INNOVATOR AWARD
DUANE MORRIS LLP NOLAN ATKINSON
RECRUITMENT D 42
uane Morris LLP off ers innovative solutions to legal and business challenges
through a full-service law fi rm with more than 700
attorneys in offi ces in the United States and around the world. With its more than 100-year history, Duane Morris has renewed its commitment to diversity and inclusion. “Our fi rm leadership has invested at every level in our
diversity and inclusion eff orts and considers them to be a fundamental tenet of the fi rm,” says Nolan Atkinson, chief diversity offi cer and partner. “As part of that commitment, we have been able to integrate the mission of our Diversity and Inclusion Committee with our hiring processes and become more vigorous in our recruitment of diverse law students from the nation’s outstanding law schools.” Atkinson collaborates with the chair of the Recruitment
and Retention Committee, who also sits on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, in the interviewing and selec- tion process. T e Recruitment and Relations manager who oversees associate hiring is also the staff director for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “T is integrated struc- ture fosters a seamless and transparent fl ow of information to all stakeholders involved in the hiring of young attorneys of diverse backgrounds as well as associate retention issues,” Atkinson says. Less than two years ago, the Diversity Committee
formally changed its name to the Diversity & Inclusion Committee (D&IC) and added new programs. T e centerpiece of the diversity and inclusion eff orts
occur each year at the fi rm’s Diversity Retreat, the fl agship program that is open to diverse attorneys and fi rm leaders from a variety of backgrounds. In order to continue the momentum from the Diversity Retreat, the D&IC is tasked with documenting overriding themes into recommenda- tions for management. Each year the retreat focuses on a particular affi nity group. A direct result of the retreat was the formation of three
subcommittees focused on exploring ways to expand the fi rm’s inclusion program in three areas: business develop- ment, acquisition, and retention and overall inclusion. Duane Morris has also created an internal business
development initiative focused on providing its diverse attorneys opportunities to strategically market their services to potential clients who have publicized their interest and desire for a more diverse legal profession. T e program has successfully brought new business opportunities for the fi rm, as well as “on the ground” coaching skills.
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
PRUDENTIAL SUSAN BLOUNT
DIVERSE ATTORNEY SPOTIGHTING
B
uilding off of its long-term commit- ment to diversity, the Prudential Law
Department has initiated a new Spotlight Program for
diverse attorneys at majority-owned fi rms. T e Spotlight Program is a two-year pilot program that identifi es a class of diverse attorneys who are at career infl ection points, who have demonstrated a record of success at their current fi rms, and who show the potential to deliver lasting value to Prudential as outside counsel. T rough the Spotlight Program, the Prudential Law
Department will develop lasting relationships that will enhance the Spotlight attorneys’ profi les at their respective fi rms. Prudential will familiarize each Spotlight attorney with
its businesses and the legal issues faced. It requests that the relevant law fi rms assign the Spotlight attorneys to Prudential work that touches that attorney’s practice areas. Prudential also works to increase the Spotlight attorney’s exposure to the industry. All of this is part of an eff ort to develop the attorney as a “go-to” outside counsel resource and promote their advancement within their fi rm. Attorneys in the Spotlight Program were person-
ally selected by members of the senior management of Prudential’s Law Department. “We believe that diversity in our department and in
the legal profession as a whole is a critically important component of our long-term success in a rapidly changing demographic environment,” says Susan L. Blount, senior vice president & general counsel. “Diversity of thought and experience, properly applied, contributes to better insights and decision-making. We also believe, quite simply, that it is the right thing to do. And we are fi nding, as we pursue this mission, that it has energized our team and helped to position our department and our company as an employer of choice.” Other Prudential diversity initiatives include internal
mentoring and educational programs such as a lunchtime series highlighting “unknown heroes” associated with diverse groups. T e Outside Counsel Diversity Committee supports internal and multi-company commitments to drive work to minority- and women-owned law fi rms. In addition, Prudential’s Pipeline Committee manages
a large, well-established summer intern program for diverse students, as well as a diverse fellowship program for recent law school graduates.
MCCA.COM
2012 AWARD WINNERS
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