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Pillsbury Hires Director of Corporate Social Responsibility
One of the First US Firms to Create Such a Position
22-Oct-2007
New York—Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP today announced that Tania Shah has joined the firm as Director of Corporate Social Responsibility. Pillsbury is among the first large U.S. firms to create a position that will focus on all aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Shah’s arrival marks the launch of a formal CSR program for the firm.
By implementing the CSR program, Pillsbury will unite several programs—diversity and inclusion, sustainability, health and safety, pro bono, charitable giving and community outreach and involvement—under one umbrella. As Director of CSR, Shah will work with the partners who oversee each of these respective areas to provide both direction and support. She will also work closely with Pillsbury Chair Jim Rishwain and Chief Human Resources Officer Debbie Johnson to shape and develop the firmwide CSR program.
“Tania is extremely well respected in the legal marketplace, as well as among community and minority groups, and she brings with her a level of talent and enthusiasm that will help move Pillsbury forward on these critically important fronts,” said Rishwain. “By creating this position and having Tania join us to lead this effort, we recognize that our clients have rapidly growing CSR programs. While Pillsbury has a rich tradition of diversity, pro bono and corporate citizenship, we want to expand upon these and other elements of CSR as a reflection of our values and to best stay ahead of our client's evolving needs.”
Shah previously served as Executive Director of the California Minority Counsel Program (CMCP), a nonprofit entity that promotes diversity among California lawyers, where she was responsible for the group’s long-term viability, managing its membership, and leading its governing body. She also handled CMCP’s program development, public relations, communications and community outreach initiatives. During her CMCP tenure, membership in the organization increased 30 percent and attendance at CMCP-sponsored events tripled. Under Shah’s leadership, CMCP was recognized by numerous groups such as the State Bar of California, Minority Corporate Counsel Association and the National Black Law Student Association.
“Pillsbury has offered me an extraordinary opportunity—not only am I becoming part of a firm clearly devoted to social responsibility initiatives, but as the firm’s first-ever Director of CSR, I have the chance to be a part of firm history in helping to grow this new initiative,” said Shah. “While many Fortune 1000 companies have had CSR programs for a number of years, it’s a relatively new concept for U.S. law firms and part of their own ongoing evolution, as leading firms like Pillsbury grow larger and partnerships reap the benefits and responsibilities that come with operating a complex business.”
Shah holds a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law and completed a fellowship with the Stanford Graduate School of Business’ Center for Social Innovation in 2003. Based in Pillsbury’s San Francisco office, she will work with the lawyers and staff throughout the firm’s 14-office network.
Though Pillsbury’s new CSR program will unify all social responsibility initiatives, the firm has already achieved much in this area. For two years in a row, Pillsbury has been named to Working Mother’s 100 Best Companies, which celebrates those companies that are redesigning and improving workplace standards throughout the nation. Pillsbury also ranks seventh nationwide for diversity according to the 2008 Vault Guide to the Top Law Firms, and consistently earns a rating of 100% in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, which measures companies' treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees. The firm provides pro bono support and/or charitable assistance to more than 60 organizations, including the ABA Fund for Justice and Education, AIDS Legal Referral Panel, Children’s Law Center, Legal Community Against Violence, Legal Aid Society, International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution and the United Nations Foundation. The firm also focuses on pro bono efforts that have the potential for broad and lasting impact on society, such as donating more than 1200 hours to representing the City of New York in an innovative and proactive litigation that targets the illegal flow of guns into the city—it’s estimated that 60 percent of all murders in New York City are committed with illegal handguns.
About Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a dynamic full-service law firm with market-leading strengths in the energy, financial services, real estate and technology sectors. Our lawyers serve clients throughout the U.S. and internationally, including from key global financial centers such as New York, London, Tokyo and Shanghai. Industry-driven client teams and a multidisciplinary approach to crucial business issues of the day also ensure our clients receive thorough counsel on all aspects of a matter.
The 2008 Corporate Counsel survey of in-house counsel at Fortune 500 companies named Pillsbury a "Go-To Firm" in six practice areas—corporate transactions, international, IP, litigation, labor and employment and securities.
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