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. Microsoft Calls for More Action on Sexual Harassment
Microsoft on the Issues, 12/19/17
“One of the fundamental lessons of recent months is that people’s voices need to be heard if their problems are to be addressed,” writes Brad Smith, LCLD Immediate Past Chair and President of Microsoft, on the company’s decision to eliminate forced arbitration agreements.
2. 2017 Vault/MCCA Law Firm Diversity Survey
MCCA, 12/19/17
Minority representation among all attorneys at the 229 participating law firms has reached an all-time high, at 16 percent. Yet minorities still make up only 10 percent of all partners and 9 percent of firm leadership.
3. The 4 Kinds of Leaders Who Create the Future
Harvard Business Review, 12/18/17
“In any field, leaders who move their organizations forward are the ones who can reimagine what they’ve always done, refresh and reinterpret the products and services they offer, and unleash bold experiments about what comes next.”
4. How Are Black-White Biracial People Perceived in Terms of Race?
Kellogg Insights, 12/6/17
Today, 10 percent of babies born in the U.S. are multiracial—making it ever more important for organizations to understand how they see themselves: “An organization might categorize a multiracial person a certain way for diversity quotas, for instance—but if she does not identify with that minority, the categorization may make her feel constrained or stereotyped.”
5. Even Imperfect Algorithms Can Improve the Criminal Justice System
The New York Times, 12/20/17
Well-designed algorithms—like those recently developed to make bail decisions—can “counter the biases and inconsistencies of unaided human judgments and help ensure equitable outcomes for all.”
6. Women Helping Women: Study Shows Promoting One Woman Helps Many More
UVA Today, 12/11/17
Women were 52 percent less likely than men to be promoted—but when they were, there were “spillover” benefits for women in lower ranks, according to recent research on a decade’s worth of white-collar employee data.
