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...
1. Changing Genders at Work: Inside the Fortune 500’s Quiet Transgender Revolution
Fortune, 7/13/15
Before actors and reality stars drew attention to transgender issues, some of the nation’s largest companies were quietly embracing transgender workers. Sixty percent of Fortune 500 companies have instituted gender identity non-discrimination policies, and one-third offer transgender-inclusive healthcare coverage. LCLD Member organization Chevron Corporation is recognized as a “trendsetter” for its early establishment of transitioning guidelines, while The Coca-Cola Company was an early adopter of inclusive healthcare.
2. Pro Bono Report 2015: Treading Water
The American Lawyer, 7/9/15
LCLD Member firm Jenner & Block LLP was ranked the No. 1 Am Law 200 firm for U.S. pro bono commitment, with lawyers completing an average of 130.5 hours of pro bono work. LCLD Member firm Arnold & Porter LLP was ranked No. 1 for international pro bono commitment, with 96 percent of lawyers completing 20 or more hours of pro bono work. Despite the high rankings of LCLD firms, overall pro bono work in Am Law 200 firms has gone down slightly in the last year.
3. Obama Calls for Effort to Fix a ‘Broken System’ of Criminal Justice
The New York Times, 7/14/15
This week President Obama called for a bipartisan effort to fix a broken criminal justice system that has locked up too many Americans for too long, especially young black and Hispanic men. The speech came a day after Obama commuted the sentences of 46 nonviolent prisoners; later this week, he will become the first sitting president to visit a federal prison. The efforts to reform the justice system are in part a response to recent cases of police brutality and racial violence, and thus far are receiving support from both Democrats and Republicans.
4. Companies Forced to Reveal Gender Pay Gap
HR Magazine UK, 7/14/15
Companies in the United Kingdom with more than 250 employees will be required to disclose the gender pay gap in their workplaces beginning next year, following an announcement from Prime Minister David Cameron. The initiative is part of a move to address a variety of issues faced by women in the workplace, including gender stereotypes, the quality of part-time jobs, and the cost of childcare.
5. Daughters of Working Moms Have More Successful Careers
Diversity Executive, 7/9/15
Daughters of working mothers are more successful in the workplace, earning more and holding more supervisory positions than their peers, according to a recent study by Harvard Business School. Sons of employed women are also more likely to contribute to childcare and household chores later in life. This is good news for working mothers, but also for organizations that employ and support mothers – by employing moms, they contribute to the next generation of leaders as well.
