According to a recent study carried out by professors that examined patterns among the top 250 law firms, law firms that have successfully recruited more women into senior management positions appear to be less engaged with implementing internal diversity practices. The researchers found a tendency: firms with a higher percentage of women partners were less likely to prioritize diversity-focused practices. Action points for improving diversity seemingly underutilized by these firms included hiring full-time Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) officers, conducting firm-wide diversity training, and bolstering the firm’s mentoring program for diverse attorneys.
This cutback of resources for implementing DEI practices in firms that have a seemingly diverse leadership challenges the commonly held belief that increased representation automatically results in improved diversity strategies. It sparks the question: is merely improving the representation of women in leadership positions sufficient in building an inclusive and diverse organizational culture, or are there systemic issues within these large law firms that need to be addressed? More research surely needs to be done.
This story is regularly updated by Bloomberg Law for its ‘Wake Up Call’ section, which provides a daily rundown of the top news for lawyers, law firms, and in-house counsel. For detailed results of the mentioned study, please check out the full report on the CLS Blue Sky Blog.