Novartis headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.Novartis Unveils D&I-Focused Panel of 22 Firms
The Swiss pharmaceutical company will withhold 15% of billed time if firms don't comply with its diversity and inclusion requirements.
February 13, 2020 at 04:25 AM
2 minute read
Novartis International has renewed its legal panel, with 22 firms making the cut on the new roster that has a particular focus on diversity and inclusion.
The Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company has reimagined the way it will collaborate with law firms with a new "preferred firms program" which puts firms making commitments to diversity an inclusion at an advantage.
The company said in a statement that firms on the new panel must commit to a minimum of 30% of billable associate time and 20% of partner time to be provided by females, ethnically diverse, and LGBTQ+ professionals.
It added that if a firm does not meet this requirement, the company will "withhold 15% of the total amount billed over the life of that specific matter."
A total of 22 firms made it to the company's renewed legal panel.
Shannon Thyme Klinger, group general counsel of Novartis, said in a statement: "We recognize that corporate legal departments have an incredibly important role to play in ensuring that the legal profession accelerates its efforts to make meaningful progress when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
"Building on our company's public pledge to achieve pay equity and transparency by 2023, [...] the third iteration of our preferred firm program prioritized in its selection process firms with a demonstrably strong commitment to D&I and who were willing to stand by this commitment from a financial perspective as to all Novartis matters."
The firms on the new roster include:
- Alston & Bird
- Arnold & Porter
- Bird & Bird
- Brinks Gilson & Lione
- Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
- Goodwin Procter
- Greenberg Traurig
- Hogan Lovells
- Kirkland & Ellis
- Latham & Watkins
- Linklaters
- Mayer Brown
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
- Morrison & Foerster
- Munger, Tolles & Olson
- O'Melveny & Myers
- Sullivan & Cromwell
- Troutman Sanders
- Williams & Connolly
- Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
- Womble Bond Dickinson
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Bird & Bird Steers Katjes in Bittersweet Dispute with Lindt & Nestlé Over Vegan Chocolate Patent
Hong Kong Bourse Seeks Feedback on IPO Price Discovery, Takes Steps to Boost Capital Markets Activity
Big Four Japanese Firm Mori Hamada Launches Foreign Joint Law Enterprise, Joins Rebrand Drive
US Wins Trade Dispute with Mexico Over Genetically Modified Corn
Law Firms Mentioned
- Mayer Brown
- Wombel Bond Dickinson
- Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
- Greenberg Traurig
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
- Kirkland & Ellis
- Goodwin Procter
- Hogan Lovells
- Troutman Sanders
- Munger, Tolles & Olson
- Linklaters
- Latham & Watkins
- Brinks Hofer Gilson
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
- Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Trending Stories
- 1Revisiting the Boundaries Between Proper and Improper Argument: 10 Years Later
- 2Hochul Vetoes 'Grieving Families' Bill, Faulting a Lack of Changes to Suit Her Concerns
- 3Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Customers: Developments on ‘Conquesting’ from the Ninth Circuit
- 4Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates, including two convicted of California murders
- 5Avoiding Franchisor Failures: Be Cautious and Do Your Research
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
