Engagement and Development

Our commitment to Engagement & Development reflects the inherently global nature of our Firm. By investing in community-building, mentoring, coaching, and skill development, we foster collaboration across geographies, cultures, and professional roles. 

The Firm’s Engagement and Development function is led by Hedieh Fakhriyazdi, Chief Engagement and Development Officer who reports to the Firm’s Executive Committee. 

The Engagement & Development function consolidates several meaningful initiatives focused on our non-partner lawyers and business services professionals, ensuring they are coordinated, strategic, and accessible to all our people globally.

The Firm’s Engagement & Development programmes include:

• Continuing to foster community through our eight global affinity networks and other platforms open to everyone at White & Case; 
• Reimagining the Firm’s professional skills curriculum for lawyers and business services professionals;
• Deepening our offerings through the Firm’s Coaching Office and enhancing our mentoring initiatives;
• Expanding opportunities for associate and business services professional participation in committees and Firm-wide initiatives; and
• Developing actionable and measurable results, including implementation of recommendations from our Firm-wide engagement survey, “The People’s Voice”, and other ongoing pulse surveys; and much more.

Networks

An important part of our engagement work is the ongoing support of, and collaboration with, our Affinity Networks. Our Affinity Networks build connections and shared experiences and provide a supportive and strong global community.

Our eight global Affinity Networks are open to people of all backgrounds: 

• Asian Affinity Network
• Black Affinity Network
• Disability & Neurodiversity Affinity Network – Beyond Barriers
• Hispanic & Latinx Affinity Network – Alianza
• Jewish Affinity Network
• LGBTQ+ Affinity Network - Spectrum
• Middle Eastern and North African Affinity Network
• Women’s Affinity Network with 24 local chapters

Together, these groups serve as key resources for professional development, support, educational awareness and networking. The power of these networks is that they are grassroots organisations. Even more meaningful is the fact that each participant joins and participates in a network as a volunteer, not as a part of their former professional role within the Firm.