April 6, 2022

LCLD Diversity News Digest

Customized for LCLD Members and Diversity Professionals, this weekly digest brings the latest, most relevant headlines straight to your inbox each Wednesday. Scroll down for thought-provoking articles about LCLD organizations, diversity in the legal profession, leadership and talent development, and the society we live in and serve.

On the Need for Equity in America

2021 Study of Gender Diversity on Private Company Boards

A deep dive into the (dismal) status of board diversity at 500 private companies and how personal networks play a role in maintaining homogeneity.  Crunchbase

California Law Requiring Board Diversity Is Struck Down

California has led the U.S. in pushing companies to diversify their top ranks, but a lawsuit over mandatory quotas may entail setbacks in progress.  The New York Times

NFL Teams Must Hire Women or Racial Minorities in the 2022 Football Season

The NFL’s Rooney Rules has become a banner diversity initiative widely adopted in corporate settings—but the League’s leadership remains minimally diverse, with just seven Black general managers and 12 women in coaching positions in the 2021 season.  NPR

DEI Development

It’s Imperative We Engage—Or Reengage—White Men in DEI Efforts

Consider these questions, principles, and values when evaluating your role as an ally and advocate for underrepresented people—in your company and beyond.  Dallas Business Journal

How Reverse Mentoring Supports Your DEI Goals

Putting the power of mentoring directly in the hands of an underrepresented employee fosters a deeper sense of belonging, encourages new perspectives, and ultimately disrupts traditional power structures that create inequities.  Association for Talent Development

Do Your Global Teams See DEI as an American Issue?

“To move the needle further and faster, leaders need to address DEI with a diversified lens whose view includes narratives, discussions, and solutions that are representative of local contexts. If they don’t, global companies’ local teams will likely continue to have limited success with their ‘one-size-fits-all’ DEI efforts.”  Poornima Luthra for Harvard Business Review

LCLD Leads on DE&I

AlixPartners Hires CLO From Fannie Mae’s In-House Team

Maritza Okata, 2012 Fellow and veteran LCLD Alumni leader, is now CLO of AlixPartners consulting firm.  Corporate Counsel

LA Business Journal Honors 2022 Diversity, Equity + Inclusion Finalists

2011 Fellow Cyndie Chang of Duane Morris was named a Community Impact Advocate of the Year; LCLD Diversity Professional John Iino of Reed Smith was named an Executive of the Year; Bank of America, Northwestern Mutual, Akerman, Skadden, and DTO were named Companies of the Year; and Mitchell Silberberg was named Team of the Year.  Los Angeles Business Journal

These Big Law Firms Promote the Most Diverse Partners in South Florida

Akerman, Holland & Knight, and Shutts & Bowen are promoting partnership classes in 2022 that exceed national averages for law firm diversity.  Daily Business Review

Leading for Tomorrow

What It Took to Lead Clorox When COVID Had People Clamoring for Cleaning Products

Long-term growth may be every executive’s goal, but “the way you get there is through embracing diversity and fully leveraging it,” says Clorox CEO Linda Rendle, one of very few women in her position at a Fortune 500 company.  Fortune

How a Veteran GC Leads, Mentors

“You want to be someone folks want to engage early in projects because of your intellect, creativity, and approach, not because they were told to ‘run it by legal’ on the back end,” says Lea Ann King, Toyota Material Handling’s GC.  Corporate Counsel

Reimagining the Workplace

The Great Resignation Didn’t Start with the Pandemic

Breaking down the five primary factors at play in the Great Resignation and how to adapt accordingly for better employee retention and satisfaction.  Harvard Business Review

As Pandemic Ebbs, New Models for Legal Networking Emerge

On the evolving landscape of networking in the legal profession, from virtual to in-person and everything in between.  Corporate Counsel

Mark Nelson (T-Mobile USA, Inc.) and Madeleine McDonough (Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP) are the latest LCLD Members to publish their Leader Pledges.

As a reminder, LCLD Members must submit a Leader’s Pledge by June 1 to remain engaged with LCLD. The final Members-only Virtual Leadership Summit, hosted in partnership with Harvard Law School, will take place on April 19. Space is limited, so register here today! 

See the full list of LCLD Members who have made their commitments public here, and learn more about how you can join the movement here.

If you have questions about the Leaders at the Front initiative, please contact Caitlin Puffenberger, LCLD Member Programs and Communications Manager.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Members & Diversity Professionals

APR. 19   |    11–2 pm ET    ||   Members ONLY
LCLD Leadership Summit: Virtual
Space is limited, so register here today!

APR. 26   |    1 pm ET    ||   Members + LCLD community
Language of Leadership Series with Richard Verma (Mastercard)
Click here to view all scheduled Language of Leadership webinars.

APR. 27   |    2–3 pm ET    ||   Diversity Professionals
Diversity Professionals' Virtual Meeting: April 2022
Register here.

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