Dickstein Shapiro maintains a deep commitment to fostering a diverse work environment in which racial and ethnic minorities, women, people with disabilities, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals work in an atmosphere of inclusion and respect. This not only enriches the quality of life for Dickstein Shapiro employees, but also enhances the exceptional service the firm provides its clients by ensuring that it has the broadest possible pool from which to draw for top talent. Dickstein Shapiro supports a variety of initiatives that embrace and build on the firm’s diversity. These initiatives include recruitment, retention, and mentoring programs geared toward the advancement of minority and women employees; a women’s leadership initiative; support for research projects focused on diversity in the legal industry; a diversity speakers series featuring respected community leaders; and scholarship opportunities for minority law students. 

Diversity Committee

The Diversity Committee at Dickstein Shapiro handles the development, implementation, and oversight of the firm’s diversity initiatives and proactive policies. Members of the committee come from a variety of backgrounds and professional roles, and include the firm Chairman, several partners, associates, and staff members. 

Women’s Leadership Initiative

Dickstein Shapiro is recognized as a leader in the legal profession with regard to women in the workplace. The firm focuses on attracting the most talented women attorneys and works hard to foster an environment that is consistently employee- and family-friendly. Dickstein Shapiro’s Chairman, Mike Nannes, received the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia’s 2006 “Star of the Bar” award for efforts that have made a difference in the professional lives of women attorneys by encouraging their advancement and retention. Further, the firm’s Diversity/Pro Bono Counsel and four of its five Chief Officers are women, as is the managing partner of its Los Angeles office. The women partners and leadership have actively advanced women’s issues in the legal marketplace through seminars, events, and media coverage. 

Diversity Scholarship

Dickstein Shapiro actively recruits qualified minority candidates who bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives to the firm. Each year, the firm is pleased to award the Dickstein Shapiro Diversity Scholarship to a second-year minority law student to defray the cost of law school tuition and related expenses.

Dickstein Shapiro’s participation in minority recruiting includes, but is not limited to, the Black Law Student Association Mid-Atlantic Job Fair, the Lavender Law Fair, and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s annual conferences and diversity dinners. The firm also supports the Scholarship Committee of the American Intellectual Property Law Education Foundation that provides scholarships for talented minority attorneys who are interested in intellectual property law.

The firm participates in pipeline projects with the goal of increasing the number of minorities and women in the legal profession. In New York, Dickstein Shapiro has been involved with Legal Outreach for approximately five years and the Martin Luther King, Jr. High School Institute for Justice Mentor Program for approximately nine years. In Washington, DC, the firm has been working with Street Law for at least eight years. Dickstein Shapiro also participates in various other local high school programs on an as requested basis. Examples include Flushing High School in Queens, New York; Teachers Prep High School in Brooklyn, New York; and other similar programs.

Dickstein Shapiro’s involvements in college-level pipeline programs that encourage college students to enter the legal profession and support their efforts to attend law school include the National Black Pre-Law Scholars Program and Just the Beginning Foundation in Washington, DC. 

Diversity Speaker Series

Education is an essential element of enhancing diversity at all levels of the firm. Since 2003, Dickstein Shapiro has hosted a series of presentations that feature high-profile community and business leaders who talk about their experiences and address provocative diversity issues. Some recent and past speakers include:

• John Lewis, Jr., Senior Managing Counsel-Litigation at the Coca-Cola Company;
• Ramona Romero, former National President, Hispanic National Bar Association, and Corporate Counsel at DuPont; 
• Alberto Gonzalez-Pita, Executive Vice-President and General Counsel of Tyson Foods;
• Dr. Benjamin Hooks, former Executive Director of the NAACP; 
• Julian Bond, Chairman of the Board of the NAACP; 
• Hilary Rosen, former Chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America; 
• Debra Lee, President and COO of Black Entertainment Television; and 
• Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services.

Awards & Honors

Dickstein Shapiro is a leader of diversity in the legal industry. The following rankings and awards reflect the firm’s steadfast commitment to its diversity efforts.

On Being a Black Lawyer’s Power 100. In 2013, Stacy Mobley was named to the Power 100, a list of the most influential black lawyers in the nation.

MultiCultural Law magazine’s Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity. In the 2012 edition of MultiCultural Law magazine, Dickstein Shapiro was named a “Top 100 Law Firm for Diversity” as well as a “Top 100 Law Firm for Women.”

Human Rights Campaign Foundation 2013 Corporate Equality Index. In November 2012, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation named Dickstein Shapiro among the best places to work in the United States for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) professionals. The firm received a Corporate Equality Index rating of 100 percent for the fifth time.

On Being a Black Lawyer’s Power 100. In 2012, Stacy Mobley was named to the Power 100, a list of the most influential black lawyers in the nation.

MultiCultural Law magazine’s Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity. In the 2011 edition of MultiCultural Law magazine, Dickstein Shapiro was named a “Top 100 Law Firm for Diversity” as well as a “Top 100 Law Firm for Women” and a “Top 50 Law Firm for Partners.”

Human Rights Campaign Foundation 2011 Corporate Equality Index. In October 2010, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation named Dickstein Shapiro among the best places to work in the United States for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) professionals. The firm received a Corporate Equality Index rating of 100 percent for the fourth consecutive year.

MultiCultural Law magazine’s Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity. In the 2010 edition of MultiCultural Law magazine, Dickstein Shapiro was named a “Top 100 Law Firm for Diversity” as well as a “Top 100 Law Firm for Women” and a “Top 25 Law Firm for Native Americans.”

The Project for Attorney Retention Flex Success Award. In October 2009, the Project for Attorney Retention (PAR), a national organization dedicated to advancing women lawyers and improving work-life balance for all lawyers, selected Partner Deborah Kelly and her longtime client, Anahaita Kotval, Managing Director and General Counsel of RBS Securities, as one of two partner-client teams to receive the 2009 PAR Flex Success Award. For 18 years, Ms. Kelly worked a reduced schedule while simultaneously building Dickstein Shapiro’s Employment Practice, which she continues to lead. Ms. Kelly has worked with Ms. Kotval for many years. The PAR Flex Success Award, the only award to recognize the crucial role clients play in making workplace flexibility a reality for lawyers in law firms, is an outgrowth of PAR’s Diversity and Flexibility Connection, an initiative in which general counsel and law firm leaders have explored the connection between work-life strategies and diversity objectives.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation 2010 Corporate Equality Index. In September 2009, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation named Dickstein Shapiro among the best places to work in the United States for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) professionals. The firm received a Corporate Equality Index rating of 100 percent for the third consecutive year.

Washington Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division Celebration of Diversity Award. In June 2009, Dickstein Shapiro received the Washington Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division inaugural Celebration of Diversity Award. This award is presented to a law firm that has demonstrated significant support for young minority lawyers and has made exceptional contributions to enhancing and supporting diversity within the legal community. The award recognizes contributions to diversity in many areas, such as recruitment programs, mentoring efforts, professional development programs, and community-building activities.

MultiCultural Law Magazine’s Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity. In the 2009 edition of MultiCultural Law Magazine, Dickstein Shapiro was named a “Top 100 Law Firm for Diversity” as well as a “Top 100 Law Firm for Women,” a “Top 50 Law Firm for Associates,” and a “Top 25 Law Firm for African-Americans.”

Vault’s “Best 20 Law Firms for Diversity.” Dickstein Shapiro was ranked number two on the list of “The Best 20 Law Firms for Diversity” in Vault’s Top 100 Law Firms 2009 guide. The rankings are based on diversity as it relates to minorities, women, and gays and lesbians. In addition, the firm was listed as the number two best law firm for women, the number three best law firm for minorities, and the number nine best law firm for gays and lesbians.

Profiles in Diversity Journal’s Women Worth Watching. In October 2008, Elaine Metlin was featured in Profiles in Diversity Journal’s annual “Women Worth Watching” issue. The issue recognized an elite group of women leaders from many industries who represent diversity within their spheres of influence, and who are determined and compassionate mentors.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation 2009 Corporate Equality Index. In September 2008, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation named Dickstein Shapiro among the best places to work in the United States for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) professionals. The firm received a Corporate Equality Index rating of 100 percent.

MultiCultural Law magazine’s Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity. In the 2008 edition of MultiCultural Law magazine, Dickstein Shapiro was named a “Top 100 Law Firm for Diversity” as well as a “Top 100 Law Firm for Women” and a “Top 50 Law Firm for Associates.”

Profiles in Diversity Journal’s “Women Worth Watching.” In October 2007, Deborah Kelly was featured in Profiles in Diversity Journal’s annual “Women Worth Watching” issue. The issue recognized an elite group of women leaders from many industries who represent diversity within their spheres of influence, and who are determined and compassionate mentors. Ms. Kelly was one of only two attorneys featured.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation 2008 Corporate Equality Index. In September 2007, Dickstein Shapiro was named one of the best places to work in the United States for equality with respect to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people, in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2008 Corporate Equality Index. The firm was one of only six Washington, DC-based businesses to score a 100 percent rating.

Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC 2007 “Best Law Firms for Women.” Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC recognized Dickstein Shapiro in August 2007 as one of the “Best Law Firms for Women.” This prestigious list honors 50 firms that have a demonstrated commitment to the retention and advancement of women in the legal industry.

Vault’s “Best 20 Law Firms for Diversity.” Dickstein Shapiro was ranked number one on the list of “The Best 20 Law Firms for Diversity” in Vault’s Top 100 Law Firms 2008 guide. The rankings are based on diversity as it relates to minorities, women, and gays and lesbians. In addition, the firm was listed as the number one best law firm for minorities, the number two best law firm for women, and the number six best law firm for gays and lesbians.

Women’s Bar Association “Star of the Bar.” In September 2006, Chairman Michael Nannes was honored with the “Star of the Bar” award by the Women’s Bar Association. The “Star of the Bar” award recognizes members of the Washington, DC legal community who have made a difference in the professional lives of women attorneys by encouraging their advancement and retention.

The American Lawyer’s “A-List.” Dickstein Shapiro was ranked the number ten law firm in the country by The American Lawyer in its 2006 “A-List,” which also ranked the firm as the top DC-based law firm. The American Lawyer cites the firm’s high-profile case wins, commitment to diversity and pro bono initiatives, and happy associates (Dickstein Shapiro had the highest associate satisfaction score nationwide) as the impetus behind Dickstein Shapiro’s prominent placement on the “A-List.”

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s “Thomas L. Sager Award.” In June 2006, Dickstein Shapiro was presented with the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s (MCCA) Thomas L. Sager Award for the Mid-Atlantic region, based on its significant accomplishments in and solid commitment to diversity. The MCCA honored Dickstein Shapiro as the top law firm in the Mid-Atlantic Region alongside three global corporations at its regional awards ceremony, and said the firm “is a living commitment to diversity in a way that all of us can learn from.” Dickstein Shapiro’s top-notch legal service combined with its philosophy to embrace diversity secured the firm’s place as one of the five most highly regarded law firms in the country.

Minority Law Journal’s “Diversity Scorecard.” The firm was ranked 32 out of 255 Firms listed in Minority Law Journal’s May 2006 Diversity Scorecard.

DuPont’s “Meeting the Challenge Award.” In 2004, Dickstein Shapiro was awarded the “Meeting the Challenge Award,” which recognized the firm for its sustained contributions to the DuPont Legal Model, with specific recognition for outstanding commitment to diversity in the legal profession.

Black Enterprise’s “Top Black Lawyers.” Three of Dickstein Shapiro’s minority partners were featured in Black Enterprise magazine’s list of 100 “Top Black Lawyers,” published in November 2003.

National Association of Women Lawyers “President’s Award.” Dickstein Shapiro was presented with the President’s Award at the 2002 Annual National Association of Women Lawyers Awards Luncheon in Washington, DC for its strong record of support for the advancement of women in law.