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. LCLD Member Firms Get Creative to Recruit Women and Minority Students
Law.com, 1/23/19
Proskauer Rose is launching a bootcamp for women about to enter law school; Skadden is now allowing students who participate in its summer program for a second year to design their own experience; Keating Muething & Klekamp hosted the first-ever Law Student Diversity Case Competition.
2. 170 GCs Pen Open Letter to Law Firms: Improve on Diversity or Lose Our Business
The American Lawyer, 1/27/19
“We, as a group, will direct our substantial outside counsel spend to those law firms that manifest results with respect to diversity and inclusion, in addition to providing the highest degree of quality representation,” the general counsel write. “We sincerely hope that you and your firm will be among those that demonstrate this commitment.”
3. Women GCs Face Sexism, Stereotypes from Firm Lawyers—And It Impacts Who They Hire
Law.com, 1/23/19
Many of the female general counsel interviewed said they have dropped or would drop outside counsel for sexist behavior; they’re also looking closely at the diversity of the firms and their teams before hiring them in the first place.
4. Disney Bringing ‘Black Panther’ Back to Theaters for Black History Month
Variety, 1/28/19
To celebrate Black History Month, LCLD Member organization Disney is donating $1.5 million to the United Negro College Fund to support minority access to education, as well as offering free screenings of Black Panther during the first week of February.
5. Slow Gains for Women and Minorities on Boards of Big U.S. Firms, Study Says
New York Times, 1/15/19
Women and minorities hold 34 percent of board seats at Fortune 500 companies, up from 30.8 percent in 2016; gains were particularly strong among African-American women, with 26.2 percent more seats, and Asian women, with 38.6 percent more seats.
6. Research: Gender Pay Gaps Shrink When Companies Are Required to Disclose Them
Harvard Business Review, 1/23/19
A study of Danish companies that must now report their gender pay gaps found that transparency not only narrowed the gender wage gap, but increased the number of women being hired and promoted into more senior roles.
7. Speaking Black Dialect in Courtrooms Can Have Striking Consequences
New York Times, 1/25/19
In a recent study, court reporters made errors in two out of every five sentences when transcribing sentences spoken in African-American English—sometimes resulting in transcripts that misrepresent the speaker’s original statement.
8. Why Class Diversity Matters at Work
Forbes, 1/22/19
“People who transition between classes can learn to relate to people in a more skilled way, and they are incredibly helpful in groups, as they can understand people from all walks of life," says research from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. "However, it can also be an exhausting and even isolating experience for that person."
