Why We Need Diversity in Law
by Nirupa Netram
Nirupa Netram
Did you know there are more than 1.3 million lawyers in the United States? And how diverse is the legal profession? Not very. According to the American Bar Association, 37% of attorneys are women, a mere 14.1% of lawyers are people of color, and there are no reliable statistics on the total attorneys with disabilities or those who identify as LGBTQIA+. Diversity has countless benefits to businesses, including increased revenue, improved performance, less turnover, innovative ideas, and much more. Legal workplaces, including law firms, companies with legal departments, and legal aid providers, need to take purposeful action now to improve the lack of diversity in law. Here are five ways to start making meaningful change.
Expand Recruitment Efforts
Recruiters should look through a different lens when scouting for new attorneys and not only look for graduates of top law schools, a common practice. Although the top schools produce talented and successful attorneys, businesses should broaden traditional recruiting methods to include other law schools besides the Ivy League ones. Far too many students cannot afford the cost of these schools, which in 2020-21 averages $51,268 at a private school, $29,074 for a public, in-state, school, and $42,143 for a public, out-of-state, school, and the corresponding high amount of student debt, which averages $160,000. A minority student I mentor recently got into her first-choice law school, but then reluctantly declined to attend because of the inflated cost of tuition and the lack of funding opportunities. Attending an elite law school alone does not make you a good lawyer. After law school is typically when a lawyer truly comprehends all the law(s) applicable to practice. Similarly, because lawyers form their moral compass well before law school, attending a top law school does not automatically make someone an ethical lawyer, which is essential for long-term success. Even the United Supreme Court is breaking away from the tradition of appointing graduates of Ivy League schools. The newest appointee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, graduated from Notre Dame Law School, a non-ivy league school.
Do Not Rely Solely on Class Rank
Job descriptions for federal clerkships or top-tier law firms often require the applicant to be in the top ten percent of their class. Law school is extremely competitive and stressful. Many schools still only have one exam at the end of each class. This means one test dictates the grade for every class during a typical three-year tenure of law school. One low grade can derail grade point average and class rank. Class rank does not dictate whether a person will be an effective attorney, for the same reasons discussed above concerning recruitment. Workplaces should consider other factors besides a high-class rank. Instead, they should examine other factors, such as the applicant’s publications, work experience, volunteer experience, and pre-law academic performance. In other words, an individual’s potential for success is far more important than their class rank.
Form a Diversity Committee
A diversity committee, task force, or council is a sign of good leadership and signals a company’s commitment to diversity. Committee membership should represent the diversity within the business. The committee can form and/or execute the company’s strategy on diversity. The company should regularly review and revise such initiatives, measure them, and share the results internally and externally. To make the workplace more inclusive, a committee can also plan events to celebrate diverse holidays that are important to the team and clients. A business should factor an attorney’s time and energy on this committee into the typical legal billable hour requirement. This allows for engagement and avoidance of burnout, which is all too common in the profession. According to a Bloomberg Law survey, the most dissatisfied lawyers reported burnout 74% of their time, on average. Most law firms require attorneys to maintain a minimum number of billable hours for time spent working on a client’s case, which attorneys then bill to that client. While time spent on diversity initiatives does not involve any specific consumer, several law firms have determined that such work is billable for attorneys. This means the attorney can count time spent on diversity towards their billable-hours requirement and the company will absorb those hours. One firm even said that all lawyers will receive unlimited billable hours credit for diversity and inclusion work. Progress is happening as more legal workplaces continue to recognize the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Ensure There is Diversity in Top Management
Diversity in top management reflects the faces of the workplace. Too often, businesses may think they are diverse because their associates, clerks, paralegals, or other staff are people of color. That is not true diversity. True diversity means the leadership and boards are also diverse. Diversity encompasses people of different races, ethnicities, genders, generations, abilities, religions, social-economic backgrounds, abilities, individuals who are LGBTQIA+, and so much more. Additionally, diversity means that diverse populations must have a voice and seat at the table. This means diversity is reflected amongst the chiefs, equity partners, board chairs, and other leaders. In other words, they are the people who have a say in the decision-making process.
Integrate Diversity in Strategy and Goals
Integrating diversity into a company’s strategy and goals establishes a commitment to and clear set of expectations around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Businesses who do this should promote their diversity efforts, including on their websites. This may be a key factor to attract top talent because more than 86% of job seekers consider workplace diversity an important factor when considering a job. A strong commitment to diversity also attracts diverse customers. According to McKinsey, “the most diverse companies are now more likely than ever to outperform less diverse peers on profitability.”
Diversity in the law requires time, resources, and an ongoing commitment and effort. The legal industry must answer the calls of job seekers, customers, and society as a whole- each of whom is demanding action on diversity now. As Gandhi said, “Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.”
Breaking news!!
October 15, 2021
South Carolina State University's Dean of the College of Business, Dr. Barbara Adams announced the addition of Fields Jackson, Jr as a "Distinguished Professor-in-Residence." "As a Distinguished Professor-in-Residence Jackson joins a select group to add value to the educational experience of students,” stated Dean Adams.
Jackson is the founder and “chief cheerleader” of Racing Toward Diversity magazine, which is based in Cary, North Carolina.
The magazine showcases the best current diversity efforts and initiatives being undertaken globally. It is written with business and education audiences in mind. Its stories highlight messages from influential leaders and their organizations. “With our concentration on driving strong relevant content through global social media platforms our quarterly magazine, daily newspaper and blog reach over 3.5 million readers, via Twitter (@fleejack and @race2diversity), Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn,” says the magazine’s website.
Jackson is also president of the College Diversity Network and former executive director of the HBCU Business Deans Roundtable. He has been recognized by the organization Diversity Best Practices as one of the “Top Diversity Thought Leaders” on Twitter. Jackson “keeps followers engaged with tweets focused on diversity at large as well as its impact on the workplace. Not only is there a large pull for diversity information but also access to the job postings regularly shared with his followers,” according to the website.
Jackson has been identified by Onalytica in London, England — an organization that helps run influencer programs for some of the largest brands in the world — as number 13 in the Top 100 global influencers focusing on gender, equality and diversity. Hive Learning, a collaborative learning platform, in 2019 recognized Jackson as one of the Most Influential Diversity and Inclusion Leaders. According to Hive Learning, “Jackson is an influential diversity and inclusion advocate and expert. … He advocates that job seekers conduct their due diligence in finding diverse workplace opportunities through research, networking and asking the right questions.”
Jackson received his bachelor’s degree in economics and philosophy from Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa., and his master’s in business administration from Northern Illinois University.
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New Innovation Depot Opening at Clark Atlanta University Fall 2021
Students at Clark Atlanta University are excited to be headed back to in person classes and activities this Fall. " You have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world. This innovation lab will really allow students to come together to collaborate and make those positive changes.” says Hawa Wague
Dell Technologies and The Home Depot are providing an exciting space on campus to help students be their most innovative and get to learn about cool technology in the process.
The Innovation Depot will give students an inviting and unique space to collaborate, get to experience technology in a different way, and even relax in between classes. In addition to being a space for the students to just hang out, there will also be guest speakers, events and contests that will make this space even more exciting.
An exciting feature of the Innovation Lab is an online space created just for the students as a resource for them to explore the innovative tech that Dell and The Home Depot have to offer and a place to explore tools to create a startup, learning resources, learn more about career opportunities, and get a certification. It was created by Norma-Angelika Garcia, Hawa Wague, Nate Battle, Maya Sanchez and Emma Wirt during a recent Dell Internship. “We feel honored to be working on such an impactful project for the Clark Atlanta community. As, most of us come from similar backgrounds as Clark University students. We are incredibly proud to share our knowledge and give back to a community that resembles each of our own.”, the group stated.
As part of Dell Technologies Project Immersion program, Tawanna Atwater spearheaded this idea to help better prepare diverse college students for STEM careers. “We look at this as an investment in our future workforce. By 2030 there will not be enough people in technology to fill the available jobs. Diverse backgrounds and experiences are essential to create a culture of belonging. Like most companies, we need more talent in this space. Our strong partnership with the Clark Atlanta University will allow us the opportunity to build relationships with students that may want to join the Dell Technologies family. This is a win-win for everyone.”
There is more than meets the eye in technology for both Dell Technologies and The Home Depot. “We are looking for Rockstar talent and the people we have met at the Atlanta University Consortium (AUC) which includes Clark Atlanta, have been amazing, innovative and have a passion for technology and driving human progress. This space will help us to develop more relationships with that talent and hopefully encourage more students to explore STEM careers, start their own businesses and shape the future of technology.”, says Angela Harper, Director of Talent Innovation, Dell Technologies.
Tawanna Atwater and Angela Harper said they hope this is not the last Innovation Depot they build and are currently looking at other college campuses that would be great partners in the next adventure.