Inclusion

Firmwide Inclusion and Advancement Committee

The members of the Firmwide Inclusion and Advancement Committee (IAC) reflect the diversity of the Firm by race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, practice area and geographic location. Additionally, inclusion committees in many local offices collaborate with offices and practice groups in addressing inclusion priorities. Information about the chairs of our office-level inclusion committees may be found here.  

Beyond our Firm, Jones Day remains equally dedicated to growing diversity throughout the legal profession and is honored to support the following organizations as a national sponsor or partner:

• Lambda Legal, the oldest LGBT civil rights organization in the country.
• The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, an organization working to build a more open and diverse legal profession.
• The SEO Law Fellowship Program, which identifies, trains and develops talented rising law students for summer internships at the nation’s premier law firms in order to increase the recruiting pipeline of attorneys entering such firms.

The application period for this conference has closed.

Conference for 1Ls

Launched in 2016, Jones Day’s annual Perspectives & Pathways Conference for 1Ls brings together Jones Day lawyers, Firm clients, and first-year law students for a day of networking and leadership and lawyering skills discussions and training. There are many different pathways to success; our goal is to help you find yours. This interactive conference will provide sessions on negotiations training and persuasive brief writing with practical advice and skills from Jones Day lawyers. Other topics include:

• How to network successfully and build long term relationships.
• Inclusion and advancement in the legal profession - Can I bring my authentic self to work?
• Judicial Clerkships.
• Integrating Pro Bono into your practice.

Networking

Participants will build a network that includes students from other law schools and Jones Day lawyers.

Selection Process

Applications must include a written statement, a resume, and a transcript. The conference is open to all. Applications will be evaluated by a panel of Jones Day lawyers based on the following criteria:

• Academic and leadership achievements.
• Obstacles, challenges, or other factors encountered in advancing career objectives.
• Life experiences that have shaped values and goals.

Cost

Travel and related expenses for the students selected to attend will be covered by the Firm.

Jones Day hosted our annual 1L Diversity Conference, on Friday & Saturday, April 5-6, 2024, in Atlanta

More than 60 first-year students from 34 law schools attended Jones Day's Perspectives and Pathways 1L Diversity Conference at the Atlanta Office, April 5th and 6th. This year marked the seventh time the Firm held the annual event, with 18 Jones Day partners and associates leading the attendees through a series of presentations, workshops, and mentoring sessions. Professional development presentations included "Navigating Law Firm Life," and "Networking/Relationships," while instructional sessions featured "Writing Tips," "Oral Advocacy," and "Negotiations Training." Yvette McGee Brown, Partner-in-Charge of Inclusion & Advancement, welcomed the attendees with opening remarks during the Friday evening kickoff reception. Additional Jones Day lawyers presenting during the weekend included Kevyn Orr, Partner-in-Charge U.S. Offices, Sharyl Reisman, Firmwide Hiring Partner, Shirlethia Franklin, Partner and New Lawyers Group Leader, and Zachary Brecheisen, Partner and co-chair of the Firm's LGBTQ+ Affinity Group, among others. The weekend provided a unique opportunity for law students to spend time learning from and engaging with law firm leaders. One attendee wrote in a thank you email, "The conference exceeded my expectations. Each speaker's message was well crafted and persuasively presented. It is easy to see why Jones Day is a leader: Its people are a rare breed, a group of talented, smart, and down-to-earth attorneys who exemplify the best values of our profession. I came back to my studies with a renewed zeal and enthusiasm."

Jones Day Diversity & Inclusion Milestones

Jones Day was among the first law firms to address the lack of opportunities for woman and diverse lawyers in the profession. 

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• 1960 – First woman Lawyer, Naoma Stewart, joins the Firm.
• 1970 – Naoma Stewart named a partner.
• Early 1980s – Firm adopts 12 weeks paid maternity leave, plus 12 weeks unpaid leave.
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• 1982 – Owen Heggs is first Black lawyer elevated to the partnership (chaired the Minority Recruiting Task Force).
• 1987 – Elwood Lui becomes first Asian-American partner and first diverse partner to serve on Partnership Committee.
• 1987 – Dick Pogue creates the Minority Hiring Committee; Robert Duncan is inaugural chair, followed by Owen Heggs.
• 1987 – Yvonne Burke, first Black woman partner, joins Los Angeles Office.
• 1989 – Patricia Villareal named Firm's first Hispanic Partner
• 1993 – Sydney McDole is the first woman to serve on Advisory Committee and appointed to lead the New Lawyers Group.
• 1994 – Mary Ellen Powers is first woman appointed Firmwide Administrative Partner.
• 2000 – Jones Day welcomes 100^th female partner.
• 2001 – Jones Day extends domestic partner benefits to all lawyers and staff.
• 2002 – Barbara Mok named first woman Partner-in-Charge (Hong Kong) of a Jones Day office.
• 2003 – Mary Ellen Powers named Washington Office Partner-in-Charge.
• 2008 – Kevyn Orr is appointed Chair of Firmwide Diversity Committee, and Kevyn is instrumental in increasing the recruitment of diverse lawyers.
• 2009 – Jones Day is Founding Member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD).
• 2010 – Firmwide Diversity Coordinator hired.
• 2010 – Jones Day joins Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), a pipeline effort to increase the number of diverse lawyers joining the Firm. Eleven U.S. offices now participate, welcoming students the summer prior to law school. It is our most successful pipeline program, with 35% of SEOs becoming associates in the Firm.
• 2012 – The Firm sponsored Lambda Legal under the leadership of Curt Kirschner. The sponsorship continues to this day, in addition to the Firm's support of other LGBT organizations and pro bono matters.
• 2013 – Carter DeLorme appointed Chair of Firmwide Diversity Committee.
• 2014 – LGBT partners gather for the first time at the Firm's Partnership Retreat. Several people met and discussed a potential pro bono project, eventually leading to the production of the Guide to Same Sex Legal Relationships. This Firmwide project involved more than 80 lawyers documenting the same-sex marriage laws of every country and territory in the world.
• 2015 – Yvette McGee Brown appointed Partner-in-Charge, Diversity, Inclusion and Advancement.
• 2015 – Jones Day receives the first-ever Chambers Diversity Award for the Guide to Same Sex Legal Relationships, followed by the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Award.
• 2017 - LGBTQ+ established as the first Firmwide affinity group.
• 2017 – Jones Day hosts first Annual 1L Diversity Conference: Perspectives and Pathways.
• 2017 – Women in IP initiative launched.
• 2018 – Black Lawyers Affinity Group formed.
• 2019 – Hispanic Lawyers Affinity Group formed.
• 2019 – Jones Day celebrates the 100^th anniversary of women’s suffrage and the 100^th anniversary of the removal of disability in the United Kingdom, which allowed women to practice law. A Firmwide reception then-featured remarks from Yvette McGee Brown in Atlanta, Lizanne Thomas in New York, and Managing Partner Stephen J. Brogan in London.
• 2020 – Firm launched Constitutional Policing and Reform Taskforce, co-chaired by Kevyn Orr, Yvette McGee Brown, and Hon. Ann Claire Williams (ret.), providing legal support to police reform initiatives.
• 2021 – Kevyn Orr becomes Partner-in-Charge U.S. Offices.
• 2021 – Asian Lawyers Group formed.
• 2021 – South Asian Lawyers Group formed.