Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity Is in Our DNA^®

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP • A New York Limited Liability Partnership

One Battery Park Plaza • New York, New York 10004-1482 • +1 (212) 837-6000

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Fara Tabatabai Selected for Leadership Council on Legal Diversity's Fellows Program

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Hughes Hubbard has long held that diversity and inclusion make us stronger, more creative lawyers for our clients because we approach challenges from the variety of perspectives borne out of different life experiences.

The firm offers an uncompromising commitment to diversity and inclusion, with a strong policy to articulate it and a comprehensive program to implement it. We foster an inclusive work environment – one free of discrimination of any kind – where individuals can flourish and perform at the highest level. Our efforts focus on recruiting, retaining and promoting attorneys of diverse backgrounds. Our diverse attorneys are included in all aspects of firm growth: in developing new and existing client relationships, serving in leadership roles and participating in our mentoring programs. We are also involved in various pipeline initiatives to increase the diversity of the legal profession. These efforts include one-on-one mentoring by our lawyers that prepare exceptional college students from historically underrepresented populations to have success in college and the legal profession. We also partner with interested clients in further supporting these programs.

Hagit Muriel Elul Named a 2019 ‘Woman Worth Watching’

Hagit Muriel Elul, co-chair of the firm’s Arbitration practice group, has been recognized in the 2019 edition of “Women Worth Watching” by Profiles in Diversity Journal.

Hughes Hubbard Receives Gold Standard Certification from WILEF

Hughes Hubbard has been awarded the Gold Standard Certification by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) for the ninth consecutive year, one of only 11 firms nationally to have consistently achieved this recognition since the program's inception in 2011.

Fara Tabatabai Named to Crain's New York Business' 2020 List of "Notable Women in Law"

Fara Tabatabai was among 100 New Yorkers selected for inclusion in the annual list, which honors "dedicated, gifted and determined female lawyers" in the New York City metro area.

Diversity Q&A Series With Our Affinity Group Leaders

Hughes Hubbard's Diversity Committee, which helps the firm recruit, retain and promote attorneys of diverse backgrounds, is comprised of five affinity groups aligned by race, gender and sexual orientation. This series of Q&A articles introduces the leaders of those groups.

Hughes Hubbard and Partner Diane Lifton Awarded for Diversity Efforts

Hughes Hubbard and Diane Lifton, co-chair of the firm's Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, have been selected to receive Profiles in Diversity Journal's 11th Annual Diversity Leader Award.

Hughes Hubbard Ranked by Law360 as Among Best Firms for Minority Attorneys

Hughes Hubbard was recognized as among the best firms for minority attorneys in Law360's most recent Diversity Snapshot. The firm also made one of the biggest leaps up the rankings in The American Lawyer's Diversity Scorecard.

Committed Diversity and inclusion matters.

Leadership

We have strategically placed lawyers with varied backgrounds in positions of influence throughout the firm, including office and practice leaders.

Mentoring

We have developed both formal and informal mentoring for diverse associates as well as all associates at large. In the case of diverse associates we offer additional mentoring from members of the diversity committee and affinity groups.

Oversight

To maintain accountability, our Diversity Committee, comprised of partners, counsel, associates and staff, oversees our efforts, including mentoring, recruiting, retention, outreach and affinity groups.

Outreach

We actively recruit law students of diverse backgrounds and offer a select group the opportunity to participate in our summer program, where they can learn more about life at our firm and develop their career goals.

Support

Hughes Hubbard currently supports affinity groups for African-American lawyers, Asian lawyers, Hispanic lawyers, working mothers, LGBT lawyers and our women’s roundtable. The latter group offers firmwide video-conference sessions involving featured speakers and interactive workshops.

Principles

In keeping with our strong commitment to diversity, Hughes Hubbard is proud to be one of the initial signatories to The Association of the Bar of the City of New York's "Statement of Diversity Principles" and The New York County Lawyers' Association "Statement in Support of Diversity in the Legal Profession."

“When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free.” Charles Evans Hughes

Our firm's commitment to diversity can be traced back to our founder, Charles Evans Hughes, campaigning for women's suffrage in his near-victory over Woodrow Wilson in the 1916 presidential race. In 1942, we broke ranks with other Wall Street firms in hiring the first female associate at a time when most of those firms did not even interview women. In 1969, we named as partner Amalya Kearse, the first African-American female partner of any major New York firm. Kearse went on to become the second African-American to sit on the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. In 1999, Candace Beinecke became chair of Hughes Hubbard, making her the first woman to chair a major New York law firm.