Our Vision for Diversity

Gibson Dunn believes that diversity and inclusion are more than a moral necessity—they are essential to our continued success as one of the leading law firms in the world. For more than two decades, the firm has been focused on building a workforce that reflects the communities in which we live and a culture that enables all to thrive. In the first half of this intentional process, we embarked on a journey of self-reflection, goal-setting, and strategic planning. The firm hired a Chief Diversity Officer to lead our diversity initiatives internally and a consultant to help move our efforts forward. With full support from firm management, Gibson Dunn established a strong infrastructure, expanding its diversity team and strengthening firmwide and local diversity committees and affinity groups.

In the second half of our journey, we witnessed an upward shift in the diversity of the firm, especially within leadership. In 2021, for the first time in its over 130-year history, the firm elected a woman Chair and Managing Partner. Barbara Becker, our former Global Diversity Committee Chair, is a fierce champion of diversity and inclusion. Her election is an important milestone in the firm’s history, and she is committed to ensuring that Gibson Dunn and its leadership reflects a diverse array of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.

All of this progress feels especially meaningful in light of the current DEI landscape in the United States. The firm is proud to have launched a DEI Task Force to help clients and non-profit organizations navigate this increasingly complex environment in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s SFFA v. Harvard affirmative action decision. The team draws on its experience in employment, appellate and Constitutional law, diversity and inclusion, securities and corporate governance, and government contracts to help our clients develop creative, practical and lawful approaches to accomplish their goals. In this moment, as there are many fights happening around organizations’ diversity and inclusion efforts, we are proud that Gibson Dunn continues to move the needle forward.

Gibson Dunn engages with its attorneys, staff, clients, and recruits through a range of programs designed to celebrate culture and heritage, foster a sense of inclusion and belonging and support recruiting and career development efforts, all while cultivating connection and community within and beyond the firm.

Every year, we host hundreds of diversity and inclusion programs; in 2023, we hosted more than 350 events across the firm. In addition, Gibson Dunn is proud to support 20 active firmwide affinity groups, which host programming and activities designed to facilitate a sense of community for our attorneys. Below is a list of our affinity groups:

• Asian American Affinity Group
• Asian American Womxn Affinity Group
• Black Affinity Group
• Black Women Affinity Group
• East Coast Women Partners
• First Generation Professionals Affinity Group
• Hispanic/Latino Affinity Group
• Jewish Affinity Group
• LGBTQ+ Affinity Group
• LGBTQ+ Women’s/Non-Binary Affinity Group
• LGBTQ+ Allies
• Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Affinity Group
• Muslim Affinity Group
• Parenting Affinity Group
• Real Estate Attorneys of Color
• Sabbath-Observant Affinity Group
• South Asian Affinity Group
• Veterans Affinity Group
• Women’s Affinity Group
• Women of Color Affinity Group

We also have local affinity groups in each of our U.S. offices and many of our international offices, including our Europe-Middle East-Asia (EMEA) Women’s Initiative. Gibson Dunn’s affinity groups and their events are open to all lawyers, regardless of background.

Beyond our work within the firm, we have also long championed diversity and inclusion efforts in the communities where we all live and work. For example, we were on the front lines in landmark court cases that helped to define marriage equality in the United States, including our work to overturn California’s Proposition 8. We have taken very public stances on a range of social justice issues, including condemnation of the rise in anti-Asian hate, anti-Semitic attacks and Islamophobia, and launched a Racial Justice & Equity Initiative, which formalized our ongoing engagement in litigation designed to advance racial justice and equity. We donate to several diverse causes and national organizations, including ChIPs, Corporate Counsel Women of Color, Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, Out Leadership, Women in Law Empowerment Forum, and many local bar associations.

We are particularly proud of our involvement with The Alliance for Asian American Justice, a national pro bono initiative committed to standing up for victims of anti-Asian hate and preventing future acts of racialized violence. The Alliance is co-chaired by Gibson Dunn partner, Debra Wong Yang, who also serves on The Alliance’s Board of Directors. Gibson Dunn is joined by a group of Fortune 1000 General Counsel and over 100 law firms in this important effort. The Alliance is coordinating and driving law firm pro bono resources on behalf of victims to assist and support them in obtaining legal remedies. Our engagement in this space is just one of many examples of how Gibson Dunn champions diversity and inclusion not only within our firm and industry but also in broader communities across the globe.