptoe’s tax practice, an area which typically employs fewer minorities than in the profession generally, we have four women (one of whom is a woman of color) among our eight associates and five women among our 14 tax partners.
• Our 2011 associate class was 63% women and 25% minorities.
• Our 2011 summer associate class was 50% women and 25% minorities and our 2010 summer associate class was 63% women and 38% minorities.

Leadership

• The firm appointed its first Chief Diversity Partner (CDP) in 2008.
• Steptoe’s elected Executive Committee includes two women and one minority.
• Steptoe’s elected Professional Advancement Committee includes four women, one of whom is a minority.
• Steptoe’s Partners’ Compensation Committee includes one woman.
• The co-chair of the Diversity Committee is a minority woman.
• The co-chair of the Hiring Committee is a woman.
• The vice chair of the Finance Committee is a woman.
• Women hold the positions of practice group leader for our International Trade and Insurance groups, as well as head of our International Department. Women also serve as deputies of the Business Solutions and International Departments.

Diversity News

• History in the Making - Sandy Chamblee, Chief Diversity Partner, ponders the inspiring words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack Obama.
• "Time to Call In One of Us" - Legal Times Article -  How one firm named a practicing partner to implement its diversity plan.
• Steptoe Names Chamblee First Chief Diversity Partner - Highlights Steptoe's appointment of its inaugural Diversity Partner. 
• A victory led by David Bodney and Peter Kozinets of Steptoe's Phoenix office reflects the firm's core values of diversity and inclusion.  The team persuaded the Arizona Attorney General's Office to issue a Reasonable Cause Determination favored by our clients, two members of the Phoenix Country Club, a century-old fixture in the city's social and business life, that the Club's policy excluding women from the men's grill constitutes unlawful sex discrimination.  Women at the club are barred from dining in the grill room where business negotiations commonly take place and deals are struck.  They are instead relegated to a far inferior ladies' grill.  The women, as well as some men, who criticized the policy were sent harassing e-mails and heckled on the fairway.  The case was featured in an article that ran in The New York Times on June 28, 2008.