Our firm strives to provide a platform of excellence and inclusion for all of our employees. This is evidenced by not only our day-to-day conduct and culture, but also by our commitment to policies and initiatives that provide all attorneys, paraprofessionals, and staff with opportunities for participation and advancement, regardless of age, race, gender identity, physical ability, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, religion, or socioeconomic or family status. Examples of such policies and initiatives (many of which have been in place since we launched in 1997) include the following:
Firm Policies: Read More>
Initiatives to Promote a Culture of Inclusion and Awareness: Read More>
We are proud and pleased to say we have fostered a safe and nurturing environment, where success and advancement is available to all employees. We believe that these policies and initiatives have helped us to gather a diverse group of individuals at every level of our organization.
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The Managing Partner is female
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The co-chair of the Real Estate Department is female
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The chairs or co-chairs of our Leasing Practice Group, Corporate Real Estate Practice Group, Impact Real Estate Practice and NYC Real Estate Tax and Incentives Practice Group are either female, a member of a minority community or a member of the LGBTQ+ community (or a combination of the foregoing)
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Our administrative management team (which includes our CFO, COO, CTO, CPO, and our Director of Talent Acquisition & Professional Development) are either female or members of minority communities (or a combination of the foregoing)
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38% of our equity partners are female, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or members of minority communities (or some combination of the foregoing)
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38% of our partners and counsel are female, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or members of minority communities (or some combination of the foregoing)
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52% of our associates are female, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or members of minority communities (or some combination of the foregoing)
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61% of all employees are female, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or members of minority communities (or some combination of the foregoing)
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The relationship partners for many of the Firm’s largest clients are female, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or members of minority communities (or some combination of the foregoing)
We have a long history of promoting both attorneys and staff members, with many of our partners having started at the Firm as first-year associates and many of our administrative management team having started at the Firm as paralegals or assistants.
In addition, the Firm has an active Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, chaired by the Firm’s Chief People Officer, Neela Persaud (and of which both YuhTyng Patka and Danielle Ash are founding members), which liaises with affinity groups at the Firm, including (i) the women’s affinity group, (ii) the LGBTQIA affinity group, (iii) the AAPI affinity group, and (iv) the “For Us, By Us” group for attorneys and administrative staff who identify as Black, Hispanic or members of other minority communities. The DEI Committee also provides a variety of resources to Firm employees, including arranging for mandatory annual sensitivity, unconscious bias and anti-harassment trainings, organizing and hosting social gatherings centered on DEI topics, coordinating with outside organizations focused on improving diversity within the legal and real estate industries (e.g., Project REAP, Women in Housing and Finance, Lavender Law…etc.) and consulting with the Firm’s Recruiting Committee to ensure implementation of best practices in the Firm’s hiring procedures.
As our firm grows and we move into our 3rd decade, we will continue to strive to maintain an open, honest, and inclusive culture, brave enough to address and correct any mistakes, and strong enough to tackle difficult issues facing our community and society. Happily, all of our employees are strongly committed to our culture and way of doing business. We hedgehogs strive to look out for everyone!