I, Richard Trobman, personally commit to the following:

At Latham & Watkins, you belong as you are. We are on a mission to continue embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a distinguishing feature of our culture and promote DEI in every jurisdiction and area in which we practice. As Chair and Managing Partner of the firm, I commit to:

Personal Commitment

• Use my leadership role to demonstrate that advancing DEI is a top strategic priority for Latham.
• Continue embedding inclusion and belonging as defining features of our firm’s culture.
• Convey to all of our firm leaders, partners, and personnel that they are expected to actively support and advance the firm’s global DEI strategy, including through mentorship and sponsorship of underrepresented associates.
• Meet regularly with the Chairs of our Diversity Leadership and Women Enriching Business Committees, and our Chief Operating Officer, to ensure continuous support of the firm’s global DEI initiatives.
• Meet with underrepresented lawyers (associates, counsel and partners) to gain a deeper understanding of how the firm can better support their professional success.
• Meet regularly with clients, including those who are also Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) members, to identify partnership opportunities for us to advance DEI at our respective organizations.
• Support participation in outside DEI organizations, including LCLD, to work with other law firms and corporations to advance DEI in the legal profession.

Organizational Commitment

• Foster a fully inclusive workplace culture where colleagues can belong as they are.
• Reinforce firm policies and procedures to further advance our DEI goals, with a specific focus on hiring, staffing, feedback, and promotions.
• Continually assess the effectiveness of our DEI efforts and look for opportunities to improve.
• Invest in pipeline programs and other innovative programs to expand access to the legal profession among underrepresented high school and college students.
• Invest in targeted initiatives to increase the recruitment of underrepresented law students, including through our 1L and 2L Diversity Scholars Programs.
• Provide dedicated resources and budgets for our Diversity Leadership Committee, Women Enriching Business Committee, and lawyer and staff affinity groups.
• Support initiatives to increase the retention and promotion of underrepresented lawyers at Latham, including tailored professional development and mentorship programs like our Diversity Leadership and Women’s Leadership Academies.
• Institute and build on current initiatives to strengthen our culture of inclusion, belonging, and allyship, such as Allies@Latham and our Diversity and Racial Justice Speaker Series.
• Hold partners and counsel accountable by asking them to report their DEI contributions in their annual self-evaluation memos, which are reviewed as part of our annual compensation process.
• Sponsor regular training on DEI core competencies for supervisors and others in charge of making hiring, staffing and promotion decisions. Topics covered include inclusive leadership and promoting allyship.
• Ensure that quarterly aggregate demographic data is provided to our Executive Committee, Global Department Chairs, and Practice Group Leaders.
• Make external programs available to our underrepresented lawyers, including through the LCLD Fellows and Pathfinder Programs, to help enhance their leadership and business development skills.
• Partner with clients, law schools, and other external organizations to advance DEI in the legal profession more broadly.