Perseus is known as one of the first heroes of Greek mythology, whose exploits in defeating various monsters, such as Medusa, provided the founding myths of the Twelve Olympians.
Through that lens, Perseus and Medusa fit neatly within the simple binary label of heroes and monsters that give comfort to an audience that appreciates simplicity. But, with our eponymous firm, one must acknowledge the full story of Perseus and Medusa. How are heroes remembered? Perseus hunted Medusa on the orders of King Polydectes, going so far as to steal the eye of the Fates to reveal her location. He approached her cave, passing statues of others who had wanted her head, and killed her strategically with a mirror and sword in her sleep. In freeing the world of this monster, Perseus had everything to gain. But, how are monsters made? Medusa was once a beautiful woman worshiping in Athena’s temple when she was raped by Poseidon and then punished for his crime. Athena turned her hair to snakes and her gaze to stone. Medusa, exiled and forced to live in a cave with her new Gorgon sisters, lost everything and then lost her life.
In fact, although Medusa was responsible for killing many warriors by turning them into stone, these were hunters who sought her out in her cave to transform themselves into heroes. If we erase her past, however, we perpetuate the silencing of victims everywhere. And when we ignore the cruelty she faced, we ignore the plight of women across the globe. Indeed, what happened to Medusa in a metaphorical sense is what often happens to rape victims – they are blamed for what happened or they are shunned by society, or in some societies they are even abused and murdered.
As a result, Medusa iconography has become a feminist rallying cry. Perseus should serve as a cautionary tale to all of us that our work is not solely about being heroic; instead we must always stand in solidarity with victims and help them obtain justice and accountability.
Mission and Values
Our mission is to help our clients achieve breakthrough results addressing their toughest challenges, to have a positive impact on the world, and to build a great firm that attracts and develops extraordinary people.
We are a values-driven organization. This means we will adhere to the following values:
- Impact: We value performance and results. We set and hold ourselves accountable for high standards.
- Respect: We listen to and learn from our clients, their environment, and one another. We incorporate diverse perspectives into our work.
- Candor: Our work is grounded in learning the facts, assessing the ways to maximize impact, and speaking the truth to our clients as we advise them, even if it is sometimes difficult to deliver.
- Passion: While clients value results, our work is about much more than that. We only represent clients for whom we are committed to being a passionate advocate for their cause.
Approach
We pursue our mission through three sets of activities:
- Serving our clients as vigorous advocates on their behalf;
- Speaking, writing about, and promoting international human rights; and
- Providing pro bono (unpaid) support to those with compelling causes who cannot afford to pay for their services.