Back in June 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill to make Juneteenth an official federal holiday, marking the end of slavery in the United States. This federal recognition came after protests across the nation following the murder of George Floyd, prompting many Biglaw firms to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. Firms such as Skadden were among the first to declare Juneteenth a firm-wide holiday, granting employees time off to reflect on racial injustice in America.
Among those that have declared Juneteenth a holiday, either giving employees half or full days off, are:
- Akerman
- Akin Gump
- Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholar
- Baker Botts (half day)
- Baker Donelson
- Ballard Spahr
- Boies Schiller
- Cahill
- Clifford Chance
- Cooley
- Covington
- Davis & Gilbert
- Davis Wright Tremaine
- Debevoise
- Foley Hoag
- Dorsey & Whitney
- Faegre Drinker (half day)
- Freshfields
- Fried Frank
- Greenberg Traurig
- Griesing Law
- Haynes and Boone
- Jackson Lewis
- Kelley Drye
- Kirkland
- Kramer Levin
- Latham
- Littler
- Loeb & Loeb
- Mayer Brown
- McDermott
- Moore & Van Allen
- Morgan Lewis
- Morrison & Foerster
- Munger Tolles & Olson
- Norton Rose
- Ogletree
- Patterson Belknap
- Paul Weiss
- Perkins Coie
- Polsinelli
- Reed Smith
- Ropes & Gray
- Schulte
- Seyfarth
- Shearman
- Sheppard Mullins
- Sidley
- Simpson Thacher
- Stroock
- Sullivan & Cromwell
- Vinson & Elkins
- Weil (opt-in)
- White & Case
- Willkie
- Wilson Sonsini
- Winston & Strawn
The list goes on, with the question remaining about where the rest of the Am Law 100, Am Law 200, and elite boutiques stand on recognizing Juneteenth. Taking a break from legal work to commemorate this day and encouraging reflection on the legacy of slavery sends a significant signal from the top of the firm regarding the importance of these issues.
A poll asks: Has your law firm declared Juneteenth a paid firm holiday?
Please provide your input via the survey, or you can reach out by email, text at (646) 820-8477, or tweet at @atlblog.