Facebook Awards Kilpatrick Townsend for Diversity Efforts

Facebook has tapped Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton for its first Law Firm Diversity Champion Award.

The award recognizes Kilpatrick Townsend’s dedication to diversity in its staffing of Facebook matters and its overall diversity program, according to a law firm press release and an article by the American Lawyer.

Facebook chose Kilpatrick Townsend after gathering diversity data from 40 of its largest spend law firms and developing a ranking system. Three runners-up were Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe; Morrison & Foerster; and Sidley Austin, according to the American Lawyer.

All four law firms will also partner with Facebook on three diversity initiatives, a Facebook spokesperson told the American Lawyer. One is a legal scholars program for incoming law students. A second is a summer associate program for diverse students who will collaborate with Facebook. A third is a leadership connections program for diverse midlevel and senior associates.

Facebook requires its legal matters to be staffed with at least 33% women and diverse attorneys and that those lawyers be given meaningful leadership opportunities. Facebook took into account firms’ level of compliance with those guidelines, as well as other law firm diversity programs.