In July 2019, Chul Pak, a partner in Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's antitrust and competition practice, was one of nine diverse attorneys included in a Law360 video feature titled “In Their Own Words: 9 Partners on Diversity at Work.” The videos feature the partners speaking candidly about instances in which their race, religion, or identity unexpectedly played a role in the course of their work.
Chul discussed an incident that occurred when he was a junior associate at a large, “white-shoe” New York City law firm. At the time, that firm had an internal messenger service that primarily employed Asian men. As Chul—the only Asian associate in his class—was walking down a hallway, a corner-office partner grabbed him and asked him to deliver something to the 52nd floor.
“I was shocked and floored,” Chul recalled. “Frankly, I didn’t know what to say … I did grab it, but that was a very shocking instance for me as a young attorney to see that my race and the way I looked really did stand out in this profession.”
All of the videos, including Chul’s, are available for viewing online at https://www.law360.com/articles/1174684/in-their-own-words-9-partners-on-diversity-at-work. Please note that a Law360 subscription is required to access the feature.