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If not enough diverse folks are showing
up on top clients and high value work even
though the firm is actively making the effort
to distribute those assignments, it's time to
look at required skill sets and where there
might be a mismatch. The two most probable
answers are that (1) the firm hasn't attracted
those people, or (2) diverse lawyers haven't
been given the matters or training. The
former requires reexamining recruiting
strategies (this Legal Evolution post provides
some good background).
The inclusion issue can be addressed
by bringing data directly to client leads
and showing them that they have, say 1%
of top client work being done by diverse
lawyers. Again, with quick access to data,
firms can show which diverse lawyers
are getting the right work and analyze
activities and characteristics to map a path
to success for future hires regardless of
diversity. A development plan might include
training that happens on the firm's dime,
or strategically providing the right billable
work that will incrementally supplement the
needed experience.
Firms also need to be looking for
negative as well as positive signals. For
example, a recent gender balance study by
Acritas
2
found that mentoring programs
dedicated to preparation for partnership
that lacked structure and training correlated
with lower promotion of women. Another
surprising finding was that all female
networks also had a negative correlation
with gender diversity in senior roles.
Without rigorous metrics for baselines and
tracking, well-meaning programs can cause
unintentional harm. Bringing data to bear,
programs can be assessed and optimized
over time to improve results.
Data Points the Way to the Future
Law firms have many options when it comes
to pushing the boundaries for diversity and
inclusion programs. To succeed they require
a long-term plan with built-in tracking and
measurement. Using a firms intelligence
platform, firms can look across data sets to
measure results and report out on impacts
programs have made. Finally, resist the urge
to sugarcoat the findings, as knowing what
does not work is as important as knowing
what does. ILTA
1
Vijay Eswaran, Executive Chairman, QI Group of Companies, 'The business case for diversity in the workplace is now
overwhelming', World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/business-case-for-diversity-in-the-
workplace/
2
Transforming Womens Leadership, Legal Executive Institute, 'Gender Balance in Pitch and Matter Teams Lead to the Greatest
Progress in Gender Diversity, TWLL UK/Acritas Research Finds, Thomson Reuters, http://www.legalexecutiveinstitute.com/
gender-balance-twll-uk-acritas-research/
Managing the inevitable:
How to lessen
the impact of a
data breach
Smart. Secure. Integrated.
docscorp.com/iManage
