Debevoise & Plimpton first-year associate Justin Maffett was protesting racial injustice when he was arrested on the Upper East Side of Manhattan earlier this month and charged with a misdemeanor for breaking an 8 p.m. curfew.

When he came to Debevoise in 2019, he said, he was honest with partners about his commitment to economic and racial justice. “From day one, I wanted to create a safe space where I could integrate my passion for social justice with the job,” he said.