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, articles you'd like to share, of if you would like to subscribe, please email Communications Specialist Caitlin Puffenberger at cpuffenberger@lcldnet.com. 

1. Why Women Leave Big Law to Start Their Own Firms 

BigLaw Business, 9/19/17

LCLD Member Francine Griesing, Founder and Managing Member of Griesing Law, is among a growing number of women leaving big law firms to start their own practices “at a time when many large corporations, from Microsoft to MetLife, are increasingly scrutinizing the gender and racial composition of their outside counsel and law firms are scrambling to diversify their ranks.”

2. The Best Big Law Firms for Summer Associates

The American Lawyer, 9/21/17

Attention, work, and mentorship are the most important things to summer associates, according to a recent survey from The American Lawyer. Several LCLD Member firms were among the top 10 for associate satisfaction: Duane Morris; Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer; Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; Crowell & Moring; Goodwin Procter; and O’Melvey & Myers. 

3. HP Reveals Results of Diversity Challenge for Ad Agencies

Ad Age, 9/25/17

As part of a company-wide effort to promote inclusion, LCLD Member organization HP Inc. set diversity goals for its marketing agencies; now, women represent 61 percent of the brand’s account teams, and minorities represent 25 percent.

4. The African American History Museum A Year Later: Still the Hottest Ticket in Town

The Washington Post, 9/22/17

“The museum demonstrated its importance and necessity after a noose was left inside... And it debuted, and has established its identity, during some of the most racially fraught months of the past half-century.”
LCLD’s Eighth Annual Membership Meeting Reception will be held at the museum on October 16. 

5. New Research: Diversity + Inclusion = Better Decision Making at Work

Forbes, 9/21/17

Any kind of team is likely to make a better business decision than an individual; but inclusive teams make better decisions than homogenous teams almost 30 percent more often. 

6. WATCH: London Mayor Explains the Importance of Laws to Improve Diversity

The Guardian, 9/24/17

“The thing about passing laws is, it doesn’t, overnight, change the way you think, but it changes the way you act,” says London Mayor Sadiq Khan. “And then over a period of time, the way you act changes the way you think.”