In keeping with the objectives of our mission statement, we place considerable emphasis on attracting a diverse segment of the law school student population. We devote considerable efforts to recruiting women law students, law students of color and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) law students, and enhancing their experiences while at the Firm. In the last few years, we hosted multiple events to further these efforts, including receptions for 1L women students.

We regularly participate in the Harvard Black Law Students Association’s career fairs, as well as the National LGBT Bar Association and LeGaL LGBT Career Fairs. In November of 2009, two of our partners participated as panelists at the 2009 Ms. JD Conference, discussing work/life balance and interviewing techniques.

We encourage our attorneys to reach out to students from their alma maters. For example, one of our associates (who is a Columbia Law alumna) approached the Columbia Law Women’s Association and proposed the idea of a panel that would enable Columbia women to hear associates’ perspectives on law firm life. In February of 2009, she, along with several of our other female associates, led a panel discussion at Columbia that focused on being a woman at a law firm.

As part of our commitment to recruiting outstanding lawyers from diverse backgrounds, Cravath has participated for more than a decade in the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Corporate Law Program. During the summer, we provide pre-law students of color with internships and participate in a reception for SEO interns throughout New York City. We are especially pleased that one of our most recently elected partners is an SEO alumna. We are also proud that several of our SEO interns have returned to Cravath for full-time employment as attorneys.

Cravath helped launch, and continues to work in partnership with, the Brooklyn School for Law & Justice (SLJ). We provide mentoring and funding to the school and its students, the majority of whom are students of color. This summer, we had an SLJ alumna as an intern. Recently, Cravath helped form the Adams Street Foundation, a 501(c)(3) corporation that uses funding from foundations and other sources to provide enrichment programs, summer internships and educational activities for SLJ students. Through our efforts, we not only help to ensure that students maximize their academic achievements, but also take steps to increase students’ exposure to the law and thereby increase the pipeline of diverse persons entering the legal profession.

The Firm also supports other programs that affect the legal profession’s pipeline. We regularly support the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA). Evan Chesler, the Presiding Partner of Cravath, was a member of the steering committee for the inaugural MCCA Diversity Honors Gala. For the past two years, our Head of Diversity has also served as a selection committee member for the MCCA’s Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program. Additionally, in December of 2010, one of our attorneys led a session for the Practicing Attorneys for Law Students Program—an organization that pairs students of color in the New York area with lawyers who act as mentors—that focused on learning the facts of cases.

The Firm continues to be active in the Prep for Prep program, which identifies intellectually talented students of color from low-income backgrounds and prepares them for placement in leading independent schools and, as part of that process, provides a sense of community, peer support, post-placement services and a range of leadership development opportunities. In addition to providing financial and volunteer support to the program, we hire Prep for Prep alumni and students for the summer, giving them the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and gain exposure to the law.

Listed below are some of the organizations we sponsor.

• Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (or equivalent) at Columbia, Harvard, NYU, University of Pennsylvania and Yale
• Black Law Students Association (or equivalent) at Columbia, Harvard, NYU, University of Pennsylvania and Yale
• Columbia Law Women’s Association
• Harvard Lambda
• Latino Law Students Association (or equivalent) at Columbia, Harvard, NYU, University of Pennsylvania and Yale
• National Black Law Students Association
• National LGBT Bar Association
• Sponsors for Educational Opportunity
• The Urban Assembly School for Law & Justice