Donald J. Polden and Leah Jackson Teague, More Diversity Requires More Inclusive Leaders Leading by Example in Law Organizations, 48 Hofstra Law Review 3 (Symposium Edition, Spring 2020).
Although the legal profession has “been answering the national call for greater inclusivity in workplaces and for greater diversity in our organizations,” progress has been slow. According to recent NALP surveys, “the gains for women and partners of color have been minimal at best.” This can be attributed to “bias in the workplace, minority and women lawyers’ inability to find adequate access to mentors in the firm or law profession, and insufficient pregnancy leave and family support policies at many firms” among other factors.
This slow progress is in spite of increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts that many employers in the legal profession, including firms, have implemented. Among those efforts have been the “creation of positions for chief diversity officers and diversity committees.” Nevertheless, “when compared to the national populations of women and persons of color, the results of these efforts seem somewhat fledgling.”
In order to increase progress in greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession, including for women lawyers, this article suggests qualities leaders in legal organizations must possess and concrete steps they can take. Such qualities include commitment to, and modeling of, fairness and respect of all persons in the organization, courage to engage in tough conversations when necessary, awareness of cognitive biases, curiosity to listen and value the viewpoints and lived experiences of others, humility to admit when mistakes have been made, and a collaborative mindset. Concrete steps leaders can take are to seek and incorporate feedback on whether they are perceived as inclusive or creating an inclusive environment, being “visible and vocal” about why inclusivity is important (including the vulnerability of personal testimony), deliberately seeking out difference (encouraging those from other viewpoints to contribute to the conversation), and assessing impact of various efforts and programs. By focusing on leadership structures, law firms and other legal employers can “effect[uate] meaningful change in the composition of the legal profession.”