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Diversity

Mission Statement

One of our most important priorities is to create an inclusive work place by hiring and promoting outstanding lawyers and professional staff from the world's diverse population. We welcome people from all races, religions, cultural backgrounds, national origins, ages, disabilities, genders, and sexual orientations.

Gordon & Rees is committed to offering a dynamic, challenging environment where our team members can develop their skills and careers. By continually advancing our commitment to diversity, we will ensure that Gordon & Rees will continue to be a firm of enthusiastic and talented people who provide the best possible legal services to our clients and communities.

We believe that bringing together a world of different perspectives and life experiences is fundamental to the success of our organization.

Supporting the Diversity Pipeline Continuum

Key pipeline initiative programs include hosting a legal profession career day, where minority middle school students come to Gordon & Rees's San Francisco office; hosting a diversity reception for second-year law students in several offices; and sponsoring a law student diversity forum in Denver titled "Diverse Perspectives On The Keys To Success."

Recognizing that there are multiple factors that contribute to supporting a diversity pipeline, Gordon & Rees also works with other groups such as the Minority Corporate Counsel to develop and support new projects aimed at increasing and retaining minorities in the legal profession.

The Gordon & Rees Diversity Continuum

• Gains in Diversity Scorecard: Gordon & Rees rapidly advanced to #25 in 2012 from #170 in 2005 in the annual "Diversity Scorecard" compiled by the Minority Law Journal. The firm ascended to top tier rankings based on higher-than-average percentages of both minority partners and minority lawyers overall. Gordon & Rees had 15.9% minority lawyers overall, compared to the national average of 10.8%. Gordon & Rees had 14.8% minority partners, compared to the national average of 6.3%.
  
  
• Partner Diversity: Gordon & Rees's diversity statistics were ranked #11 in Partner Diversity and #16 in Diversity for Women in the Fall 2012 issue of MultiCultural Law magazine.
  
  
• Diversity Leadership Award: Gordon & Rees received the "Diversity Leadership Award" from the Diversity in the Legal Profession Committee (DILP) of the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations.
  
  
• Law Firm Diversity Award: Gordon & Rees received the prestigious "Law Firm Diversity Award" from the Defense Research Institute, the nation's largest organization of defense trial lawyers and corporate counsel.
  
  
• Multicultural Award: Gordon & Rees has received two Multicultural Heritage Awards from the San Diego Business Journal and Wells Fargo, recognizing the firm's leadership in developing, fostering and promoting diversity in the workplace and the community.
  
  
• Top Women Litigators: A partner in our San Francisco office was selected as one of California's "Top 75 Women Litigators" by The Daily Journal.
  
  
• Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business: A partner in our San Francisco office has received two awards as one of the "Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business" from the San Francisco Business Times.
  
  
• Top 25 Most Diverse Law Firms and # 1 for Women Attorneys in South Florida: Gordon & Rees was ranked #18 in the "Top 25 Most Diverse Law Firms in South Florida" for 2011 published in the January 23, 2012 edition of the Daily Business Review, moving up seven spots from its 2010 ranking of #25. Gordon & Rees was ranked #1 in South Florida firms with the highest percentage of women attorneys.
  
  
• Attorneys in action: Gordon & Rees's attorneys hold leadership positions in many organizations. Cecily McLeod serves as co-chair of the World Affairs Council Young Leaders of Atlanta. Patricia Lee-Gulley was installed as 2012 President of the Orange County Women Lawyers Association and was responsible for the creation of the organization's Diversity Bar Stipend Award. Hazel Pangan is a member of the 2012 Board of Directors of Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego.
  
  
• Minority Outreach: Carol Copsey and Rachel Pusey participated as discussion group leaders in the Color of Justice program, an annual high school outreach event presented by the National Association of Women Judges that encourages young minority and women students to consider a career in law or the judiciary.
  
  
• Frequent Speakers: Attorneys of Gordon & Rees frequently present on the topic of diversity at conferences, seminars, and organization-hosted events. In 2012, attorneys have presented at DRI Diversity for Success Seminar, Conference Board's Corporate Diversity & Inclusion Conference, The George Mason 5th Annual University Workplace Diversity Practice and Research Conference, and 2012 Federal Diversity Summit.
  
  
• Top 15% of Law Firms: Gordon & Rees ranked in the top 15% of the largest U.S. law firms with the highest percentage of minority partners. (Minority Law Journal's 2008 Diversity Scorecard)
  
  
• Peak Performance: Gordon & Rees received a 2008 "Peak Performance" award from San Diego-based National University's Center for Organizational Excellence, recognizing organizations that have "the ability to sustain long-term performance that maximizes the potential of the individuals in the company as well as the overall organization."
  
  
• Law Student Diversity Programs: The San Diego, San Francisco, and Orange County offices hosted the fourth annual Diversity Reception for second year law students, and the Denver office sponsored a fourth annual law student diversity forum .
  
  
• Minority Corporate Counsel Association Scholarship: As part of the firm's Pipeline Initiative, Gordon & Rees co-sponsored, with Palm, Inc., a Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship ($30,000) to a student at UC Berkeley Law School.
  
  
• Minority Student LSAT Scholarships: As part of the firm's Pipeline Initiative, Gordon & Rees continued its grant of $2,000 stipends to two financially disadvantaged minority college students to defray the cost of LSAT preparation courses and law school application fees.
  
  
• Corporate Equality Index: Gordon & Rees scored 95 out of 100 in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index (2009, 2010, and 2011), identifying the organizations that maintain inclusive workplaces for lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender employees.
  
  

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Gordon & Rees
Diversity Brochure