What Biglaw Is Saying About The Unrest Sweeping The Nation
We now have 70+ statements from Biglaw on racial injustice. Will this pressure other firms to do something? We sure hope so.
Gunderson Dettmer:
As a follow up to yesterday’s email, the firm will match donations to the organizations listed below up to $250 per employee. If you make a contribution (or have made a contribution), please submit your receipt [redacted] and the firm will send a matching donation. We have heard from many of you in response to the message below and we encourage you to continue to share your thoughts and feedback as we focus on actions to further our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Not All Legal AI Is Created Equal
Sponsored
How To Build And Manage Your Law Firm Rate Sheet
Not All Legal AI Is Created Equal
Trust The Process: How To Build And Manage Workflows In Law Firms
A Law Firm Checklist For Successful Transaction Management
This matching program is in addition to the firm’s matching program for COVID-19 related donations. You may participate in both programs, both of which will run through June.
From: David T. Young
Sent: Monday, June 01, 2020 6:23 PM
To: #ALL HANDS
Cc: #Management Committee; #Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Subject: Gunderson Dettmer Stands in Solidarity Against Racism and Discrimination
From the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and many others to the unjustified and false police report against Christian Cooper, the violence and racially-charged events of the past few weeks have brought to the forefront deeply ingrained and long-standing prejudice in our country. As a firm and community, we openly condemn racism and discrimination of all forms and reaffirm our commitment to fostering a workplace that is diverse and inclusive and recognizes the importance and value of including and respecting people of all backgrounds and experiences.
This comes at a time when the pandemic has made routine activities of daily living difficult to maintain. But as challenging as shelter-in-place has been for all of us, it is important to recognize that those with brown skin must also live with the fear of being targeted, detained, assaulted or even killed when going about their daily lives, indignities which have existed long before the coronavirus took hold of our communities. That is a reality that cannot be ignored and these recent events are a powerful reminder that these grave topics must be addressed head-on. There is no doubt that many of us, our black colleagues in particular, are feeling overwhelmed, angry, fearful, anxious and exhausted and we would like you to know that we see and hear your concerns and pain.
Sponsored
A Law Firm Checklist For Successful Transaction Management
How Savvy Lawyers Build Their Law Firm Rate Sheet
These tragic events remind us that we must continue to listen and learn from one another in safe and respectful environments and support and encourage the genuine exchange of perspectives and the honest acceptance of individual identities and realities. We invite an open dialogue to address these issues.
Although the firm generally does not take a position on political issues, we view these events as a human issue, not a political issue. The firm will be making donations to Black Lives Matter and the Equal Justice Initiative to show our support with respect to these issues. But more importantly, we remain committed to advancing employee resources and programs to enhance the diversity and inclusiveness of our workplace and help us all identify and address our biases. We understand that these times can feel overwhelming and so we encourage you to check in with one another, offer compassion and communicate openly about the needs that our colleagues may have in taking care of themselves to cope with these recent tragedies.
The firm also continues to offer mental health resources through the firm’s EAP assistance program as well as Joyable, both of which can assist you during these challenging times. The Human Resources team is available to help and point you to other support and learning resources as well.
We stand in solidarity against racism and discrimination, whether structural or otherwise, and offer our care and support to all that have been affected by these events. We encourage you to reach out to firm-wide leadership, local office leadership, members of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee or the People of Color Affinity Group to discuss your feelings on any of these topics.
David T. Young,
Managing Partner, on behalf of the
Management Committee and with the
support of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee
