Inclusion
At Jones Day, you will see lawyers from diverse backgrounds leading client engagements, practice groups, and offices around the world. This reality reflects not only a long-standing Firm commitment to providing equal employment opportunities but, more profoundly, a recognition that a broad, diverse group of lawyers is important to our Firm culture and meets the needs of our clients in a diverse world. We share this commitment with our clients and undertake this responsibility with them.
We pursue hiring, retaining, and developing lawyers from historically underrepresented groups and backgrounds. This approach is not box-checking or something that we do in addition to our normal work. It is integral to all of it, from recruiting and hiring to staffing, mentoring, and advancing each lawyer. By mentoring and promoting women, people of all races and backgrounds, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities, we tap the unique strengths and experiences of very talented lawyers. In all circumstances, we make employment decisions based on the merits. We do not provide preferences based on race, gender or any other protected category. For more insights into Inclusion at Jones Day, listen to our "Perspectives and Pathways" podcast available below.
Our tools to support an inclusive and diverse environment are both general and specific, including Firmwide committees to implement our efforts in each office and practice, affinity groups, training and support for pipeline programs, and a Conference for first-year law students.
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One Firm Worldwide
- Singular Tradition of Client Service and Engagement with the Client
- Mutual Commitment of, and Seamless Collaboration by, a True Partnership
- Formidable Legal Talent Across Specialties and Jurisdictions
- Shared Professional Values Focused on Addressing Client Needs
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.
You have talent, ambition, and energy?
Good. Jones Day has opportunities.
Jones Day also has 40 offices on five continents, with lawyers able to advise and effectively represent clients on nearly any legal challenge confronting the modern, multinational corporation.
Established practice areas like Antitrust, M&A, and Tax, work seamlessly with newer practices like Cybersecurity, Health Care, and Energy. Just as important to you and your development, the Firm remains committed to its position as a thought leader in the legal services industry, eagerly meeting the challenge of properly interpreting and applying the law across new jurisdictions, as well as to emerging business processes and technologies, including blockchain, artificial intelligence, robotics, self-driving vehicles, and others.
Jones Day's global reach, wide range of practice areas, and focus on the most dynamic areas of the law can translate to tremendous opportunities for you, even early in your career. Often it just requires your asking to be part of a team involved in complex litigation, a major transaction, or a high-stakes regulatory matter.
Jones Day also presents opportunities to assist others. The Firm routinely devotes more than 100,000 lawyer hours annually to pro bono work. Your pro bono commitment could involve a very large, intricate matter, or the representation of a single individual in a local court or tribunal. Jones Day's head of pro bono work is based in Washington, and each of the Firm's offices has a designated partner in charge of pro bono.
A Culture of Collaboration
Partner Bethany Biesenthal explains how Jones Day's culture of collaboration and teamwork benefits both clients and the Firm's lawyers.
One Firm Worldwide
- Singular Tradition of Client Service and Engagement with the Client
- Mutual Commitment of, and Seamless Collaboration by, a True Partnership
- Formidable Legal Talent Across Specialties and Jurisdictions
- Shared Professional Values Focused on Addressing Client Needs
Our affinity programs are united by a COMMON THREAD of fostering inclusivity and building an environment where every individual feels valued and supported. The groups serve as a platform for employees to connect, share experiences, and celebrate diversity within our organization. The affinity program has the full backing and support of the Firm and membership is open to all.
To learn more, visit our Affinity Group pages: Asian Lawyers Affinity Group, Black Lawyers Affinity Group, Hispanic Lawyers Affinity Group, Jewish Cultural Affinity Group, LGBTQ+ Affinity Group, South Asian Affinity Group, and Women's Affinity Group.
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Download our diversity handout.
One Firm Worldwide
- Singular Tradition of Client Service and Engagement with the Client
- Mutual Commitment of, and Seamless Collaboration by, a True Partnership
- Formidable Legal Talent Across Specialties and Jurisdictions
- Shared Professional Values Focused on Addressing Client Needs
Perspectives and Pathways 1L Conference
Jones Day hosted our annual 1L Conference, on Friday & Saturday, April 4-5, 2025, in Atlanta
In what is rapidly becoming a popular and highly anticipated spring tradition, Jones Day's annual Perspectives and Pathways 1L Conference welcomed law students from across the United States for two days of presentations, networking, mentoring, and workshops focusing on practical career skills.
Held April 4 and 5, and at the Firm's Atlanta Office for the second consecutive year, Perspectives and Pathways welcomed 55 talented students from 35 of the nations’ premier law schools.
Yvette McGee Brown, Partner-in-Charge, Inclusion & Advancement, and Atlanta partner Joel May welcomed the attendees at a Friday evening reception. Saturday's full day of programming, which followed a presentation from the Firm’s Hiring Partner, Sharyl Reisman, included sessions and workshops on "Navigating Law Firm Life," "Writing Tips," "Effective Oral Communication," "Networking/Relationships," "Negotiations," "Clerkships," and "Pro Bono."
Also on Saturday, Stephanie B. Tillman, chief legal counsel, and Molly Steinhaus Brophy, associate general counsel, both representing Flower Foods, Inc., addressed the law students during a keynote lunch event.
"This year's attendees included a number of first-generation professionals, which is something very close to my heart," said Rasha Gerges Shields, a Los Angeles partner. "There are knowledge gaps that we can help fill for students who don't understand the importance of professional relationships, or haven't been exposed to the career development process.”
Information for Perspectives and Pathways 2026 will be released later this year.
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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.
- 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 100th 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 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage and the 100th 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.