SH&B partner and chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “It makes a huge diff erence. It lets everyone know we want you to get off the sidelines and into the game.” SH&B pioneered this law fi rm diversity initiative in
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SHOOK, HARDY AND BACON LLP, an international fi rm based in Kansas City, Mo., has emerged as a beacon of comparative success for law fi rms aspiring to aff ect substantive change in their diversity and inclusion attitudes and practice. T rough the implementation of an innovative, widely praised Diversity and Inclusion Checklist, among other initiatives, SH&B has embedded diversity and inclusion in the fi rm’s fabric. “Our partners get it. We talk about it often. We talk
about it in such a way that it doesn’t seem like a separate, extra thing. It’s just something we do,” says Koriambanya Carew, director of Strategic Diversity Initiatives (SDI) at SH&B. “I know of some fi rms that say they’re committed to diversity and they sponsor things outside the fi rm but don’t do internal initiatives. T ey don’t have a dialogue. T at’s something that sets us apart.” Over the past decade, SH&B has accumulated an array
of awards and accolades for its diversity and inclusion eff orts. T e fi rm currently surpasses national averages in nearly all categories concerning the retention and promo- tion of ethnic and racial minority and female attorneys and partners. SH&B attorneys, partners, and staff members laud the Diversity and Inclusion Checklist as an eff ective and fundamental mechanism in accomplishing inclusion advancements. Other fi rms and corporations across the nation have sought to replicate and emulate the concept, according to SH&B offi cials. “I’m an older white male so I’ll speak for that group. I
think [the checklist] has been a huge help. T e checklist off ers concrete examples of little things people can do to make every- one feel valued and part of the team,” says Jim Muehlberger,
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JULY/AUGUST 2013
2005. Currently comprised of over 80 action items, the checklist off ers task options ranging from reading diversity material to incorporating diverse attorneys into casework. In 2012, SH&B attorneys and partners were required to complete fi ve to 10 action items as part of their annual com- pensation and evaluation process. Tasks fall under fi ve categories: 1) Enhance SH&B’s
Diversity & Inclusion Eff orts and Market SH&B’s Diversity & Inclusion Successes; 2) Engage and Promote SH&B’s Attorneys; 3) Advance Diversity and Inclusion within the Legal Profession; 4) Recruit Diverse Talent; and 5) Experience Diversity. Over the years, the content and number of action items required to complete has varied. T e character of the checklist is constantly evolving. “It’s important in general that this thing cycles a bit, so
people aren’t getting bored with the same things each year and they are challenged to do new things. I think they’ve done a darn good job of that, honestly,” says Scott Airpoli, a sixth-year associate at SH&B, who specializes in busi- ness and commercial litigation. “[T e action items] run the gamut…everything from attending presentations to talking to people in the fi rm or out of the fi rm…reading articles and books related to diversity and inclusion. T ere’s something for everyone.” Initially, SH&B mandated only partners participate in
the exercise. Now, all attorneys from the fi rm’s 10 loca- tions throughout the United States and Europe complete the checklist. T e most commonly completed tasks of 2012: 1) Ask a
new and/or diverse attorney in or out of my practice group/ division about his/her career development plans and how I can help; 2) Discuss the business and cultural imperative for diversity with an SH&B attorney; 3) Recognize and reject all forms of intolerance. If I hear someone saying anything even remotely inappropriate, address it immediately. T e SH&B Diversity and Inclusion Committee con- sists of 30 attorneys and partners from all fi rm locations,
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