The Boston Business Journal selected WilmerHale to its 2013 "Leaders in Diversity" list, an annual program that honors companies and businesspeople for their leadership in diversity. This year, WilmerHale was the only law firm to earn a place in the category of "Workforce Diversity Initiative."

WilmerHale was selected for promoting inclusiveness and continuously practicing diversity through a firmwide program which focuses on four main areas: leadership commitment, culture, professional development, and recruiting and outreach.

As quoted by the Boston Business Journal, "having a diverse workplace, not only lawyers, but also staff, provides a more vibrant community and makes us better lawyers," said Wendell Taylor, a partner in the Boston office and co-chair of WilmerHale's Diversity Committee. "America is getting more diverse every day and so are our clients' needs. Diversity is a social imperative. It's also a business imperative."

WilmerHale's commitment to this initiative begins with leadership and extends out into the community to the next generation. The firm invites law students to events offering professional development and networking opportunities and also partners with urban youth groups to build awareness around the legal profession.

"Many youngsters of color aren't aware of the variety of career opportunities that are available to them," said Kenneth Imo, WilmerHale's director of diversity. "Part of our goal of improving diversity within the walls of our firm is to improve diversity within the legal profession generally. We accomplish this by giving youth early exposure and access to our lawyers. We also recognize our firm is comprised of a much broader group of people than just attorneys. There's marketing, IT, HR, many opportunities besides being a lawyer. To the extent that the younger generation-the pipeline-has early exposure to the legal profession and many others, that benefits society at large."

The firm is also recognized for its support of more than 90 local and national organizations that promote diversity including: the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the National Bar Association, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the Boston Lawyers Group.

Honorees gathered at an awards event on October 25 at the Omni Parker House in Boston.