Compiled for LCLD Members and the 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, or if you would like to subscribe, please email Communications Manager Caitlin Puffenberger at cpuffenberger@lcldnet.com.
1. State Supreme Court Diversity: Across the Country, Courts Fail to Reflect the Communities They Serve
A study from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law found that state supreme courts are overwhelmingly white and male. Statistics of note:
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White men make up less than a third of the U.S. population, but constitute more than half of state supreme court justices. Brennan Center for Justice
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Half of U.S. states have all-white supreme court benches, and a quarter of states have never seated a person of color as a justice. Brennan Center for Justice
2. Is Lack of Diversity a Bigger Problem for IP In-House Lawyers?
A survey of in-house intellectual property lawyers found that while 85 percent say their companies have D&I initiatives, nearly 60 percent experienced discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual orientation. Corporate Counsel
3. How Americans’ Biases Are Changing (or Not) Over Time
Implicit anti-gay, anti-black, and anti-dark-skin attitudes have all shifted toward neutrality over the last 10 years, and implict attitudes about sexual orientation have decreased even more. Harvard Business Review
4. OpEd: I Have Mixed Feelings About the Term ‘Women of Color’
The term “women of color” has an inspiring history, says writer Salomé Gómez-Upegui, but it can also be a one-size-fits-all label that treats a diverse group of women as interchangeable. Zora
5. Generational Differences at Work Are Small. Thinking They’re Big Affects Our Behavior.
When employees think inter-generational differences are more profound than they are, it can lead to rocky interpersonal relationships, inferior training, and negative mentorship experiences. Harvard Business Review
6. Board Experience is Helping More Women Get CEO Jobs
One interim step to getting more women in senior leadership roles may be to nominate them for corporate board seats. Harvard Business Review
7. Open Letter: Mental Health Crisis Requires Rethinking Firm Business Models
“If we want to improve the shared mental health of our profession, we must change our incentives,” writes Jana Cohen Barbe, Senior Partner at LCLD Member firm Dentons. Law.com
