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A&O Shearman's Austin office receives top ranking in 2024 diversity report

Published Date
Oct 23 2024
A&O Shearman’s Austin office led the 2023-2024 Austin Diversity Report Card with an “A” grade and the highest ranking of any law firm operating in the Texas capital. The report card analyzes firms' success in hiring, retaining, and promoting women, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ+ attorneys. According to the Report Card, nearly half of the A&O Shearman lawyers working from the Austin office are diverse.

“At A&O Shearman, we believe that a diverse and open workplace leads to better decision making for our clients and a better environment for our lawyers and staff,” said Austin managing partner Emily Westridge Black. “We are honored to receive the top diversity ranking among law firms operating in the city. Dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion is a core value of A&O Shearman. Many thanks to head of Texas Bill Nelson, Austin hiring partner Michelle Kwan, and manager of Texas legal recruiting Mary Price for bringing together this diverse team of excellent lawyers.”

The Austin Law Firm Diversity Report Card is the project of six locally-based attorney organizations: the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin, the Austin Black Lawyers Association, the Austin Asian American Bar Association, the South Asian Bar Association of Austin, the Austin Bar Association LGBTQ+ Law Section, and the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association.

The goal of the Law Firm Diversity Report Card is to provide a single set of data on the hiring, retention, and promotion of racial and ethnic minorities as well as women at major law firms in the city.