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. The Legal Profession Doesn’t Have a Leadership Problem—It Has a Character Problem 

“If you want to increase the ranks of female partners, here is what you do: Make women partners,” writes Charles Edwards, Partner at LCLD Member firm Barnes & Thornburg. “That also involves making the choice to give them the skills and opportunities they need early in their careers, so that they are still around and prepared for you to make them partners.”  ABA Journal 

2. WATCH: What is Systemic Racism?

A primer on systemic racism: eight short videos highlight the ways in which racism impacts our institutions and society—from employment and wealth to housing and infant mortality.  Race Forward

3. Innovations in Diversity and Inclusion at Fish & Richardson 

“Our culture is one of not always doing things the same way,” says Kristine McKinney, Chief Legal Talent and Inclusion Officer at LCLD Member firm Fish & Richardson. “We can critically look at systems and processes and recognize what needs to be changed.”  The Recorder

4. Getting Over Your Fear of Talking About Diversity 

Rather than relying on diverse employees to make their workplaces more inclusive, leaders need to start the conversation themselves. Start by learning to ask the right questions.  Harvard Business Review

5. Waiting for Corporate America’s ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Moment 

• Asian professionals are the most likely to say they’re looking for a promotion or want to become a top executive, yet they remain underrepresented in leadership roles, according to an analysis from two McKinsey & Company executives.  RaceAhead
• In one study they reviewed, Asian men and women held 12 percent of both entry-level and managerial roles, yet less than 6 percent of senior executive roles.  RaceAhead

6. Companies Tie Pay, Performance Ratings to Gender Recruiting Targets 

• Companies with female CFOs are more profitable than those without, according to a recent study of S&P 500 companies, yet they remain rare.  The Wall Street Journal 
• To work toward greater diversity, company leadership can tie executive compensation to diversity targets.  The Wall Street Journal

7. If People Were Paid by Ability, Inequality Would Plummet

“The distribution of skills is far more egalitarian than the distribution of income—and would be more equal still if access to high-quality education and skills training were more widely available,” writes author Jonathan Rothwell. In his analysis, the legal profession is one of the top contributors to income inequality.  The New York Times 

8. ‘A Very Unwelcome Feeling’: The First Women at Yale Look Back 

This look at Yale in the days after the university first began admitting women illustrates the ill effects of adding diversity without first creating inclusive spaces.  The New York Times