Diversity and Inclusion: The Legal Administrator\'s Role

Diversity and Inclusion: The Administrator’s Role

Come Together

Rock Your Education2010 Regions 5 & 6 Conference & ExpoSan Diego, CA

Diversity

Means

Business

“Diversity is the mix.

Inclusion is making the mix work.™”

- Andres T. Tapia, Hewitt Associates

Diversity *is* - PERIOD.

THE BUSINESSCASE

Democracy.

Leadership.

The Right Thing to Do.

Good for Business.

The truth is

we must move beyond platitudes

to offer real business answers.

Maximizing Performance

Demographic Tsunami

Client Demand

Reducing Liability

THE ‘BUSINESS’BUSINESS CASE.

Employee Engagement

Collaboration

Innovation

Immigration

Globalization

?

Litigation avoidance

THE CALL TO ACTION

“Using the experience of those on the margin to rethink the whole...”

- Lani Guinier, California Law Review, 1996

Inclusion is about managing diversity. Inclusion is deliberate and requires action.

POLICIE

S

P

RACTICES

PEOPLE PRINCIPLES

KNOW YOUR

1.

PEOPLE

Who are your people?

Who is in the mix and what are their perspectives?

What is important to them?

What do they need to be successful in their work?

What tensions exist?

Fish & Richardson, P.C.

Bowman and Brooke LLP

Who are your people?

EEO-1 Report Categories (race, gender)

GLBT/Ability Status/Veteran Status/Others?

Assessments/Informal Surveys/Focus Groups/Interviews

Benchmarking Surveys

An Example:

Staff/Attorney Turnover Cost

PRINCIPLES:

2.

YOURS &

YOUR CLIENTS

WHAT DO THEY VALUE?

Merit?

Performance? Fairness?

Justice?

Excellence?

WHAT DO YOUR CLIENTS VALUE

Which of your clients communicate diversity as one of their principles?

How to find out:

Inventory this.

Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP

3.

POLICIES:

Connect People

& Principles

WHO “IS” DIVERSE

WHY YOU CARE

The DiversityPolicy

DEFINE WHAT DIVERSITY IS

HOW DOES IT TOUCH

RECRUITING ATTORNEYS/STAFF? CONTRACTOR/SUPPLIER DIVERSITY?

COMPENSATION MODELS BENEFITS/PERKS/401(K)

The Diversity Policy

How will you show your attorneys/staff they’re a vital part of your workforce?

How will you communicate your commitment?

How will you educate your workforce?

Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP

TREND WATCH

The Disability, Access, and Inclusion Policy

Disability-Aware Hiring Efforts

Better practices

The Diversity Policy

4.

PRACTICES:

Put Policy

Into Action

IDENTIFIES PRIORITIES & GOALS

STRATEGIES & ACTIONS

DEFINES OUTCOMES

The Diversity Action Plan Build a Strong Plan that

Caldwell Leslie & Proctor, PC

ASSIGNS RESPONSIBILITY TO INDIVIDUALS/PRACTICE GROUPS

IDENTIFIES HOW EACH ACTION WILL BE ASSESSED

SEE ALA DIVERSITY TOOLKIT FOR HELP!

The Diversity Action Plan Build a Strong Plan that

Theodora Oringher Miller & Richman PC

5.

LASTLY!

Establish an

Ongoing Program

INCENTIVISE DIVERSITY WORK

PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY

REPORT ON RESULTS

BUILD IN OVERSIGHT

FOUR WAYS TODRIVE RESULTS:

CHECKLISTS

“To help achieve our diversity goals, all attorneys are required to complete five to 10 diversity commitment action items from the firm’s award-winning Diversity Checklist as part of the annual evaluation and compensation process.”

OVERSIGHT

IN

CONCLUSION

Diversity is a journey, not a destination.

Monitor and review your program over twelve months, and adjust the plan as necessary.

Celebrate and communicate

gains. Praise progress.

Be Patient, be Persistent!

Resource 1. Diversity in the Legal Profession: Next Steps - ABAhttp://bit.ly/ABANextSteps

Encore - Resources

Resource 2. Sustaining Pathways to Diversity: Next Steps - MCCAhttp://bit.ly/MCCANextSteps

Resource 3. The Myth of Meritocracy - MCCAwww.mcca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewpage&pageid=614

Resource 4. California Critical Mass Study – Talent Advisory Bd.www.talentadvisoryboard.com/TAB_-_Fenwick_Critical_Mass_Report_-_Final.pdf

Resource 6. The ALA Diversity Toolkit - ALAhttp://alanet.org/diversity/Diversity_Toolkit.pdf

Encore - Resources

Resource 7. Diversity Best Practices Guide - NALPhttp://www.nalp.org/diversitybestpracticesguide

Resource 8. Shook Hardy Bacon Checklist - SHBhttp://www.pwc.com/us/en/law-firms/surveys/cultural-awareness-survey.jhtml

Resource 5. Diversity Self Assessment for Law Firms - MCCAwww.mcca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewpage&pageid=996

Rhonda GraysonManager of DiversityFish & Richardson, PC

Grayson@fr.com12390 El Camino RealSan Diego, CA 92130858.678.5642

Encore

Vic Maurer, ALA

vmaurer@alanet.org75 Tri-State International, Suite 222Lincolnshire, IL 60069-4435847.267.1252 TEL

847.267.1399 DIRECT

Encore

Photo & Other Credits

SLIDE SOURCES1 Photo

Dictionaryhttp://www.faqs.org/photo-dict/phrase/377/

microphone.html

3 Andrés T. Tapiahttp://inclusionparadox.com/

4 ABA Center…http://new.abanet.org/centers/diversity/Pages/

default.aspx

7 Call to Actionhttp://www.abanet.org/women/leadershipacademy/

2010/handouts/calltoaction.pdf

8 Lani Guinierhttp://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/guinier/racetalks/

future_aa01.htm

12 Revolving Doorhttp://www.designbuild-network.com/contractors/

joinery/dorma/dorma3.html

All photos in this presentation are the property of Vic Maurer & the Association of Legal Administrators except where noted below:

SLIDE SOURCES19 Sarah

Reinertsenhttp://www.doubleexposure.com/

PTI_Mantoani.shtml

25 SHB Checklisthttp://www.shb.com/diversity/

DivChecklist63009.pdf

26 “SnugglePup”http://www.flickr.com/photos/snugglepup/

3896643139/sizes/o/in/photostream/

28 “A Change”http://www.flickr.com/photos/

notsogoodphotography/3019100611/in/set-72157594587540517/lightbox/

31 FR Logohttp://www.fr.com/