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, more than 40 LCLD affiliates are named Most Influential Black Lawyers, Germany takes strides toward more gender-diverse corporate boards, and LCLD Members mentor female Mexican lawyers.
1. Savoy Magazine Announces the Most Influential Black Lawyers of 2015
Savoy, 3/9/15
The annual list of the “best of the best” black lawyers includes more than 40 LCLD affiliates. Rick Palmore, LCLD Chair Emeritus, and Robert Grey, LCLD President, were profiled alongside Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General, and Dennis Archer, the first African American president of the ABA, among others. Board Members Brett Hart and Benjamin Wilson were also on the list.
2. Appointing Women to Company Boards Helps Avoid Scandals, Fraud, and Corruption
Think Progress, 3/8/15
Companies that invest in gender diversity at high levels are less likely to fall prey to fraud, corruption, and other scandals, according to a new analysis by MSCI Inc. The study also found that companies that are gender diverse manage risk better as a whole. One executive said this is because "gender diversity is a good proxy for more general cognitive diversity, and we know that cognitive diversity leads to better problem solving and outcomes.”
3. Honeywell Joins Innovative New Mentoring Initiative for Women Lawyers in Mexico
HoneywellNow, 3/6/15
Valeria Chapa-Garza, 2013 Fellow and Honeywell General Counsel for Latin America, is co-chair of an innovative mentoring initiative for Mexican women lawyers, launched this year by the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice and the New York City Bar Association. LCLD Members participating in the pilot include 3M, Ford, General Electric, Home Depot, Honeywell, PepsiCo, Baker & McKenzie, Greenberg Traurig, and Hogan Lovells.
4. In the U.S., Diversity is the New Majority
The L.A. Times, 3/6/15
By 2044, whites will no longer comprise a racial majority in the United States, according to recently released Census Bureau data. But that scenario is already playing out for some; diversity is already the norm for public school students and children under 5, and will be in less than a decade for those under 30.
5. Germany Approves Rule Requiring 30 Percent Female Representation on Boards
Inside Counsel, 3/6/15
One hundred of Germany’s largest companies will be required to have 30 percent women on their supervisory boards by next year. New targets of female leadership will also be set for 3,500 other German companies.
6. 50 Years Ago, Selma's Bloody Sunday Sparked Voting Rights Act
NPR, 3/2/15
Last week marked the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” when civil rights activists marching from Selma to Montgomery were violently beaten back by Alabama state troopers. The publicity the event received helped pave the way for the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
7. Gay Man Tapped to Lead Justice Department Division
Out Magazine, 3/2/15
Attorney General Eric Holder named Benjamin Mizer as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. Mizer is now the second most senior gay official at the Justice Department. More diversity may be on the way for the DOJ, with the upcoming vote on Loretta Lynch, President Obama’s nominee to succeed Holder.
