Milbank’s active affinity groups, dedicated to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion at the firm, enjoyed a summer season full of activities in 2019. Milbank’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee also hosted a reception for the firm’s diverse summer associates – who comprise 42% of this year’s class of 67 summer associates in the US – at the home of partner Tawfiq Rangwala. Other highlights from the summer included:
The firm’s Attorneys of African Descent at Milbank (aADAM) affinity group hosted a screening of the critically acclaimed film “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” and a Q&A with filmmaker RaMell Ross and associate Binta Mamadou. Following the lives of two young men in Alabama, the documentary provides an intimate look at the experiences of black Americans in the Black Belt region of the Deep South.
In July, aADAM hosted “Women & Wisdom: A Fireside Chat,” with special guests Michelle Ifill-Jenkins, Founder of the Women of Excellence Network (WEN), and the Honorable LaShann DeArcy Hall, US District Judge for the Eastern District of New York. The group also hosted lunches, dinners and an annual getaway to Sag Harbor for a barbecue at the home of partner and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee member Errol Taylor.
The Asian Pacific Islander Network (APIN) welcomed summer associates, lawyers and staff to its annual celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, a pan-Asian street market style reception featuring popular foods and drinks from across the region. The group also hosted a movie night with a viewing of “The Farewell,” directed by Lulu Wang, and an “Iron Chef”-themed sushi showdown.
The Latinx Attorney Mentoring & Networking Organization (LaMano) hosted a reception for their summer associate members at City Vineyard at Pier 26. Summer associates faced off against associates and counsel over board games while enjoying waterfront views.
Milbank’s LGBTQ+ Affinity Group, Pride, went all out for the 50th anniversary of Pride Month, with a large reception at the firm’s Hudson Yards office attended by summer associates, lawyers, staff and pro bono partners from Immigration Equality and the LGBT Bar of NY. Attendees enjoyed rainbow cake, a special “Pride Punch,” and treats from queer-owned businesses Li-Lac Chocolates and Big Gay Ice Cream. Throughout the month, the Pride affinity group displayed a series of facts from LGBTQ+ history in the New York offices’ common areas. At Hudson Yards, an array of assorted colorful Pride flags hung from the ceiling near the in-house restaurant, each with its own history and meaning, including flags for transgender, lesbian, and nonbinary communities, among others.
All summer associates in New York, DC and LA attended a lunch presentation by the nonprofit advocacy group Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF)’s Executive Director Andy Marra, Staff Attorney Noah Lewis, and Program Manager AC Dumlao. The speakers discussed the struggle for basic human rights like health care and legal protections for transgender individuals, tracing the history of this civil rights movement to well before Stonewall. Milbank has partnered with TLDEF for years, regularly providing pro bono support for their Name Change Project.
Pride associates and summers in New York learned about LGBTQ+ art history up close with a tour of the “Art After Stonewall (1969-1989)” exhibit at the Leslie-Lohman Museum in SoHo. The group also hosted an “Out-of-Office” lunch with summer associate and attorney members.
In London, Milbank hosted a keynote presentation during Pride Week by Kris Phelps, of Stafford Long, who discussed the significance of Pride in 2019 and the role that straight allies can play in supporting LGBTQ+ equality. Milbankers from the London office also joined the Solicitors Regulation Authority on the group’s bus at London Pride.
The associate-led Women@Milbank group continued its longstanding tradition of hosting a Book Club with thoughtful, lively conversation. In June, the group discussed Unreasonable Doubts, with a Q&A featuring the novel’s author, former appellate attorney Reyna Marder. At a Trivia Night hosted by Women@Milbank, teams competed for prizes from women-owned businesses, fielding challenging questions covering women’s history, songs about (and by) women, and related themes.
DIGLA (Diversity & Inclusion Group Los Angeles), an LA-based group led by partner Karen Wong, hosted a spring roll making class at the District in Hollywood, taught by owner Hannah An.
