This summer marks three years since chairs, managing partners and executive teams declared diversity as mission critical, boldly and publicly committing to unequivocal change. Three years later, the needle has barely moved, and the work is often left to diversity professionals to carry forward with limited resources, reduced buy-in as the work grows harder and scaled back teams. This approach does not deliver on executive leadership’s purported investment in the mission, nor does it account for the cost of getting it wrong. Most importantly, this approach is antithetical to the legal industry’s foundation in justice.
This piece is for current and aspiring leaders of firms, practice groups and business functions who are frustrated with the lack of progress and committed to partnering as inclusive leaders to drive long-term, transformational change. As a DEI professional who carries over a decade of experience building and leading DEI programs at multiple firms, as well as serving on the board of the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals, I’ve discussed and experienced many of the challenges outlined below alongside my colleagues. The challenges of diversity professionals are common across firms, with themes emerging that are all too familiar regardless of the firm name and location. Here is an unvarnished take on roadblocks that if rectified will bring about more success in diversity efforts, and as a result, the organization you lead now or in the future.
