Talent Strategy

At Caplin & Drysdale, we attribute our success to building and fostering an inclusive culture that celebrates different ideas, social identities, and experiences. That culture strengthens the quality of services we provide our clients. The Firm is committed to attracting and developing professionals from all backgrounds and for all members of our Firm to grow, thrive, and lead.

Our Talent Strategy Committee strengthens this commitment by creating programming that highlights the stories and experiences of all communities.

Outreach and Partnership

We are supporters and signatories of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (LFAA), Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), and other established and emerging organizations. We welcome future partnerships and collaboration with other organizations aligned with our principles and commitment to inclusion.

A History of Championing Inclusion

Caplin & Drysdale historically has fostered a culture of inclusivity. In 1949, Mortimer Caplin, one of our founders, successfully rallied the University of Virginia School of Law faculty to admit Gregory Swanson as its first Black student. Mr. Swanson’s case helped lay the foundation for Brown v. Board of Education.

In the 1980s, our attorneys were among some of the first openly gay lawyers in Washington, D.C. Over the past decades, women attorneys have assumed leadership positions at every level. Three women have been elected firm president with Ann McMillan mostly recently filling the role.

Inclusion is integral to our future. Caplin & Drysdale understands the investment needed to retain top-performing professionals, and strives to provide the mentorship, culture, and work-life balance these professionals deserve and require.

Caplin Swanson History

In the fall of 1949, while Mr. Caplin was a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, Gregory Swanson, a Black man who had recently graduated from Howard University, applied to the all-white southern law school. Having experienced discrimination on the basis of his faith, Mr. Caplin fiercely advocated for Mr. Swanson’s admission even though he knew speaking up was risky.

Mr. Caplin garnered the support of the entire law school faculty, which unanimously decided to offer Mr. Swanson admission to the law school even though the University’s Board of Visitors had directed that no Black student be admitted without its approval. When the Board of Visitors later rejected the decision of the law school faculty, Mr. Swanson filed a complaint against the university. In the end, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Mr. Swanson’s admission.

Mr. Swanson’s admission to the University of Virginia helped lay the foundation for Brown v. Board of Education. Over the next few years, Mr. Caplin organized efforts within the small southern community to circumvent the intense and massive resistance campaigns following the decisions of both Swanson v. Rector & Visitors of Univ. of Va. and Brown v. Board of Education. Mr. Caplin’s spouse, Ruth Sacks Caplin (who later became an accomplished screenwriter) helped organize makeshift classrooms in neighborhood homes to teach children in defiance of local authorities who closed public schools after Brown.

In 1961, while serving as Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Caplin offered Mr. Swanson a position as an IRS attorney. Mr. Swanson would work as an IRS attorney until his retirement in 1984. The University of Virginia School of Law created the Gregory H. Swanson Award in 2018 in honor of his legacy at the university.

Recent Events & Programs

• Caplin & Drysdale hosted a month-long exhibit by local Black artists in celebration of Black History Month. On Tuesday, February 25 the Firm welcomed the artists in for a short talk and happy hour. Please click here to read about the exhibit. 
• In celebration of Pride Month, the Firm walked in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 8, 2024.
• In celebration of Black History Month in 2024, a group visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Firm also hosted a cupcake party with cupcakes from a local Black-owned business My Cupcake Theory.
• For National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October 2023 our C&D Book Club read Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma. A group gathered on October 31, 2023 to discuss Haben's story and accessibility.
• In celebration of Pride Month, the Firm walked in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 10, 2023.
• In celebration of Black History Month, the Firm introduced three initiatives during the month of February 2023. Everyone received a copy of The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs. We hosted a Conservations with Caplin to discuss the book on International Women’s Day. Our kitchens were stock with items from Me and the Bees Lemonade, Symphony Potato Chips, Pipcorn Heirloom Snacks, and Partake Cookies. Lastly everyone received a box of delicious snacks produced by Black-owned businesses. The boxes were put together by POC BOX.
• Hosted a Lunar New Year celebration where the Firm gathered to eat traditional food and watch a Lion Dance performance.
• Celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with visit to Mexican Geniuses exhibit featuring Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and displayed works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera around the office.
• Hosted Conversations with Caplin event celebrating Pride Month. Member Trevor Potter and Paul Smith from the Campaign Legal Center spoke about their involvement in landmark gay rights cases and current threats to LGBTQIA+ rights.
• Hosted Conversations with Caplin event celebrating Black History Month. The event featured speaker Ivory Johnson, CFP®, ChFC who discussed the current wealth gap in the African American community, the root causes and potential solutions.
• Hosted Conversations with Caplin event celebrating Native American Heritage Month and Veterans Day where Professor William Meadows from Missouri State presented on American Indian Code Talkers during WWII.

Talent Strategy Committee Members