Minority Law Journal (MLJ) ranked Gordon & Rees number 93 in its annual survey of minority hiring at the nation's biggest firms. The MLJ's Diversity Scorecard lists 240 of the National Law Journal's 250 largest law firms in developing its survey to gauge minority hiring efforts.

Gordon & Rees's placement is significant, jumping from 170 in 2005 to 93 in 2006. According to Minority Law Journal, "Gordon & Rees was the biggest gainer [out of all NLJ 250 law firms]. Two years ago, only 2.9 percent of the lawyers at the San Francisco-based litigation firm were attorneys of color. . . Now 11.1 percent of Gordon & Rees attorneys are members of a minority group."

Gordon & Rees has many reasons for its success, Gordon & Rees' management committee firmly supports diversity and the creation of a more diverse workforce. As stated in the Minority Law Journal:

About three years ago, at Gordon & Rees, then-managing partner Michael Lucey asked Jack McCowan, Jr., a senior litigation partner, to be the chair of the firm's existing diversity committee. Mr. McCowan was surprised being that he was a middle-aged lawyer with a Scots-Irish background. But that was the point. Mr. Lucey said that Mr. McCowan was the perfect type because if the people at the firm saw that an Anglo-Saxon middle-aged lawyer is interested in doing this, it's not just an agenda of a few minority lawyers - it's the agenda of the firm.

Gordon & Rees hosts an annual roundtable discussion to encourage the community and other law firms about the importance of diversity in the legal field. Gordon & Rees has scheduled its next roundtable for early 2007 and will discuss the importance of filling the pipeline and helping more underprivileged and diverse students enter law school.