In November 2019, the AsianAttorneys@Weil Affinity Group gathered in Brooklyn, New York for a day and a half of networking, community building, and professional development. Conference highlights included:

• Alumni networking reception at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
• Fireside chat with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Sheryl WuDunn
• Executive Presence and Communications Skills Workshop with Cara Hale Alter
• Business Development Workshop with Management Committee Sponsor Gary Holtzer
• Career Paths Panel with Weil alumni from Credit Suisse, Synchrony, Hudson’s Bay Company, Culturupt and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office

In May 2020, the Firm hosted Jerry Vattamala, Director of the Democracy Program at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, who spoke about COVID-19’s impact on the Asian community from anti-Asian sentiment to election protection efforts and Census 2020 and the effects of redistricting. In 2019, Weil hosted Sam Mihara, a second-generation Japanese-American and one of the few survivors of the Japanese-American imprisonment who is open to speak about this experience. Prior APAHM programs included a professional networking reception in 2017 featuring a private exhibit viewing at the DAG Modern Gallery and inspiring remarks from Larry Tu, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of CBS Corp with Weil partner Charan Sandhu. In 2016, the Firm co-sponsored an event with Morgan Stanley at The Rubin Museum of Art featuring a panel on representations of Asian-Americans in pop culture and media.

In July 2016 and 2017, the Firm hosted Federal Judge panels with alumni of color for US summer associates featuring Judge Vernon Broderick, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge George Hazel, U.S. District Court of the District of Maryland, and Chief Judge Brenda Rhoades, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

AAW members attend pan-affinity events such as the Crazy Rich Asians movie screening. In the past, Weil held a dinner in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month featuring a conversation with Weil Alumni Vanessa Chandis and Erick Flores of NBCUniversal and AAW members attended a WeilLatinx hosted intimate dinner for associates of color with Weil alumni Andrea Saavedra, Vice President at Goldman Sachs and Ray Mercedes, Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel - Chief of Staff at Univision Communications, Inc. In fall 2019, AAW hosted an intimate dinner for female clients in Silicon Valley.

The AsianAttorneys@Weil group celebrate key holidays such as Diwali, Eid, Lunar New Year, and Vaiskhi

• As part of the group’s efforts to celebrate a range of important holidays, Weil Partner, Charan Sandhu hosted a Vaisakhi celebration luncheon in April 2019.
• Weil is an active member of MUBANY, the Muslim Bar Association of New York, sponsoring a table each year at the MUBANY Annual Gala and has held the organization’s Annual General Meeting and Iftar Dinner hosted by Weil Partner Faiza Rahman.
• Weil annually hosts a Lunar New Year networking celebration such as a cooking demonstration at Morimoto, a client reception with spoken word poet, Kelly Tsai, a private exhibit viewing at the Museum of Chinese in America, and a group dinner at Philippe.

In 2017 the Silicon Valley Office hosted, “Memories from Heart Mountain: A personal account of Japanese-American imprisonment during World War II” with Sam Mihara, a second-generation Japanese-American whose family was forced to move to a remote prison camp in northern Wyoming when the U.S. war with Japan started in the early 1940s. Sam is one of the few survivors of the Japanese-American imprisonment who is willing to speak about his experiences.

Weil requires all attorneys and administrative staff across the U.S. to complete a two hour Annual Mandatory Diversity Training modeled on the ethics CLE requirement. Recent topics include:

Interactive theater on unconscious bias by Steps Drama

• Implicit bias training by the Perception Institute, which fulfilled the New York and California Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias CLE requirements.
• “Talking Boldly About Race: Being an Upstander in a Time of Cultural Unrest” in the workplace led by Vernā Myers.

Weil’s biennial Diversity Month took place in November 2019, with events held across Weil’s U.S. and international offices on the theme From Bystanders to Upstanders: Together We Can Make a Difference.

Weil hosted or participated in over 65+ targeted diversity recruiting events in 2019. The U.S. 2020 summer class was 40 percent law students of color, with 31 summer associates in that class identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander.

Weil has granted 53 Diversity Fellowships of $10,000 each in scholarship awards to first and second-year law students since 2011.

2019 summer associate events hosted by AAW included an informal welcome with treats from Bibble and Sip Bakery Café, a dinner with the Asian American Legal Defense Fund (AALDEF) and a reception at Sanctuary T.

The Folks party is a Weil tradition dating back to 1987 and is still held annually, bringing together alumni, summer associates, and Weil attorneys of color at a partner’s home.

Weil sponsors the Asian American Bar Association of New York, the Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund, the Center for Talent Innovation, Council of Urban Professionals, the Corporate Counsel Women of Color Conference, the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, South Asian Bar Association of North America, the Muslim Bar Association of New York, and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

Weil sponsored the South Asian Bar Association of North America’s 2018 Convention on June 28-July 1. Charan Sandhu, partner in Weil’s Technology & IP Transactions practice group, served as this year’s NASABA Convention Co-Chair

Weil has been a longtime supporter of PALS (Practicing Attorneys for Law Students), a nonprofit organization committed to minority attorneys and law students, including sponsoring and hosting mock interview and 1L exam writing workshops.

The Firm sponsors and actively participates in internship opportunities such as the Dallas Judicial Intern Opportunity Program, the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity Program (SEO) and Summer Search. Weil's New York Office has provided nearly 100 summer internships to high school and college students from community based organizations since 2013.