Learn more about Kirkland's social commitment
© 2022 Kirkland & Ellis LLP
As a firm with a global presence, we embrace and promote diversity, equity and inclusion — both within our own organization and throughout the legal profession. We strive to build and maintain a culture that gathers strength from our differences and fosters belonging, which in turn allows us to better represent and serve our clients. A dedicated and active group of partners leads our Firmwide Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, which consists of gender, LGBTQ+, and racial and ethnic diversity subcommittees to ensure our programs and policies address the needs of all colleagues.
We embrace the varied perspectives and backgrounds of our attorneys and staff and encourage each of them to bring their whole self to work. We condemn hate and stand in solidarity with communities that experience discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic background, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation and/or religious beliefs. We believe in leveraging the talent on our teams to help create a more equitable society and strive to promote a Firmwide environment of belonging that allows every voice to be heard. To realize our goals, we pledge to:
We will continually expand our internal Professional Networks, promote educational and community-building programming, and encourage discussion around unconscious and implicit bias, LGBTQ+ cultural competency and more.
We will continue to strengthen our culture of sponsorship and mentorship across differences through pipeline, retention and advancement initiatives that support and develop the next generation of leaders.
As a member of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, we will promote racial equity in law by contributing our skills and collaborating on large-scale pro bono efforts.
We will continue giving to organizations that further DEI, including pipeline initiatives and nonprofits focused on achieving inclusion and advancing social justice.
granted to 52 organizations advancing DEI in 2021
DEI events annually
granted to 340 2L Diversity Fellows since 2004
1L Diversity Scholars in 2022
consecutively named to Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index
consecutively named to Seramount’s Best Law Firms for Women list
A diverse group of 15 executive committee members and senior partners leads Kirkland’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, which is overseen by the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force. In addition, a team consisting of seven dedicated experts and Kirkland’s global director of diversity, equity & inclusion implements DEI strategy across the Firm.
Kirkland believes strongly in the power of mentorship to create a culture where everyone can be their authentic self and find career success. With this mission in mind, Kirkland offers mentoring programs for women, Black and LGBTQ+ lawyers. Each program addresses the challenges unique to its specific community within the legal industry and offers quarterly professional development sessions on topics such as sponsorship and building client relationships.
Kirkland partners with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), an organization of general counsel and managing partners from leading law firms and corporations — including several Kirkland clients — who are committed to preparing future generations of diverse talent for the highest positions of leadership.
Kirkland is one of LCLD’s biggest financial supporters, and our attorneys participate in annual LCLD programs geared toward high-potential diverse attorneys at various career stages. We’ve also signed on to LCLD’s Leaders at the Front initiative, creating a pledge and detailed action plan for ensuring our Firmwide DEI commitments result in meaningful, measurable change.
Kirkland provides DEI training for our leaders, including how to sponsor across differences for collective success. We’re proud to partner with Coqual, a global nonprofit think tank that addresses biases against and barriers to advancement for historically underrepresented people in the workplace. Leveraging Coqual’s trainings and tools, our partners learn how to create a culture of belonging and authenticity while supporting professional development for rising leaders.
Kirkland stands firmly in solidarity with our Asian and Pacific Islander (API) colleagues and the community as a whole, and we condemn racism, xenophobia and violence directed toward these individuals. The Firm’s API Professional Network has for years organized programs and events that allow attorneys to exchange ideas and develop relationships within the API legal community. We’re also a title sponsor for the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and a top line sponsor for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), two organizations that seek to advance the API community within the legal profession.
In 2020, Kirkland pledged to donate $5 million over five years to support organizations focused on ending racism, achieving inclusion and advancing social justice.
Through internship opportunities and philanthropic giving, we’re supporting the next generation of diverse lawyers.