Our Culture

Core Values

• Our first duty and commitment is to each other.
• Each of us works for the common good of the firm and its clients. Our clients don’t belong to individual lawyers. The firm has clients, and we all serve them.
• We serve our clients as we would serve our families, with unconditional dedication.
• We seek and develop women and men of character who are first-rate professionals and passionate about being on our team. We value both gentle manners and hard work. We do not abide arrogance, dishonesty, or selfishness. We don’t employ jerks.
• We treat people with fairness and dignity. We value diversity and teamwork. The way up our ladder is open to everybody who shares our values and purpose.
• We guard our reputation because we know it is our most valuable asset. We are passionate about succeeding, but we play fair. We are unfailingly honest and confidential in all of our dealings. We treat everyone with the professionalism and civility that distinguishes us from mere advocates, even (and especially) when they don’t reciprocate.
• We are serious about our work, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We have lives outside the office. We teach each other. We help each other even when it’s inconvenient. We genuinely care about each other. We share the credit. We learn from our mistakes. And we laugh. A lot.
• We serve and give back to our communities. We handle our community service and pro bono work with the same degree of excellence that we devote to all of our work.
• We are stewards of a great law firm. We will come and go, and make our mark, and the firm will live on. We are duty-bound to ensure that the culture that has sustained and united our firm for more than 100 years endures even after we are all long gone.

Inclusion

At Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, we approach inclusion as a naturally integrated component of our culture that impacts every facet of our business – from recruitment to the workplace environment to development and advancement. We believe that our commitment to inclusiveness and mutual respect is best demonstrated by what we do.

As the firm continues to grow, we strive to cultivate an environment that always values our differences. We believe that inclusion and mutual respect are essential values that not only strengthen and enhance our firm culture but also contribute to our ability to more effectively serve a broad range of clients and provide the highest quality of service in a manner that exceeds client expectations. We believe that the best ideas come when lawyers and staff with diverse backgrounds and experiences embrace one another’s uniqueness and share their perspectives. We see our individual differences as assets that strengthen what we can accomplish as a firm.

Affinity Groups

Our affinity groups are an important component of the firm’s inclusion efforts. These groups are open to all attorneys and provide a platform to engage in meaningful dialogue, identify challenges and opportunities, provide constructive feedback to leadership, and to strengthen relationships across the firm.

Highlights

• Our commitment to inclusion starts at the top, guided by the vision and dedication of our CEO, Christopher Slaughter, with support from the Executive Committee
• Our Diversity & Inclusion Committee works to identify and remove barriers to the growth and development of our attorneys and includes members of the firm, as well as the firm’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Director of Human Resources, Director of Attorney Recruiting, and Director of Business Development
• We continually enhance and broaden our recruiting efforts for all levels of attorneys and professional support personnel by actively recruiting attorneys and staff members through numerous channels, including on-campus initiatives and job fairs. We ensure individuals’ opportunities for professional development and advancement within the firm are not limited because of sex, age, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, or any other category protected by law
• The firm developed a new parental leave policy in 2019, which includes unique benefits such as MilkStork and Mindful Return

Commitment to Sustainability

Our commitment to social responsibility integrates our environmental, social, and governance efforts into the policies and values governing our firm.

• At Steptoe & Johnson, we believe that we all play a role in shaping a more sustainable future for our clients, our team, our communities, and the environment.
• We demonstrate our commitment through our daily work, serving clients in industries that significantly impact the health, safety, and well-being of our communities.
• We support this commitment by emphasizing community involvement and providing pro bono legal services.
• Additionally, our firm governance and sustainability policies help us meet our responsibilities to those we serve.