• Gender was perceived as more of a barrier to advancement than race/ethnicity.
• T e majority of respondents have not been identifi ed for succession planning. But high-talent in-house women of color want to be included in succession planning and groomed for leadership positions.
• Legal departments were viewed as fl at with little room for growth. Advancement opportunities are perceived to be outside the law department in a business unit within their current company.
• T e majority plan to stay with their current employer. 32
Practical Recommendations Barbara Johnson, partner at Paul Hastings, believes the report will have a signifi cant impact on the legal industry. “Unlike so many other surveys done by other organizations on issues related to diversity, this report goes further with specifi c recommendations that law fi rms, corporations, and law schools can implement. T is is defi nitely helpful. If you understand better what motivates people, you can do a better job of retaining them,” she says. Specifi c recommendations are outlined for each constitu-
ency. Corporations are urged to take constructive steps, such as: providing in-house women of color with high- level assignments, partnering with law fi rms to provide secondary opportunities to women of color at law fi rms, and identifying, grooming, and including high-talent women of color attorneys in succession planning. Law fi rms are advised to create individualized development plans for associates, to provide opportunities for contact with managing partners and executive teams, and to recruit senior-level executives from corporations to build a pipeline and presence at the partner and counsel levels. Law schools are urged to teach law students about the law fi rm business model, give seminars to women of color on proactive strate- gies to overcome barriers, and encourage them to participate in externships and pro bono assignments. T e assumption is that if law fi rms, corporations, and
law schools implement the recommendations, they will be better able to retain valuable women of color attorneys. Johnson is optimistic. “T ey’re [recommendations] practical in terms of their application,” she says. “And law fi rms are always looking for specifi c best practices that can be used.”
Partnerships and Pilot Programs A critical factor in furthering the report’s impact on the legal profession is the formation of partnerships between CCWC and corporations, law fi rms, and other legal orga- nizations. One such partnership is with the Association of
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JULY/AUGUST 2011
“ Our goal is to get different voices at the table to weigh in on what works and what can be implemented easily.” — MAJA HAZELL
continues. “We’re working together to synchronize the information into a template that law fi rms can use for their attorneys of color. Next we will work on the recommenda- tion to foster greater client contact.” Another goal is to partner with law fi rms and encourage
them to go to CCWC to fi nd women to hire as partners. “T ey can instantly have an expert with experience under their belt and the ability to be a role model to new associates at law fi rms,” Robinson explains. “Why wait for a ten-year associate to rise in the ranks? Bring someone in who’s already established.”
Potential for Change T e information revealed in the report has the potential to improve the landscape of the legal profession. Key factors have been identifi ed, recommendations have been laid out, and partnerships have been formed. It’s this combination that is essential to ensuring that women of color are not being marginalized or underutilized. “If we work together,” says Robinson, “it will happen.” D&B
Kara Mayer Robinson is a freelance writer based near New York City. For more information, or to order a copy of the report, visit
ccwomenofcolor.org.
MCCA.COM
Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP), an organization of more than 100 individual diversity offi cers at about 85 law fi rms. T e two organizations have created dual working groups to address and implement individual recommenda- tions. “Our goal is to get diff erent voices at the table to weigh in on what works and what can be implemented easily,” explains Maja Hazell, president of ALFDP. “T e fi rst recommendation we chose to focus on is creating individual professional development plans,” Hazell
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