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. LISTEN: The Double-Barreled Bias Against Black Women Lawyers 

Corporate Counsel, 7/30/18

Just .56 percent of partners at major law firms are black women, due in part to the compounded challenges of intersectionality, says Michele Coleman Mayes, former LCLD Board Member and General Counsel of the New York Public Library.

2. Microsoft and Venture Capital Partners Commit $4 Million to Empower Women Entrepreneurs

Microsoft on the Issues, 7/26/18

Female entrepreneurs have far less access to capital than their male counterparts, so LCLD Member corporation Microsoft has launched a global startup contest to award up to $4 million in venture funding to female founders. 

3. “Lean In” Messages and the Illusion of Control 

Harvard Business Review, 7/30/18

“The more we talk to women about leaning in, the more likely people are to hold women responsible both for causing inequality and for fixing it,” write the conductors of a recent study on confronting sexism.

4. Law Schools Are Diverse, So Why Aren’t Law Firms? 

Fast Company, 7/30/18

Minorities represent about 30 percent of law school students, but only 16 percent of attorneys (and 9 percent of partners) at top law firms. Firms that are most successful in improving their numbers are actively tracking and reevaluating their progress on diversity. 

5. In Collaborative Work Cultures, Women Carry More of the Weight

Harvard Business Review, 7/24/18

To eliminate gender imbalances in collaborative organizations, leaders should strive for clear communication of expectations, transparency around responsibilities, and a healthy feedback culture. 

6. Artificial Intelligence is Hurting People of Color and the Poor. Experts Want to Fix That.

CNN, 7/23/18

Artificial intelligence can lead to more equitable processes and decision-making, but it’s not immune to the biases of its creators or the data it uses. One way to combat that bias is by diversifying the ranks of the engineers and scientists building these tools.