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. OpEd: The Law Did Not Create This Crisis, but Lawyers Will Help End It
The New York Times, 6/25/18
“We are professionally obligated to safeguard the rule of law and to protect the poor and the vulnerable against targeted governmental abuses,” write LCLD Members Brad Karp, Chairman of Paul Weiss, and Gary Wingens, Chairman of Lowenstein Sandler.
Twenty-five LCLD Member firms have also pledged to help reunify families and ensure representation for legitimate asylum seekers.
2. Mansfield Rule 2.0 Aims to Boost Law Firm Diversity Efforts
The American Lawyer, 6/22/18
Under the updated Mansfield Rule, participating firms pledge that women, minorities, and LGBTQ individuals will make up at least 30 percent of candidates for any leadership or governance positions. They also commit to measure participation of underrepresented lawyers in client pitch meetings, and make appointment and election processes transparent.
Thirty-three LCLD Member firms are among the participants.
3. People-Focused Leadership: Developing Strong Talent as a Chief Legal Officer
Deloitte, June 2018
Former LCLD Board Member Cornell Boggs, now Senior Advisor at BarkerGilmore, shares his approach to optimizing talent: cultivate, captivate, and counsel.
4. In South Fulton, the Entire Criminal Justice System is Run By Black Women
CNN, 6/22/18
It’s not just the makeup of this Georgia justice system that’s different, either; they have created a pretrial diversion program, provide every defendant with a public defender for their first court appearance, and work to educate citizens about the law.
5. Data Shows Female Lawyers Are Moving Up Faster in #MeToo Era
The American Lawyer, 6/21/18
Prior to the #MeToo movement, female partner promotions occurred at a rate of roughly 125 per month; now, the pace of promotions has soared to 265 a month.
6. White People Are Noticing Something New: Their Own Whiteness
The New York Times Magazine, 6/13/18
“As long as white people continue to see ourselves as the norm and the neutral, we haven’t replaced as much as we might imagine. We continue to act as racial managers, clinging to the job of setting the culture’s terms and measuring everyone else’s otherness against those terms,” writes Emily Bazelon, the Truman Capote Fellow at Yale Law School.
7. Across the Globe, 3M Lawyers Take Pride in Pro Bono Projects
Corporate Counsel, 6/19/18
“The global nature of our business and our law department means this is a natural extension of our commitment to serving our communities as well as social justice,” says Ivan Fong, LCLD Member and General Counsel at 3M.
