[Diversity, Equity & Inclusion]
For Pride 2022, Selendy Gay celebrated the diversity of our firm and community by hosting a party featuring Alex Newell.
The world didn’t need another law firm when we started ours in 2018; it needed a better one. We knew it was essential to balance plaintiff- and defense-side work, to represent top companies as well as the public interest, and to develop an unbiased approach to hiring, training, and promoting our exceptional attorneys.
For years, we’ve heard the same statistics that you probably have – about how less than a fifth of law firm partners are women; about women and men that enter law firms at the same rates, but are disproportionately male by the time partnership decisions are made; about the classic “bait-and-switch” of pitching a diverse team, but delivering a homogenous one.
We fully believe that clients want to hire diverse teams, but don’t want their choice to be perceived as a risk by a board or its shareholders.
Because it shouldn’t be a risk to do better.
Many law firms are dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Selendy Gay goes beyond simple dedication—we constantly strive to ensure that people of all backgrounds feel a sense of belonging to the community we’re creating together.
GENDER EQUITY
The gender diversity found at the highest ranks of our leadership is reflective of our values of meritocracy and inclusivity. At Selendy Gay, women and men share nearly equal parts of the firm’s equity. We’ve been recognized by Bloomberg Law, the Financial Times, Chambers and Partners, and Law360’s "Glass Ceiling Report" for our gender-balanced firm.
“We wanted to work someplace that looks like us. The world is diverse. Clients and jury pools are diverse. We recognized there was a real opportunity to reimagine how law firms work, and to bring about the best possible result we would need to draw from a diverse set of minds and experiences.” — Faith Gay
More than 30% of our partnership identifies as LGBTQ+, as do nearly 20% of our associates. We are fierce advocates of LGBTQ+ equality. For example, we successfully defended a ban enacted by New Jersey in 2013 on the practice of so-called “sexual orientation change efforts” or conversion therapies on minors by state-licensed professionals. We have won several awards for our LGBTQ+ diversity and advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. We represent the LGBTQ+ authors of And Tango Makes Three in their fight against book bans in Florida.
Standout
The Financial Times named Selendy Gay a “standout” in diversity and inclusion, praising our wide-ranging DEI initiatives, including "blind recruitment, allowing associates to opt in to work on cases and comprehensive training to help it achieve its aim to be diverse and inclusive."
Pride Month
Every year, in honor of Pride Month, Selendy Gay hosts clients, friends, and allies in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2024, the firm featured Marla Mindelle, who appeared as Celine Dion from the hit show, Titanique. In 2023, the firm featured a performance from Teal Wicks, who is known for her originating role of Lady in The Cher Show. Past years have included special guests such as Tony Award winner Alex Newell, whose career spans the hit show Glee, the Tony Award winning Once On This Island revival, and most recently, Shucked, a new musical comedy.
Top Flight
“Understanding that law firms are notoriously slow to change, the firm formed with the intention of shifting the law firm paradigm, by not only retaining top-flight women and men, but also training the next generation in a way that would also disrupt the long-standing obstacles that have suppressed the advancement, promotion and mentoring of women and diverse attorneys.” — David Flugman
