New York, NY – January 23, 2007 – LAWFUEL – US Law & Legal – The international law firm of Chadbourne & Parke LLP announced today that Rachel V. Simmonds-Watson has joined the Firm as its first Manager of Diversity Initiatives.
Chadbourne’s diversity program involves both recruiting a diverse workforce and supporting a diverse workplace environment. The Firm has, for example, signed the Association of the Bar of the City of New York’s 2003 Statement of Diversity Principles and taken part in the association’s Committee on the Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers’ Fellowship program, which places minority law school students in clerkships at participating firms. Workplace initiatives include networking meetings, sensitivity training and same-sex domestic partner benefits.
“Rachel is the ideal professional to fill this important role at Chadbourne,” said Managing Partner Charles K. O’Neill. “Her decade of experience in recruiting and diversity will help the Firm maintain momentum in achieving a diverse workplace.”
“Chabourne has actively supported a range of diversity programs for traditionally underrepresented groups,” added partner Anthony Roncalli, chair of Chadbourne’s Diversity Committee. “Rachel will bring a sharper focus to our efforts and enhance their impact.”
Ms. Simmonds-Watson joined Chadbourne from New York University’s School of Law, where she started in 1996. She most recently served as Assistant Director, Recruiting and Marketing, in the Office of Career Services. Among her responsibilities, Ms. Simmonds-Watson managed on- and off-campus recruitment programs for over 1,000 legal employers and 1,400 law students. She also worked with employers to establish measurements of progress for law firms’ recruiting practices and diversity initiatives.
Prior to joining New York University, Ms. Simmonds-Watson was Legal Recruitment Coordinator for Ropes & Gray in Boston and Recruitment Assistant for Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in New York. She holds a B.A. degree in international studies from New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, where she was a Founder’s Day Scholar.
About Chadbourne & Parke LLP
Chadbourne & Parke LLP, an international law firm headquartered in New York City, provides a full range of legal services, including mergers and acquisitions, securities, project finance, private funds, corporate finance, energy, communications and technology, commercial and products liability litigation, securities litigation and regulatory enforcement, special investigations and litigation, intellectual property, antitrust, domestic and international tax, insurance and reinsurance, environmental, real estate, bankruptcy and financial restructuring, employment law and ERISA, trusts and estates and government contract matters. Major geographical areas of concentration include Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS, and Latin America. The Firm has offices in New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Houston, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Warsaw (through a Polish partnership), Kyiv, Almaty, Tashkent, Beijing, and a multinational partnership, Chadbourne & Parke, in London. For additional information, visit www.chadbourne.com.
