Compiled for the LCLD Board of Directors every Wednesday, this digest is designed to brief you on the latest headlines about LCLD Members and organizations, as well as thought-provoking articles on diversity in the legal profession, talent development, mentoring, and leadership. Past issues of the Digest are also archived on the LCLD web site.

If you have questions about the Digest, or articles you'd like to share, please email Caitlin Puffenberger at cpuffenberger@lcldnet.com. 

This week in news related to diversity and inclusion, a study finds evidence that white privilege persists and an LCLD Board Member outlines strategies for gaining greater diversity in outside counsel. 

1. Abercrombie Heads to Supreme Court Over Refusal to Hire Muslim Woman in Hijab 

Forbes, 2/25/15 

In 2008, a Muslim teenager was refused a job at Abercrombie & Fitch because the company said her headscarf violated their dress code. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether Abercrombie violated the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, with potential ramifications for how employers deal with other aspects of diversity in the workplace, including pregnancy and disability.  

2. Job Market for New Law Grads is Improving, NALP Chief Says

ABA Journal, 2/25/15 

Unemployment rates for law school graduates have been rising over the last six years, but are finally beginning to drop again as fewer students enroll. The percentage of law school graduates with full-time, long-term jobs is also increasing, reaching 59 percent in 2013. 

3. Fixing What's Broken

ACC Docket Magazine, 2/24/15

Mark Roellig, LCLD Board Member and MassMutual General Counsel, describes the ways law firms fail to meet diversity requirements and the challenges this poses for corporations that rely on them. He and others from MassMututal then offer practical suggestions for corporate diversity directors seeking to access the broadest possible talent pool. 

4. When Whites Get a Free Pass

The New York Times, 2/24/15 

White privilege is real, according to an Australian study that found substantial, statistically significant evidence of racial discrimination. The study found that:

• Bus drivers were twice as willing to let white testers ride for free as black testers.
• Bus drivers showed some relative favoritism toward testers of their own race, but black drivers still favored white testers over black testers.
• Drivers were more likely to let testers have a free ride when fewer people were there to observe, suggesting the bias is unconscious. 

5. Minority Powerbrokers Q&A: Goldberg Segalla's Joseph Hanna

Law360, 2/20/15

Joseph Hanna, 2014 Fellow and Partner at Goldberg Segalla LLP, was featured in Law360’s Minority Powerbrokers series. "We need to pave the way for others, so that several years from now, we’re not still sitting here talking about diverse lawyers in senior positions like it’s a rare thing,” he said in his interview. 

6. Same-Sex Couple Marry in Texas Under One-Time Order

The New York Times, 2/19/15

A lesbian couple wed in Austin after being granted a marriage license under a special court order because one of the women has cancer. The Texas Supreme Court agreed to keep other same-sex couples from obtaining marriage licenses following a request from the attorney general, but didn’t weigh in on the legality of the Austin couple’s marriage.