—   Disability Pride Month   —

July 3, 2024

On the Need for Equity in America

Celebrating Disability Pride at the ABA: What Does “Disability Pride” Mean to You?

DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH   “Disability pride to me is about asserting my value and worth and loving myself, in a world that tells me that I should feel shame in my disabled body,” said Tiffany Yu, disability advocate and our Keynote Speaker at last month’s Annual LCLD Alumni Leadership Symposium. “It is a celebration of embracing our identities fully and reclaiming every part of my story, including the challenges and triumphs.”  American Bar Association

Slow But Steady: Law Firm Diversity Gains Continued in 2023

DIVERSE REPRESENTATION   After several years of above-average growth in the number of minority attorneys in Big Law, Am Law’s 2024 Diversity Scorecard indicates that the growth rate slowed in 2023.  The American Lawyer

The State of Latinas in Corporate America

DIVERSE LEADERSHIP   A new report by Lean In reveals that Latina women face the steepest climb to leadership and are the most underrepresented group in senior positions. Learn about the barriers Latina workers face and how organizations can make their success a priority.  Lean In

DEI Support & Strategy

How to Make Job Interviews More Accessible

DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH   Leaders aiming to cultivate a more equitable and inclusive workplace can begin by deepening their understanding of disability. “Once you broaden your understanding of disability and its implications, you realize it’s far more prevalent and complex than you thought,” says Katie Bach, an expert on job quality and corporate strategy. Harvard Business Review

DEI Backlash Won’t Halt Workplace Initiatives, Most Leaders Say

DEI SUPPORT   Across US corporations, 72 percent of leaders intend to increase their  DEI initiatives over the next two years, while only 4 percent plan to cut back or eliminate programs. “We see the demographic waves produced by the Millennials — who embrace inclusion and are now in management themselves — and Gen Z, which enters the workplace as the most diverse cohort in history, as strengthening the tidal forces propelling DEI,” says Ryan Whitacre, a partner at Bridge Partners.  HR Dive

Research: The Most Common DEI Practices Actually Undermine Diversity

DEI STRATEGY   An analysis of 16 management practices reveals that although diversity and harassment trainings are common, they fail to increase diversity. In contrast, formal mentoring programs and targeted recruitment effectively boost representation in leadership roles, but these strategies remain underutilized.  Harvard Business Review

Survey of Top Black Executives in Corporate America Reveals Current State of DEI

DEI STRATEGY   The Executive Leadership Council’s survey of top Black executives identified three key strategies for successful DEI efforts: treating DEI as a business driver, establishing clear measurement mechanisms, and maintaining unwavering support for DEI despite opposition.  The Executive Leadership Council

LCLD Leads on DEI

Yale Law Women+ Presents Its Top Firms Report of 2024

INCLUSIVE CULTURE   Jenner & Block, Sheppard Mullin, Ropes & Gray, Kramer Levin, and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe were honored in YLW+’s 19th Annual Top Firms Report, which highlights progress towards equity among Vault 100 law firms. The firms achieved the top spot in the following categories, respectively: Advancement, Agency & Flexibility, Compensation, Culture, and Diversity.  Yale Law Women+

The American Lawyer's 2024 Diversity Scorecard

DIVERSE REPRESENTATION   Am Law introduced two new categories to their annual diversity report—Women in Law Scorecard and LGBTQ+ Scorecard—in addition to the Minority Representation Scorecard. Among the top firms, LCLD Members comprise eight of the top 10 in Minority Representation, two of the top 10 in Women in Law, and all of the top 10 in LGBTQ+.  The American Lawyer 

Holland & Knight Partners Discuss Their Ascent to Leadership Roles and What It Took to Get There

DIVERSE LEADERSHIP   2012 Fellow Tiffani Lee and 2017 Fellow Kwamina Williford shared what hurdles they faced as Black women during their rise to senior partner roles and how support from other senior Black lawyers at Holland & Knight helped them grow.  ALM | Law.com

Leading for Tomorrow

A Conversation on GenAI’s Business Impact on Corporate Legal Departments

EDUCATION & TRAINING   Thomson Reuters’ Bill Josten offers insight into what corporate legal departments need to know about GenAI. “It’s important for GCs to understand that parts of the business are going to want to move forward with AI, whether the GC feels it’s right for the law department or not. They still have to be very in tune with what AI is capable of doing, because they need to advise the business on how to best handle it.”  Thomson Reuters

for LCLD Members & Diversity Professionals

JULY 10 @ 1:30 PM ET  |  LCLD Community  |  virtual

Language of Leadership with Hossein Nowbar

Join LCLD for a candid conversation with Hossein Nowbar, Chief Legal Officer at Microsoft.

In this installment of LCLD President Robert Grey’s webinar series, Robert and Hossein will discuss Hossein’s personal journey, inclusive leadership, tech regulation, and more.

JULY 25–26  |  LCLD Members  |  Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA

2024 Institute for the Modern Inclusive Leader

Registration is open for the 2024 Institute for the Modern Inclusive Leader (previously the LCLD Leadership Summit).

LCLD’s Managing Partner and General Counsel Members are invited to join us for this two-day event at Harvard Law School. During interactive sessions led by Harvard professors, we will explore what it means to lead inclusively and develop talent equitably in the face of disruptions like AI and a changing legal landscape.

Stay connected with us!