I, Brad Karp, personally commit to the following:

Personal Commitment:

• Advocacy:
• Publicly advocate for systemic changes that constructively, concretely and expeditiously advance diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) in our profession.
• Continue to co-chair our firm wide Inclusion Task Force focused on evolving our processes, policies and procedures by using an evidence-based approach to removing systemic barriers. The Task Force is the incubator for advancing our DEI strategy, including our recruiting, mentoring, professional and leadership development, evaluation and promotion of diverse attorneys.
• Use my leadership position to expand and deepen strategic partnerships across the private bar that promote DEI in the profession and in society.
• Grow our partnership with NYU Center for Race, Inequality and the Law Fellows, and strengthen Paul, Weiss’s financial and pro bono support for other racial justice organizations, including existing and new relationships with the public interest community.
• Expand our firm-wide efforts to advance impactful pro bono and community involvement, with a continued focus on racial justice and equality, and expand opportunities for our lawyers to become engaged in grassroots racial justice efforts.
• Continually articulate to my partners our firm’s DEI strategy and goals and convey the importance of their active participation.
• Talent Development:
  • Personally sponsor the career development of one diverse senior associate or counsel each year and require each member of the firm’s Management Committee to do the same.
  • Hold my department leaders accountable for a diverse slate of internal partnership candidates.
  • Host a LCLD Leadership Lunch and an annual lunch with our current and former LCLD Pathfinders.
    
    
• Awareness Building and Education:
• Continue to host regular Town Halls and dialogues to engage in transparent conversations across the firm about our different lived experiences.
• Continue to frequently consult with and collaborate with our diverse partners and our diverse associates, including regular meetings with each of our Networks, about their professional and business experiences and goals, so we can determine ways to advance the firm’s DEI strategy.   
• Pay particular attention to and build awareness regarding the experiences of our first generation colleagues.

Organizational Commitment:

• Pipeline Efforts:
  • Grow our partnerships with non-profit organizations focused on creating a larger pool of diverse talent. 
  • Broaden our relationships at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

• Talent Development:
• Under the guidance of the firm wide Inclusion Task Force, evolve our processes, policies and procedures by using an evidence-based approach to removing systemic barriers to advancing our DEI strategy and the overall associate experience for all attorneys.
• Continue to measure and evaluate diversity competencies through performance evaluations of all lawyers, including partners.
• Continue to count time spent mentoring, and being mentored, as legal non-billable hours, promoting the importance of relationship building both internally and externally.
• Require all partners to track diversity representation on their matters through our internally created matter management dashboard.
• Track the extent to which associates, particularly junior associates, use job shadowing hours for learning and training purposes and hold partners accountable for creating shadowing opportunities.

• Awareness Building and Education:
• Continue to deliver DEI curriculum and workshops to provide opportunities to engage in transparent dialogue across the firm about our different lived experiences.
• Continue to work with our Networks and our Inclusion and Professional Development & Training Departments to provide DEI learning opportunities, e.g., guest speakers, career chats, workshops, etc.

• Business and Client Development:
  • Partner with at least 5 clients every year to increase the leadership opportunities and participation of diverse attorneys on their matters.
  • Ensure that pitch teams mirror the diversity demographics of the appropriate department.
  • Leverage the relationships of our Networks in pursuit of increasing the diversity of our clients.
  • Ensure that client meetings explore client interest in DEI collaborations.