The world’s largest law firms are grappling with filling executive roles in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) amidst novel impediments to recruitment programs centred around candidates from underrepresented backgrounds. This issue generalizes even to some of the corporate world’s distinguished legal departments, constituting a global pressing concern.
“I have watched people go from firm to firm and take their teams with them,” Dru Levasseur, director of DEI at the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association and Foundation stated. The issue has accentuated to the degree that concerns about turnover have arisen within the legal fraternity.
According to the Bloomberg Law survey, approximately 80 percent of the top law firms have a full-time senior DEI role. Despite this, firms encounter difficulties in sourcing and retaining diversity leaders. This is often because they haven’t arrived at a universally accepted checklist for the roles.
Unclear, underdeveloped, or impotent role descriptions are typical deterrents for potential candidates. Coupled with these are the added hurdles posed by rigid hierarchy and time-strapped attorneys. There is also the risk-averse leadership that deters DEI leaders from retaining their positions in the long run.
Additionally, DEI leaders are now burdened with recent targeted attacks on professional diversity programs by strict conservatives. This follows the Supreme Court’s recent decision to tighten affirmative action’s grip in college admissions. The founder of the organization victorious in that case recently sued two firms, alleging that their diversity fellowship programs were unlawfully discriminatory against white students. Such a backdrop only escalates the already complex landscape in which DEI leaders function.
Nikia Gray, the executive director of the National Association for Law Placement, emphasized the polarity between the current level of support and what is needed. Success can only get underway when DEI roles, presently often informal and under-resourced, are adequately endorsed by the firms. According to her, “at the very least, if a firm is committed to making changes in DEI, then they need to understand that these positions should be valued.”
Despite an array of challenges, the importance of DEI positions cannot be understated. Legal professionals agree that for a DEI chief officer to be successful, the firm must share a collective hunger for enhancement in the sector.
Sourcing elite personnel is rarely the issue, Chantal Raymond, chief executive officer of Inclusive Legal Search, affirms. The principal problem lies in finding legal firms drawn so inherently towards DEI that they are willing to invest substantially within the area.
Jon Harmon, former chairman at Virginia’s McGuireWoods, succinctly summed up the sentiment, stating, “Buy-in at the top is essential.” He further emphasized that public backing from the firm’s other senior leaders can essentially shape the firm’s path.
This Bloomberg Law article presents a comprehensive overview of the prevailing circumstances concerning DEI within the legal sector.