Akin

At Akin, we believe the various perspectives and experiences of our lawyers and staff help us achieve exceptional results for our clients and bring important insights into all aspects of the firm.

Leadership Commitment

To demonstrate the highest levels of leadership commitment, we restructured our long-standing firmwide DEI Council, which is now led by our firm Chair and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, and includes some of the most senior partners of the firm to drive leadership engagement and accountability.

Firmwide Resource Groups

We have eleven firmwide resource groups (FRGs) - for women, working parents and caregivers, people with disabilities, first generation lawyers, veterans and those who identify as Black, Latinx, Asian, MENA, Native American/American Indian and/or LGBTQ+. These FRGs complement the firm’s efforts related to recruiting, professional development, and fostering inclusive workplaces. They are voluntary and open to all lawyers and staff.

Diversity Equity & Inclusion Councils

Akin has a firm-wide Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Council to guide the execution of the firm’s DEI strategy. Our firmwide DEI Council includes some of the most senior partners of the firm, including members of the management committee, practice group leaders, office partners in charge, and leaders of our FRGs and local DEI councils to drive leadership engagement and accountability.

We have local DEI councils in each U.S. office, London and our Asia offices. DEI councils offer lawyers and staff a chance to communicate ideas to firm management and to recommend additional initiatives to enhance diversity and inclusion at the firm.

Recruiting and the Diversity Pipeline

Akin recruits exceptional and diverse talent at all levels. Our summer and year-round programs provide law students and aspiring lawyers immersive work experiences, mentorship and networking to build a foundation for the future. We are particularly proud of our Akin /Robert S. Strauss Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship. Our signature two year program brings outstanding diverse law students to work at the firm and in-house with clients during their 1L and 2L summers, before they return to the firm as full-time associates. We also engage with law school student affinity groups, participate in diversity career fairs and collaborate with strategic external partners for lateral opportunities.

Family Friendly Policies

At Akin , we support lawyers through policies and programmes that enable them to effectively manage and integrate work, family, and other responsibilities. The firm has a Reduced Work Schedule Policy, which allows lawyers to work reduced schedules and remain on partnership track. In particular, we have a significant track record of promotions of women who have availed themselves of the policy.

We also have an Agile Work Programme that recognises that agile work arrangements play an important role in providing excellent client service at the highest levels while also providing flexibility for our lawyers. We know that many of our lawyers have caregiving responsibilities so the firm has also partnered with Bright Horizons to offer back up care to support our lawyers and staff who are parents and caregivers.

Pro bono

Our lawyers defend human rights by representing asylum seekers, victims of trafficking and the NGOs that assist them. Our pro bono matters include public interest litigation, legislative counselling, poverty law and transactions, in each of Akin's offices. The firm is also focused on leveraging our tremendous pro bono commitment to address injustice and pursue equality throughout our communities.