Proudly embracing our differences in continuing to build an inclusive and supportive culture and a stronger community. We believe that diverse experiences and perspectives are critical to Choate’s success, allowing us to deliver the absolute best for our clients and a culture in which every member of our community is valued and respected. We strive to embrace and celebrate our differences through innovative programs—inside the Firm and in partnership with our clients and communities—that help grow and broaden our population of attorneys and business professionals, and advance their careers. None of this is new at Choate. We have long taken a strategic approach to strengthening the fabric of our workforce and cultivating inclusivity. Decades ago, we developed our Shared Compact – a commitment among the Firm’s partners, lawyers, and business professionals to a culture of excellence, work ethic, integrity, teamwork, diversity, respect, feedback, and responsibility – that still binds us together today Recruitment Our recruiting programs are focused on a pipeline of talent from different backgrounds, life experiences and viewpoints, all of which improves our culture and our service to clients. Talent Development At every stage of the employee life cycle our goal is to develop high performing talent and build cohesive, collaborative teams. Due to our low leverage model and single office, lawyers and business professionals work closely with principals and partners, typically on smaller teams, so that everyone receives individualized and focused attention. By ensuring that those teams are comprised of diverse talent, we can protect against group think, resulting in better service and advice to clients. Mentorship All Choate employees, not just lawyers, have multiple opportunities to benefit from mentoring relationships. Those opportunities include firm-sponsored mentoring programs, summer associate apprenticeship programs, ERG-organized mentorship, and access to external networks. In addition, our model fosters informal mentoring relationships at all levels, through day-to-day close collaboration and apprenticeship. The goal of these efforts is to provide all attorneys and business professionals with guidance and sponsorship throughout their careers. Our Communities Maintaining a vibrant and just environment is important outside the Firm, too. We are committed to partnering with our clients and the communities where we live and work to advance inclusion and diversity in the legal profession and beyond. We support a number of national, regional and local organizations, including: Lawyers Clearinghouse, Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project (PAIR), Committee for Public Counsel Service (CPCS), Center for Women in Enterprise (CWE), New England Innocence Project (NEIP), and a as an original founding law firm sponsor of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice. Diversity and inclusion have always been part of our core values—it’s who we are. Choate has always been, and will continue to be, committed to promoting diversity of all kinds in our Firm and in the legal profession. This has been a core value since before many of our competitors existed. Here are a few snapshots of Choate over the years and our efforts, internally and externally, to challenge ourselves and others to build a more just and inclusive community. 1918: Founding partner Ralph Stewart, as Acting Commissioner of the American Red Cross Commission in Berne, Switzerland, was placed in charge of the repatriation of all of the American prisoners of war held in German POW camps. 1951: Choate was one of the first major Boston law firms to hire a woman lawyer. 1965, 1971: Choate was one of the first major Boston law firms to elect a LGBTQ+ lawyer and a woman lawyer as equity partners. 1968: At the request of Robert F. Kennedy, a Choate partner founded, and served as the first Chair of, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, which has played a pivotal role in combatting racial injustice throughout Massachusetts over the last 50 years. 1969: A Choate partner became the first General Counsel of METCO, America’s largest voluntary school integration program. 1986: Choate was a founding member law firm of the Boston Lawyers Group, which is devoted to the advancement and retention of attorneys of color in the Boston legal community. Choate lawyers have served as leaders in the professional community, including as presidents of the Black Lawyers Association of Massachusetts, Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts, Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association, Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys, Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, the Boston Bar Association, the Boston Bar Foundation, and as the first female president of the American College of Trial Lawyers. “Year after year, a top priority for the Firm is creating an environment where our clients and talent come first. It will always be core to Choate’s mission to foster a culture where client service, deep collaboration and inclusivity combine to provide a place where everyone is valued and respected. We recognize that a diversity of perspectives strengthens our Firm and benefits our clients.” Melissa Tearney, Litigation Department Co-Chair