America is a melting pot in which demographics continue to change and become more diverse. As our country changes it is important for law firms to understand the culture in which they operate because it ultimately affects our bottom lines. By embracing different backgrounds that provide unique perspectives, we provide our clients with new and better business ideas and solutions. To do this, firms are launching diversity initiatives to hire and retain diverse lawyers and staff, and create educated and inclusive work environments.
Before creating a diversity initiative, a firm’s strategic plans need to include diversity as part of its overall vision for growth and development. Diversity initiatives are about more than just hiring diverse lawyers and staff. They include retention, professional development, promotion, mentoring, education, inclusiveness, and communication. For firms to have cultural competence they need to identify and promote desired behaviors, and have policies and structures in place that support their initiatives.
Diversity Plan
Firms whose strategic plans embrace diversity also need to have diversity plans to create road maps to guide their actions. To create diversity plans:
- Identify the goals of your diversity initiative. Are your goals to retain diverse hires, create diversity awareness and an inclusive and supportive environment?
- Gain support from firm leaders. Firm initiatives success is dependent commitment from senior leadership.
- Create a diversity committee.
- Assess your firm's culture and diversity needs.
- Draft you diversity plan including your action plan.
- Identify your metrics of success.Include staff too, when possible. All employees influence a firm’s culture.
Dedicated Resources
Law firms should allocate resources to implement and manage their diversity initiatives. These employees can also act as a resource for lawyers and staff for support and questions. Additionally they can support their business development team when answering diversity questions in business pitches and proposals.
Training Program
Training programs can include basic awareness and skills training to teach people how to think about diversity issues and how they fit into their professional responsibilities such as interviewing, evaluations, managing, and mentoring. Training programs can communicate the value your firm places on diversity and increase awareness of other cultures and backgrounds. They may offer optional opportunities such as lunches on diversity topics and speaker series.
Diversity Retreats
Diversity retreats offer lawyers the opportunity to share, network with firm leadership, and build relationships. With thought and planning, retreats show a firm’s commitment to promoting diversity and inclusiveness. Lawyers are able to build a community, learn, and discuss topics in smaller groups. Networking with lawyers across the firm also provides diverse lawyers business development and cross-selling opportunities.
Affinity Groups
Law firms may create affinity groups for people of similar backgrounds, affiliations, and cultures to support each other, have tailored educational training and resources, and educate their colleagues. Depending on the firm’s make-up, affinity groups may include women's, LGBTQ, Asian heritage, and Latin American heritage groups, among others.
Pipeline
Firms can help create a pipeline of potential diverse future lawyers by offering educational training opportunities, internships, fellowships, and scholarships to people of diverse backgrounds. By exposing and supporting children and young adults to the practice of law, who might otherwise not have the opportunity to be introduced and encouraged, firms are creating a future of diverse lawyers to better match the make-up of America's population, and are showing people new opportunities they might not otherwise have considered.
By Helena Lawrence, Business Development Manager at Proskauer, for the January/February 2015 issue of the Capital Ideas Newsletter.