IILP Updates

November 2019 - Happy Thanksgiving from IILP!

In the U.S., we’re celebrating Thanksgiving this week. With all the emphasis on Black Friday, it’s easy to overlook Thanksgiving, or to think of it as merely that enormous meal the day before that fortifies us for Day-After Sales, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. At the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (“IILP”) we enjoy consumerism as much as the next person, so this is not an effort to lay any guilt trips or preach about the true meaning of the holiday, etcetera, etcetera. Rather, we thought that we should take this opportunity to consider just what it is we’re celebrating.

In the past, IILP has used this holiday as a reminder of everything – most especially all the people -- for which we have reason to give thanks. Last year, however, after we published our Thanksgiving message, we received a telephone call from someone who wanted to sensitize us to a different way of thinking about Thanksgiving holiday celebrations: while the Pilgrims may have wanted to give thanks for surviving an Atlantic crossing, a bountiful harvest, and their ability to establish new homes, their arrival also heralded future wars and the killing of Native Americans, a 200+ year trans-Atlantic slave trade, and the spread of disease and contagion to a different continent. The telephone caller questioned whether Thanksgiving was something to celebrate.

We thought about this all year. The caller raised some provocative but valid points. History is said to be written by the victors as the marginalized know all too well. What are the implications if we celebrate something that can also symbolize oppression, genocide, or racism without the benefit of also acknowledging and explaining the impact of the arrival of the Pilgrims and all the things for which they were giving thanks?

We reached the conclusion that the caller was correct: to blindly celebrate an occasion without considering its historical symbolism and context is hurtful and undermines our own work on behalf of diversity and inclusion. We won’t do that again.  Nor can we change history, only remember it as accurately as we may and, hopefully, learn from it.

And, we’ll continue to give thanks for all the individuals and organizations who support us and enable us to do this work. We know that we don’t do it alone. If IILP is able to devote our work to a passion to make the legal profession more diverse and inclusive, it is an uncommon luxury, in large part due to the support, encouragement and generosity of the many individuals and organizations with whom we feel so privileged to work:

  • The members of our Board of Directors and Advisory Board for their leadership, vision, commitment to, and hard work on behalf of, IILP;
  • Our Visionary Partners, Partners, Allies, Supporters, and Friends for their support, interest, and enthusiasm;
  • Our Social Impact Incubator members for sharing their energy, critical analysis, and enthusiasm which is always a source of re-invigoration;
  • Our very dear friends at the Chicago Bar Association for the generous use of an office and the in-kind help regularly volunteered by its staff;
  • Firefly Network Services, who keep our computers and telephones up and running; answer sophisticated IT queries (Jenna) and patiently try to keep the rest of us (Sandra) operating like people who actually lives in first world 21st Century;
  • The law firms and corporations who have provided us with the venues and support we needed to present our programs this year: Exelon; LexisNexis; Starbucks; Procter & Gamble; Western Union; Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Baker & McKenzie; Davis Wright Tremaine; Frost Brown & Todd; the Greater Cincinnati Minority Counsel Program; Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe; DLA Piper; the Center for Legal Inclusiveness; Armstrong Teasdale; and, Kutak Rock;
  • The bar associations and other diversity organizations who kindly invite IILP to speak at and participate in their programs so as to provide us with an opportunity to share information about IILP’s mission and its work and those that co-sponsor our various programs as we seek to foster greater collaboration on diversity and inclusion efforts across the profession;
  • The organizations with whom we are privileged to partner on so many of our programs: the Chicago Bar Association; the New York City Bar Association; the National LGBT Bar Association; the National Bar Association; the National Association of Women Lawyers; the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals; the Hispanic National Bar Association; the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association; Diverse Partners Network; Interlaw Diversity Forum; the National Native American Bar Association; the California Minority Counsel Program; the Law Society of England and Wales; the National Association of Minority and Women-Owned Law Firms; and Association of Corporate Counsel;
  • The wonderful lawyers, judges, law professors, and professionals who served as our speakers, panel moderators, panelists, and host committee members for our 2019 programs. If IILP has developed a reputation for uniquely thought-provoking and challenging programming, we gratefully acknowledge that it is all due to them. Their willingness to share their expertise, insights, and experience has enabled us to offer the legal profession a different way of looking at and thinking about diversity and inclusion; and,
  • You, the ones who read these emails, the ones who take the time to attend our programs, the ones who provide us with a steady stream of ideas, enthusiasm and encouragement! Words are inadequate to express our immense gratitude for your continuing friendship and support.

The historical underpinnings of Thanksgiving may not be as rose-colored as we might have wished. Going forward, however, by acknowledging that history, perhaps we can shape it into what it should mean. As another telephone caller today told us, “Thanksgiving is about family.” That’s what it should be about: Celebrating family and giving thanks for our blessings.

THANK YOU! With your help and support, all things are possible. Please accept our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude!

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March 2019 

In this Update:

  • What’s New
  • What’s Been Going On
  • What’s Happening
  • What’s Coming Up
  • Getting Involved with IILP

Lucky for you this update is in writing, rather than accompanied by sound or you might hear us warbling songs of spring with great enthusiasm if not skill or talent. With cautious optimism, at the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (“IILP”), we’re packing away our snow boots, Program Associate Jenna Meyers is getting her bicycle out of winter storage, and we've spotted some snowdrops sprouting outside our office (right). We survived Chiberia’s polar vortex, braved icy streets and sidewalks without a fall – well, at least not a serious one – and happily reduced our luggage requirements during business travel by half as we no longer need to haul heavy sweaters and bulky coats with us! So, all is good, we got a lot of work done, and now we want to tell you about it!

What’s New

IILP Board of Directors

With great appreciation we want to thank Tom White of Schiff Hardin for his service as a member of IILP’s board. Tom helped IILP with its social media committee and has always graciously fielded the occasional IP question for us. Tom, we’ll miss having you on our board but we’re grateful for the time you were able to give us!

IILP is pleased to welcome Bruce Byrd, Chief Legal Officer, AT&T Communications, Inc. as the newest member of its board of directors. Bruce is based in Dallas and we’re excited by many of the ideas he has for how the legal profession can make some meaningful strides in its diversity and inclusion efforts!

Happy 10th Anniversary!

2019 marks IILP’s 10th anniversary! As our Chair, Marc Firestone, notes, when you consider the number of restaurants that open in New York but that don’t survive a year, for a small not-for-profit launching in the aftermath of the economic downturn of 2008, promoting inclusion (as opposed to the more usual diversity) in the legal profession, and spending its early years having to explain how it was different and why it was needed, to reach ten years is a justifiably proud accomplishment!

We realize that we didn’t do it alone. During our first ten years, IILP has been the beneficiary of so many people and organizations who volunteered their help, gave us support, and encouraged us every step of the way. We’re pleased to be able to highlight many of them each week during this 10th Anniversary year. Thank you to all of them for helping us reach this milestone! To see the people behind the scenes and learn about the role they’ve played in helping us to reach this milestone, check out our 10th Anniversary thank yous on our various social media platforms: Follow IILP on Facebook, connect with IILP on LinkedIn, or follow us on Twitter!

Diverse Outside Counsel

No doubt you’ve read about the 170 general counsel who, under the name “GCs for Law Firm Diversity” recently published an open letter expressing their commitment to greater diversity among their outside counsel. We applaud efforts such as these as they serve as a reminder that diversity is important to corporate clients. But, we also read Don Prophete’s brave and honest essay expressing the frustration and disappointment of so many diverse law firm partners about the particular challenges they encounter. In an effort to support both the signatories to the open letter and diverse partners like Mr. Prophete, IILP has developed a survey that will allow general counsel who, like the GCs for Law Firm Diversity, would like to offer the legal profession greater transparency about corporate legal spend on diverse outside counsel. IILP Chair Marc Firestone has penned his own Open Letter about this project which you can read here. While individual corporate responses will be confidential and only reported in the aggregate, the survey results will allow the profession to see measurable data on the degree to which corporate clients are directing their legal work to diverse outside counsel. If you are a corporate in-house counsel, please consider encouraging your law department to participate in the survey – it’s only 20 simple questions! – and help elevate the legal profession’s understanding about the use of diverse outside counsel by corporate clients. Our thanks to GCs for Law Firm Diversity and ACC, as well as the assorted general counsel listserves, for helping to disseminate information about the Diverse Outside Counsel survey.

What’s Been Going On

2018 Retrospective

IILP had a great year in 2018 and we’ve created a retrospective to showcase the highlights! Take a look at www.TheIILP.com! See how many people and places you recognize!

#TalkIntoAction

During our ten-year history, IILP has had the benefit of meeting and getting to know many other wonderful organizations involved in trying to make the legal profession more diverse and inclusive. So, we wanted to do something this year that would allow us to work with them again. Reaching out to each and every organization with which we worked during our first ten years, in January, IILP launched #TalkIntoAction.

#TalkIntoAction was inspired by the frequent comments that we’ve all heard over the years at different diversity and inclusion programs: “We’re preaching to the choir” or “The people who need to hear this aren’t in the room.” So, #TalkIntoAction was designed to 1) make it easier (or maybe just provide a reason) to bring the information, perspectives, and insights so often shared at diversity programs to the people others thought needed to hear it; 2) encourage advocates to take personal responsibility for diversity and inclusion; 3) foster the building of relationships across lines of difference; and, 4) demonstrate that diversity and inclusion efforts that are meaningful and have impact needn’t be expensive. Participants were invited to reach out to someone who a) had a different diversity background/experience; and b) whom they didn’t know well – someone with whom they had never had coffee or lunch or socialized one-on-one before – and have coffee or lunch together during which they would discuss diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. At the conclusion of their talk, the participants were asked to take a selfie and post it to social media with #TalkIntoAction. We were thrilled to have participants from all over the US and even from the UK and (virtually) beyond! By all accounts, the participants enjoyed it, so we plan to #TalkIntoAction again! Watch for updates!

D&I and IOLTA

Sometimes our profession has a tendency to only think about D&I in the most traditional settings: Large law firms, large corporate clients, and large bar associations. So, when the ABA Commission on IOLTA and the National Association on IOLTA Programs asked if IILP could join them in Las Vegas to present a diversity and inclusion program on implicit bias that would be relevant to IOLTA, commissioners and staff, we were intrigued. We’ve always seen one facet of our work as seeking to fill gaps so the opportunity to contribute to filling the gap in D&I as it pertains to IOLTA was one we couldn’t refuse. As we anticipated, developing “Implicit Bias Insights for IOLTA Programs” forced us to think about D&I from a different vantage point and develop recommendations that would be relevant for IOLTA programs. And, better still, we had the privilege of working with some very committed and interested IOLTA leaders with whom we might otherwise never have crossed paths. Our thanks to Ellyn Rosen for including IILP. It you’re interested in D&I and IOLTA, visit the IILP website here where you can download IILP’s article on the subject and the hypotheticals we developed to allow IOLTA programs to engage in discussion about the ways that they are most likely to encounter D&I issues.

2019 Corporate Counsel CLE Seminar

IILP was pleased to participate in the 2019 Corporate Counsel CLE Seminar in San Antonio moderating the Diversity & Inclusion Roundtable on “Are Men the Solution to the Legal Profession's Diversity and Inclusion Problem?” Gail Gottehrer organized a great panel for the program so that we had a lively and thought-provoking discussion featuring Teresa Beck from Buchanan Ingersoll, IILP Advisory Board Member Alan Dorantes from AT&T, and IILP Board Member Sharon Jones from Jones Diversity, Inc.

Apollo Leadership Institute

IILP has had the privilege of frequent collaboration on our UK programs over the years with our friends at the InterLaw Diversity Forum so we were happy to return the favor and participate in InterLaw’s launch of its Apollo Leadership Institute in London. The Apollo Leadership Institute plans to share D&I information, research, and training with senior corporate in-house counsel. Daniel Winterfeldt of Reed Smith LLP and Dr. Lisa Webley discussed InterLaw’s historical and current research while our CEO, Sandra Yamate, shared thoughts on what is (and isn’t) working in the US legal profession’s D&I efforts. We look forward to seeing what develops from the Apollo Leadership Institute.

Working Women’s Legal Summit

IILP Board Member Sharon Jones of Jones Diversity, Inc. spoke at the March 8th Working Women’s Legal Summit at the Chicago Bar Association. She was part of a panel discussing the current state of women in the legal profession and realistic short- and long-term goals for women lawyers as a group.

What’s Happening?

Valuing Diversity

If you haven’t taken this survey yet, there is still time to do so! “Valuing Diversity” is a research project spearheaded by IILP’s Social Impact Incubator. It is designed to study the degree to which legal employers and individual lawyers value diversity and inclusion. How do legal employers demonstrate their commitment to and support for diversity and inclusion? Are some employers doing more than others? If so, what are they doing? Just how important is diversity and inclusion to individual lawyers? How much impact does an employer’s manifestation of a commitment to diversity and inclusion have when individual lawyers are choosing among several employers? Is diversity and inclusion important enough to individual lawyers that they would consider smaller raises and bonuses if it meant more diversity and inclusion efforts were being made by their employer? Make sure that your opinion is include in the survey results!

To take the survey: http://bit.ly/ValueDiversity

Chicago Lawyer Magazine

IILP’s CEO, Sandra Yamate, is now a contributing columnist on Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession for Chicago Lawyer Magazine. Her new column, “Inclusion at Work” (based in part on IILP’s blog) will run bi-monthly.

What’s Coming Up

Indian Law and Native American Issues

Sometimes there are so many subjects that fall under the umbrella of diversity and inclusion, it can feel overwhelming. And it can also result in some types of diversity, especially the ones perceived as being less populous – such as lawyers with disabilities, or non-Judeo-Christian religions, or sometimes geographic diversity – getting overlooked. That’s why IILP is pleased to be working with AT&T and IILP Partner law firm Greenberg Traurig, to present a program at AT&T’s headquarters in Dallas on Indian Law and Native American Issues. The program will take place on April 2nd from 3:00 – 5:00 PM, with a networking reception to follow. There is no charge to attend the program but advance registration is required. To register: http://www.theiilp.com/event-3333466 

SIFMA

It’s always gratifying when one’s work is appreciated so we’re delighted that IILP Advisory Board Member E. Macey Russell of Choate Hall & Stewart will be part of a luncheon panel discussion on “Leadership Matters for Diversity & Inclusion” at the 2019 SIFMA (The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) Compliance & Legal Society Annual Seminar in Arizona. Macey will be sharing some of the findings he has presented at IILP Symposia and parts of our “Competing Interests” papers that he helped to author.

2019-2020 IILP Review/Symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

The new 2019-2020 IILP Review on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession is coming soon! It features updated diversity demographics for the legal profession, highlights of some of the most interesting and promising diversity and inclusion programs that we’ve seen, and, as you’ve come to expect, a robust assortment of compelling and insightful articles and essays that examine, probe, and discuss diversity and inclusion in our profession from a wide variety of perspectives.

And, in anticipation of the new IILP Review, we’re beginning to schedule the related Symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession. In addition to many of the cities where we’ve enjoyed presenting symposia in the past – Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Dallas, and Houston – we’re also expanding the “road show” to include Denver and San Diego. Visit www.TheIILP.com/Calendar for updates on dates and locations!

ABA Section of International Law

IILP will be participating in the “Women in Leadership” panel at the ABA Section of International Law Annual Meeting, in Washington, D.C., on April 10th. We’ll be joining Stephen Denyer from the Law Society of England and Wales, Rachel Travers of LexisNexis, Pia Logiovane of Phillips North America, and Lisa Savitt of the Axelrod firm to examine gender leadership issues in the profession.

Work Allocation

One of the best things about IILP’s global diversity work has been learning about programs and strategies from other countries that we think merit consideration in the US. Work allocation is one of those things. We learned that a British company, Mason & Cook, has been working with many of the largest law firms in London to help them address how work is being allocated among lawyers. Company founder Dave Cook spoke about it at our fall Diversity Ops Center program in London where we discuss diversity and inclusion infrastructure issues for global organizations. The more we heard, the more intrigued we were. The London law firms using this custom-tailored work allocation system are seeing better retention of their diverse lawyers, growth in productivity, and increased profitability! It’s win, win, win! We wanted American law firms to learn about this to see whether work allocation might be an effective diversity tool in the US as well as the UK. IILP is coordinating presentations about how work allocation is working and being used in the UK by Dave Cook during the week of April 22nd. We’re going to visit 5 cities in 4 days to give law firms across the US an opportunity to hear about how work allocation works and to gauge whether it might be something they’d like to try. Join us at any one of the following sessions; there is no charge to attend but advance registration is required for the various locations’ security protocols. Application for CLE accreditation is being made in California and Illinois.

  • Los Angeles – Tuesday, April 23rd at Reed Smith LLP at 9:00 AM
  • Chicago – Wednesday, April 24th at the Chicago Bar Association at 8:30 AM
  • Boston – Thursday, April 25th at the Boston Bar Association at 8:30 AM
  • Washington, DC – Thursday, April 25th at Hogan Lovells LLP at 5:30 PM
  • New York - Friday, April 26th at Skadden Arps at 8:30 AM
  • PLI Diversity & Inclusion in Law Practice 2019 program, April 26 1-5 pm, to register for this session, please visit https://www.pli.edu/programs/diversity-inclusion-in-law-practice.)

For more information or to register for any of the sessions EXCLUDING the PLI program on April 16th, visit www.TheIILP.com/Calendar.

Practicing Law Institute

IILP is pleased to be participating in the Practicing Law Institute’s(“PLI”) Diversity & Inclusion in Law Practice 2019 program live in-person in New York and webcast on April 26th. (It will also be available on-demand.) The program will be comprised of three parts:

1)      Diversity in Law Practice: Recent Legal Developments

2)      Emerging Trends and Innovations to Reset/Refocus How Law Thinks and Acts About Diversity & Inclusion

3)      Better Practices: A Roundtable Discussion on Diversity & Inclusion in Law Practice

Speakers/Moderators include IILP Board Members Lorraine McGowen of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and Sharon Jones of Jones Diversity, Inc, as well as IILP author and Rutgers Law Professor Stacy Hawkins and Dave Cook from Mason & Cook. To register: https://www.pli.edu/programs/diversity-inclusion-in-law-practice.

Gender Diversity for a New Generation

Gender diversity isn’t a new subject but there’s a new generation of lawyers ready to take the lead on gender diversity and their thoughts and views may differ considerably from those of previous generations. The Law Society of England and Wales’ recent global research regarding women in law leadership has highlighted findings that suggest that the gender diversity priorities of women lawyers today have changed from what the profession has come to assume were the primary issues about which women lawyers cared.

IILP and LexisNexis will be presenting “Gender Diversity for a New Generation” at LexisNexis’ headquarters in London on June 5th to examine what gender diversity means for today’s generation of women lawyers on both sides of the Atlantic. Confirmed speakers include Christina Blacklaws, President of the Law Society of England and Wales; Sarretta McDonough, President of the National Association of Women Lawyers; Madeleine McDonough, Chair of Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP; Jill Lynch Cruz, one of the researchers/authors of the HNBA Latina Commission’s report on the Status of Latinas in the Legal Profession; Blair Macdonald, Head of Legal at LexisNexis UK; Joanna Weller, Global Legal & Regulatory Compliance Counsel at LexisNexis; Angela Winfield, Associate Vice President for Inclusion and Workforce Diversity at Cornell University; Yasmin Sheikh, Founder of Diverse Matters; and more! If you’re interested in attending, register at http://www.theiilp.com/event-3330047

The Future is Now

Our friends at the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism will be presenting “The Future Is Now: Legal Services 2.019” on May 16, 2019 in Chicago and IILP’s own David Douglass of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP will be among the speakers. At the program, which is featuring 10 “Big Ideas” from industry thought leaders on adapting to new norms while upholding the core values of the rule of law, David will be sharing ideas from his articles in the 2017 and the 2019-2020 IILP Reviews on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession. If you had the chance to hear David at one of our Symposia last year, you know that attendees at “The Future is Now” are in for a bold and thought-provoking presentation! Register at: https://www.2civility.org/the-future-is-now-2-019/register/.

Getting Involved with IILP

At IILP we appreciate all the compliments we receive about how much people throughout the legal profession like the work we’re doing, the different approach we’re taking, and the strategic thoughtfulness of our model of inclusion. But, just as we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary by thanking the many individuals behind-the-scenes who helped us reach this milestone, we acknowledge that if we’re to think ahead to a 20th, 25th, and 50th anniversary and beyond, we’ll continue to need the help, support, and friendship of many others. So, if you’ve the time, interest, and inclination, we’d welcome your involvement.

 

Sandra S. Yamate

CEO

INSTITUTE FOR INCLUSION IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
321 S. Plymouth Court

Chicago, IL 60604

(312) 628-5885

Mobile: (312) 375-8271

Sandra.Yamate@TheIILP.com

www.TheIILP.com



In this Update:

·         What’s New

·         What’s Been Going On

·         What’s Coming Up

·         Getting Involved with IILP

Summers seem to pass faster and faster each year. At the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (“IILP”) we tend to gauge the passing seasons through the time we get to spend with interns and Program Associates. This summer, we were glad to have the volunteer services of intern Brenden Miller, who has now returned to Hofstra University where he is beginning his senior year. Brenden spent the summer helping us edit articles for the forthcoming IILP Review 2019: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession. And, if you speak at an IILP program or other event where we have speaker gifts and giveaways, you can thank Brenden if you like what we proudly like to think are more imaginative and useful gifts. Speaking of our former Interns and Program Associates, since IILP supporters often ask, we thought we’d share updates on some of them:

Janet Lee, one of our very first interns, who spent two summers with IILP, just completed a judicial clerkship and has started working as an associate with Winterfeldt IP Group in Washington, DC.

Chicago’s loss is New York City’s gain: Michelle Musielewicz graduated from NYU Law School this summer, took the bar exam, and will be starting with Davis Polk & Wardell LLP in New York this fall.

Hannah Kelly has returned to New England. Hannah received a full scholarship to study at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and will be graduating next summer.

We’ve been so fortunate in the bright, talented young people who have worked at IILP! Our new Program Associate is no exception. Please join us in welcoming Jenna Meyers to IILP. Jenna is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago and, in what free time she has, a theater stage manager. We’re looking forward to her applying her stage-managing skills to IILP programs!

What’s New

Valuing Diversity

The legal profession spends a great deal of time on its diversity and inclusion efforts but does it truly value diversity? That’s what our Social Impact Incubator members want to find out. As newer members of the legal profession, they hear their employers and the more experienced lawyers with whom they work discussing the importance of diversity and inclusion. But when, amongst themselves, they started to realize that not all of their employers recognized, rewarded, or valued diversity and inclusion work in the same ways or to the same extent, they were curious to gain a better understanding of how different types of employers in different practice settings value diversity. They developed a survey designed to measure this and launched it on September 11. The IILP Social Impact Incubator now invites lawyers to take the survey – it takes about 20 minutes – to help us collect, compile, and report on just how the legal profession manifests the value it places upon diversity. To take the survey, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ValuingDiversity

The Diversity Ops Center: Diversity and Inclusion in Global Corporate Law Departments and Law Firms – Infrastructure to Effect Change

As part of IILP’s continuing series looking at the globalization of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, we are partnering with our friends at the InterLaw Diversity Forum in London to present a day long conference examining the best infrastructures for diversity and inclusion for global organizations. We’ll be looking at the best structures for diversity committees, the roles of diversity professionals, leadership from diversity partners and executive sponsors, and new trends and programs that law firms and corporate law departments are trying. The program will take place on October 9 at Reed Smith’s offices in London at Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London EC2A 2RS. To register: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-diversity-ops-center-delivering-di-in-global-corp-law-dept-firms-registration-49979031629

IILP Review 2019: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

The IILP Review 2019: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession is moving forward! We’re excited to report that once again, you can expect an impressive collection of articles and essays examining a wide variety of diversity issues. Our Editor-in-Chief, Professor Philip Lee from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law has updated all the available and relevant diversity and inclusion demographics and statistics and the Diversity in Practice Round-Up will feature a robust assortment of interesting and promising diversity and inclusion programs and strategies that might inspire new or renewed diversity and inclusion efforts. The new IILP Review 2019 should be available sometime during the first quarter of 2019. If your organization is interested in advertising opportunities in it, please contact Jenna Meyers at Jenna.Meyers@theIILP.com.

What’s Been Going On

ABA TIPS Spring Meeting

IILP was pleased to work with Maureen Mulligan of Peabody & Arnold who is co-chaired the Spring Meeting of the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section to present, “Moving Women into Positions of Power: Men as Allies and Champions.” IILP Board Member Floyd Holloway co-moderated the session that featured Alan Bryan, Senior Associate General Counsel Legal Operations, Walmart; Linda Chanow, Executive Director of the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas; D’Arcy Kemnitz, Executive Director, National LGBT Bar Association; and Cathy Schwamberger, Associate General Counsel, State Farm.

Mid-Size Cities

IILP has been keenly interested in career opportunities for diverse lawyers in mid-size cities, which we are describing as just about any city that isn’t New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Houston, Miami, or Los Angeles. We’ve been thinking about the additional challenges that employers in mid-size cities encounter: all the same ones as anyplace else, plus the need to also compete with the largest and what may seem to be the most exciting and glamorous cities in the world. Thanks to a grant from our friends at Walmart we’ve been filming all sorts of perspectives from lawyers who either practice in these cities, or who are trying to recruit diverse talent to them. We anticipate a series of videos exploring subjects such as:

What is it like to be a diverse lawyer practicing in a smaller city? What are the pros and cons?

What can/should/are the management of employers in mid-size cities be doing to better recruit and retain diverse lawyers?

How can bar associations enhance the career success of diverse lawyers in mid-size cities?

The first finished video should be ready soon and we hope it will be a useful tool for both diverse lawyers and employers.

Charlotte Symposium

Our Charlotte Symposium on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession was exciting for a number of reasons: first, it’s always nice to get to visit the Queen City; second, lawyers in the Southeastern US always give us such a warm welcome; and third, we were pleased to be able to bring together a program of which we could be very proud!

Thank you, Bank of America – especially Ray Abbott, Todd Stillerman, Lani Quarmby, Melissa DiPento, and Marilyn Nastiuk – and the Mecklenburg County Bar Association – especially Nancy Roberson, Carmen Thomas, and Lisa Armanini – for all of your help in arranging and presenting the Symposium.

And thank you to all our speakers and panelists: Kathryn-Ann Bloomfield, Assistant General Counsel, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and IILP Social Impact Incubator Member; Michael Boykins, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP; Jill Lynch Cruz, JLC Consulting; Maria Green, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Ingersoll-Rand; Jon Harmon, Michelle C. Ifill, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Verizon Corporate Services Group; Partner & Chairman, McGuireWoods LLP; Richard E. Meade, Chief Legal Officer - International, Prudential Financial (Ret.); Brandon R. Mita, Associate, Littler Mendelson P.C;  Meredith Moore, Global Diversity & Social Responsibility Director, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP; E. Lani Quarmby, Associate General Counsel & Managing Director, Bank of America; Macey Russell, Partner, Choate Hall & Stewart LLP; Timika Shafeek-Horton, Duke Energy and President-Elect, Mecklenburg County Bar Association; and Angela Winfield, Director, Department of Inclusion and Workforce Diversity, Cornell University.

Boston Symposium

Right on the heels of Charlotte, IILP was off to Boston for the first Boston Symposium on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession. It’s always a bit nerve-wracking going into a city where we haven’t presented a Symposium before but thanks to the great folks at Vertex Pharmaceuticals – Damian Wilmot, Kathy Deschene, Kathryn Van Wie, and Julie Fogarty – and IILP Advisory Board Member E. Macey Russell, Partner, Choate Hall & Stewart, the Boston Symposium was very well-received. Thank you also to the speakers and panelists whose participation allowed us to present an informative and compelling program, the likes of which, we are told, Boston hadn’t seen before but needed. So thank you: Susan H. Alexander, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, Biogen; Emanuel Alves, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, John Hancock; Robert Bodian, Managing Partner, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo P.C; Roberto Braceras, Partner, Goodwin Procter LLP; Keith H. Earley, Adjunct Faculty, Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies; Rachel Hodge, IILP Social Impact Incubator Member; Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, Partner, Ropes & Gray LLP; Sharon E. Jones, CEO, Jones Diversity Group LLC; Nigel W. Long, Corporate Counsel – Litigation Group, Liberty Mutual Insurance; Traci L. Lovitt, Partner-in-Charge - Boston, Jones Day; Deborah J. Manus, Managing Partner-Boston, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP; Meredith Moore, Director, Global Diversity and Social Responsibility, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP; Maureen Mulligan, Partner, Peabody & Arnold LLP; Michael J. O’Connor, General Counsel, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company; Damian Wilmot, Senior Vice President, Chief Risk & Compliance Officer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated; and Steven Wright, Managing Partner-Boston, Holland & Knight LLP.

And special thanks to the Boston sponsors: Choate Hall & Steward, Cooley LLP, Foley Hoag LLP, Jones Day, Ropes & Gray, Skadden Arps.

Diversity and Inclusion: A Professional Responsibility?

In the US, diversity is often considered a part of professional responsibility. But is it? And, if it is, is that a purely US phenomenon? IILP decided to explore that issue with two London presentations of “Diversity and Inclusion: A Professional Responsibility? UK and US Perspectives and Experiences.” London, as you may know, is a big city, so we presented the program on Canary Wharf – thank you Clifford Chance! Especially Laura King and Sarah Twite – and in The City – thank you, Eversheds! – with tremendous help and support from our friends at the InterLaw Diversity Forum – thank you so much, Daniel Winterfeldt and Jonathan Leonhart! We were fortunate to have the expertise of Ellyn Rosen, Regulation and Global Initiatives Counsel at the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility and Sophia Adams-Bhatti, Director of Legal and Regulatory Policy at the Law Society of England and Wales frame the discussion for us with real world commentary, experiences, and perspectives fromChristina Blacklaws, Vice President, The Law Society of England and Wales; Dan Fitz, Company Secretary, BT Group plc; Sajid Hussein, General Counsel EMEA, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; David A. Jackson, Global Head of M&A and Strategic Transactions Legal, Barclays; Laura King, Partner, Global Head of People and Talent, Clifford Chance; John H. Mathias, Jr., Partner, Jenner & Block; Sharon E. Jones, CEO, Jones Diversity; Tracey Dovaston, MD, Head of Litigation, Investigations & Enforcement EME, Barclays Legal; Emma Slatter, Chief Officer, Legal and Regulatory, Visa Europe.  

The program was so successful that yes, American lawyers, we’ve heard you and we are trying to find a way to repeat the program for you!

Diversity and Data Privacy

This year has seen a lot of talk, email notices, and website alerts about GDPR. Data privacy is a hot topic. But what many lawyers fail to appreciate is that data privacy is not just something that the IP and tech lawyers need to think about. It has a compelling diversity component, too. And if you know IILP, you know, we love to think about and discuss these sorts of things. So, with the help and support of Reed Smith LLP – John Iino and Pauline Veseleno, we couldn’t have done it without you! – we were pleased to present “Diversity and Data Protection in a Digital World.” The program was the brainchild of Huey Tan, Senior Legal Counsel at Apple and explored the way diversity issues intersect with data privacy issues. Huge thanks to our panelists: Richard Hunter, Senior Counsel, Privacy and Data Security, Abbott; Huey Tan, Senior Privacy Counsel, Apple Asia ; Alicia Young, Head of Privacy, Cybersecurity and Intellectual Property, Legal (Asia Pacific), J.P. Morgan; Xiaoyan Zhang, Counsel, Reed Smith LLP; Ann H. Chen, Senior Counsel, Social Media and Digital Assets, Abbott. The program received such positive feedback that we’ve been asked to repeat it and so we shall! We’ve heard from lawyers around the country requesting that we present this program in their cities (don’t worry, Boston, we haven’t forgotten your many requests!). The next presentation will be in Chicago on November 7th and will be hosted at the Chicago offices of Microsoft. Panelists will include: Richard Hunter, Senior Counsel, Privacy and Data Security, Abbott; Xiaoyan Zhang, Counsel, Reed Smith LLP; Ann H. Chen, Senior Counsel, Social Media and Digital Assets, Abbott; and Alex Simpson, Attorney, Microsoft.  To register: http://www.theiilp.com/event-3091614.

Social Impact Incubator

In addition to launching its Valuing Diversity survey (above), the Social Impact Incubator has been learning about the history of diversity and inclusion efforts in the US. They have been interviewing lawyers who have particular insights into how the legal profession has addressed diversity and inclusion, including mistakes it may have made. During the group’s summer meeting in Washington, D.C., they had the opportunity to interview David Douglass, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP’s DC office managing partner and D’Arcy Kemnitz, the Executive Director of the LGBT Bar Association. The group has also started getting together when they are in each other’s cities. We had a small group come together at Lavender Law and at the Hispanic National Bar Association convention. The Social Impact Incubator members will be undergoing media training during their upcoming Chicago meeting.

National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations

IILP enjoyed the chance to participate in the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations Bar Leadership Summit and speak on a lively panel titled, “Women in Leadership: How to Increase Female Representation at the Highest Levels.” It was a genuine pleasure to work with Patricia Jarzobski, Jessica Brown, Paula Holderman, and Christina Blacklaws, and the inestimable Diane Rynerson! IILP looks forward to getting to know NCWBA better and future opportunities to work together.

Women in Law Leadership Roundtable

In June, when IILP was in London to present “Diversity and Inclusion: A Professional Responsibility?” we learned about an interesting gender diversity project that the Law Society of England and Wales was conducting under the leadership of its president, Christina Blacklaws. After surveying over 7,000 lawyers about gender diversity issues, they are embarking upon a series of roundtables around the world to flesh out some of the data they have collected. IILP was pleased to be able to help coordinate a roundtable discussion in Chicago that was hosted by Jenner & Block LLP. Thank you to Jenner & Block partners Terri Mascherin, Debbie Berman, and IILP Partner John Mathias for helping to make the roundtable a success!

Lavender Law  

The LGBT Bar Association’s annual Lavender Law conference was in New York City and IILP was honored to get to participate. We joined Gretchen Bellamy from Bellamy Consulting;Brian Winterfeldt from the Winterfeldt IP Group; and Daniel Winterfeldt from Reed Smith LLP for a discussion on “Cross Border Equality: LGBT+ and Intersectionality in the US and UK Legal Sector. And we got to applaud Social Impact Incubator members Bendita Cynthia Malakia and Kylie Byron as they took to the podium in front of a packed ballroom to help introduce some of the honorees at this year’s conference.

Columbus Symposium

It was nice to get to return to Columbus to present a Symposium on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession, this time partnering with our friends at the Columbus Bar Association. We always get such a warm reception in Ohio and this time was no exception as we had a fairly full house! Thank you to the speakers and panelists, as well as the Columbus Bar staff who made the event such a success: David L. Douglass, Partner, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP;  Rachel Hodge, IILP Social Impact Incubator Member; Melinda S. Molina, Associate Professor, Capital University Law School; Margo Wolf O'Donnell, Partner, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP; Kimberly S. Amrine, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Frost Brown Todd LLC; Patrick Belville, Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions, Cardinal Health; Martiné ("Marty") R. Dunn ,  Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP; Marie-Joëlle C. Khouzam, Partner, Bricker & Eckler LLP; Carl D. Smallwood, Partner, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP.

And special thanks to: Samuel Peppers, the Columbus Bar Association Executive Director; Judy McInturff, CBA Director of Continuing Legal Education; Isabel Sturgill, CBA CLE Program Coordinator, and sponsors Vorys, Sater, Seymour, & Pease LLP; Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP; Ice Miller LLP; and Bricker & Eckler.

Supporting the Law Firms That Support Us

IILP relies on the support of many law firms and others, so when they request our help, we’re delighted to comply! We enjoyed the chance to participate in internal diversity programs with McDermott Will & Emery in Chicago and a joint program with Baker Botts LLP and Chambers and Partners in Houston. And we were delighted to participate in a panel with Sidley Austin LLP for a program presented by Google and Ocean Tomo, “Managing Diversity as an Intangible Asset.”

Conference of World City Bar Associations

The Conference of World City Bar Associations convened in Chicago in September. This annual conference brings together delegates from many of the major metropolitan bar associations around the world, including New York City, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Tokyo, Istanbul, Shanghai, Toronto, and Frankfurt to name a few. IILP was pleased to be invited to make a presentation about its global diversity and inclusion work. And we were pleased to be invited to present programs in Barcelona and Shanghai.

What’s Coming Up

Chicago Symposium

Chicago is home for IILP so when the opportunity arose to present another Symposium, we jumped at it, especially as we have a number of Chicago-based authors who weren’t able to speak at the previous Chicago Symposium. If you’re in the Windy City on October 23, 2018, please join us! Among the speakers we’ll be featuring are Collette Brown, Associate from Neal Gerber & Eisenberg, who will be speaking about The Undocumented J.D.: The Changing Landscape of Admissibility to the Bar for Undocumented Immigrants; Professor Stacy Hawkins, Associate Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School who will be speaking on Focus on the "How" (not the "Why") of the Commitment to Diversity in the Legal Profession; Sharon E. Jones, CEO, Jones Diversity Group LLC; and David Douglass, Partner, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, who will be discussing the follow up to the ABA’s Rule 113 and what the legal profession should do next. To register: http://www.theiilp.com/event-3091648

Brussels

Building upon our Globalization of Diversity conference in Switzerland, IILPP is following up with a day long program called “Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession: Exchanging Ideas, Sharing Experiences, and Developing a Strategy for Europe” that will be held in Brussels on December 4, 2018. Download the flyer http://www.theiilp.com/news. If you are interested in participating, you may register at: http://www.theiilp.com/event-3081545              

London – Gender Diversity for a New Generation

IILP will be presenting a day long program looking at gender diversity issues in a global legal profession for the next generation of women lawyers. It will take place in London on June 5th! Visit IILP’s website at www.TheIILP.com for more details as they become available.

Getting Involved with IILP

So, this has been a long update – apologies! – but IILP is keeping busy and there’s so much we want to share with you! Rather than ask you to continue reading what is turning into a novella, just a few last words:

Inclusion at Work Blog

Our Inclusion at Work blog gets many favorable comments. But we need more writers so if you’re inclined, please let us know! We’d welcome adding you to our pool of bloggers! Let Jenna Meyers know that you’re interested, and we can schedule time to discuss it with you further. You can reach Jenna at Jenna.Meyers@TheIILP.com.

Happy Birthday to Us!

Next year, IILP will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary. That we’ve survived this long and, through our work and programs, managed to earn the respect of so many people whom we, in turn, respect and admire is humbling. We feel honored that people take the time to work with us, help us, and compliment us on our work and the role we’re playing in our profession’s diversity and inclusion efforts, especially given that we really like our work and we truly enjoy the people with whom we get to work. We’re fortunate to get paid (albeit modestly ) to do work we love. But we are well aware, and don’t have to tell you, that there remains much work left to be done. When your time permits, you’re always welcome to join in IILP’s efforts! We’d be honored!

Sandra S. Yamate
Chief Executive Officer
INSTITUTE FOR INCLUSION IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
321 S. Plymouth Court
7th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 628-5885
Mobile: (312) 375-8271
Sandra.Yamate@TheIILP.com
www.TheIILP.com
Follow us @TheIILP




Update 

In this Update:
What’s New
What’s Been Going On
What’s Happening
What’s Coming Up
Getting Involved with IILP

Greetings from the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession ("IILP")! You’ve likely received our earlier notices about some of our new efforts, but knowing how busy everyone is, we thought you might appreciate a quick update on IILP’s other activities.

WHAT’S NEW

Competing Interests

If you haven’t read them yet, you can still download IILP’s new series of papers, “Competing Interests” at no charge from our website at www.TheIILP.com/Publications. This three-part series of papers examine a previously unrecognized aspect to the legal profession’s ongoing challenge to become more diverse and inclusive: what happens when diversity, as a core value, is forced to compete with other core values in corporations and law firms.

“Competing Interests” explains:

  1. Why corporate clients and outside counsel need to be concerned about declining numbers of African American partners;
  2. How the profession has overlooked how efforts designed to promote economy and efficiency have undermined diversity and inclusion efforts; and,
  3. Specific recommendations for lawyers, law firms and corporate law departments that explain how to address these concerns, and why.

The papers detail how corporate preferred provider programs that decrease the number of law firms eligible to handle a company’s legal work so as to gain more efficiency and better pricing are impacting the ability of diverse lawyers to secure that work. And the competition between diversity and other core values are not limited to corporations. Law firms that insist upon direct connections between their support of diversity and business generation are adversely impacting the profession’s diversity efforts as well as their own firm efforts.

For many within the legal profession there is a lot of talk about diversity and inclusion but not nearly enough action. “Competing Interests” offers the legal profession specific, concrete actions that can result in meaningful action.

“Competing Interests” is the result of the experiences, candor, and thoughtful analysis of its contributors: E. Macey Russell, Choate Hall & Stewart LLP; Marci Rubin, California Bar Foundation Board of Directors; David Douglass, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP; and Martin Greene, Zuber Lawler & Del Duca LLP. Our thanks to them for this labor of love!

IILP Review 2017: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

IILP released its 2017 Review on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession. The Review provides:

  • Compilation and analysis of the most current statistics on diversity in the profession;
  • 30 articles examining different aspects of diversity issues within the profession, offering practical tips, real world insights, and in-depth analysis of the diversity within diversity; and,
  • A Practice Round-Up that highlights the most promising strategies and programs to advance diversity from across the US.

This is the IILP’s fourth review and contains data updated as of September 2016.  The Review is available at no charge and can be accessed: http://www.theiilp.com/IILP-Review-2017. Hard copies are being mailed to the General Counsel of the Fortune 500, the Chairs of the 250 largest law firms in the country, the deans and placement offices of all accredited law schools, and all IILP Partner and Ally firms and corporations.

Thanks to Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Chambliss and all of the authors, editors, and everyone who submitted information for the Practice Round-Up. And special thanks to our friends at The Claro Group for their continued sponsorship and support!

Social Impact Incubator

Some of us have been toiling in the diversity and inclusion vineyard for a long time. A VERY long time. As subject matter experts, we speak at a lot of conferences and programs and get asked to lead, or be involved in, many of the most interesting diversity and inclusion initiatives taking place. But what happens once we’re gone?

IILP is thrilled to announce the launch of its new Social Impact Incubator! The Social Impact Incubator is intended to bring together a core group of Millennial lawyers from a wide variety of practice settings and backgrounds and to begin to train them to be the next generation of thought leaders on diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. As we teach them about the legal profession’s diversity and inclusion history and experiences – how we got to where we are now – the participants will be examining what they, as a generation, think this profession’s diversity and inclusion goals ought to be and designing programs and projects to move it in that direction. They’ll gain familiarity in discussing and trying to answer the “hard questions” in diversity as well as speaking about it beyond “the choir.”

Katie Larkin-Wong from Latham & Watkins LLP will be chairing the new Social Impact Incubator. We’re expecting great things from this group!

WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON

Diversity and Inclusion in the Latin America Legal Profession

IILP worked with Philip Morris International, the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, and the New York City Bar Association to present “Diversity and Inclusion in the Latin America Legal Profession” on June 5, 2017. We were honored to have Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte as the keynote speaker! The program focused on the diversity expectations and demands of corporate clients in Latin America, the research available, and better practices for law firms in Latin America. We were pleased to see so many law firms based primarily in Latin America attend. The program culminated with a reception at which several of the corporations recognized those of their Latin American outside counsel whose diversity efforts merit recognition. Thank you to the corporate participants: General Electric; Honeywell International; Mondelēz International; Philip Morris International; and Walmart. And much gratitude to the sponsors: Baker & McKenzie LLP; Hunton & Williams LLP; Kirkland & Ellis LLP; and Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP.

Silicon Valley Symposium on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

On March 27th, we presented our first Symposium featuring the new 2017 IILP Review. Our thanks to Hewlett Packard Enterprise for hosting the program (with a wonderful welcome from Brian A. Tippens, Chief Diversity officer) and to all the authors who presented: Collette Brown, Neal Gerber Eisenberg LLP; Jay Mitchell, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP; Brian Winterfeldt, Mayer Brown LLP; Brandon Mita, Littler Mendelson P.C.; Angela Winfield, Northeast ADA Center; Kori Cordero, Tribal Law and Policy Institute; and Meredith Moore, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP.

For this program, the innovative panel discussion, “Diversity and Inclusion in the Tech Industry: Corporate Law Departments and Their Outside Counsel” focused on what’s actually being done in the real world of Silicon Valley’s legal profession and beyond. Thank you to the very candid and forthright panelists: Willie Hernandez, Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Andy Hinton, Google; Sang Kim, DLA Piper; Caren Ulrich Stacy, DiversityLab; Quyen Ta, Keker, Van Nest & Peters; and Monica Zent, ZentLaw as well as our Moderator, Marci Rubin.

Thanks also to Patricia Lee and the State Bar of California Council on Access & Fairness for handling the CLE accreditation and our Host Committee: Tammy Albarran – Covington & Burling LLP; Rajiv Dharnidharka – DLA Piper LLP; Joan Haratani – Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP; Willie Hernandez – Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Rew Ikazaki – Tesla Motors; Committee Chair Kenton King – Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; Shannon Kung – Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; Felix Lee – Fenwick & West LLP; Christophe Mosby – Hewlett Packard Company; Amy Park – Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Committee Co-Chair Marci Rubin – California Bar Foundation; Michelle Uddin – The Claro Group; and, Robert White – California Minority Counsel Program.

We are grateful for all the enthusiastic comments we received from attendees but it couldn’t have been done without all of these lawyers’ help and support!

Ethics of Diversity and the Economics of Inclusion

On March 29th, IILP presented “The Ethics of Diversity and the Economics of Inclusion,” hosted by Exelon Corporation at their Chicago headquarters. After a rousing keynote address by William Von Hoene, Exelon’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Macey Russell from Choate Hall & Stewart presented an overview of IILP’s new “Competing Interests” papers.

We asked a panel of law firm chairs, executive committee members, managing partners, and practice group leaders to discuss the papers and provide their thoughts on the validity of the findings and the feasibility of implementing the recommendations. Out thanks to Larry A. Barden, Chair, Management Committee and Member, Executive Committee, Sidley Austin LLP; Reginald J. Hill, Member, Management Committee, Jenner & Block LLP; Christina Martini, Member, Executive Committee, National Hiring Partner and IP Practice Group Leader, DLA Piper LLP; Gus Siller, President-Elect, Brinks Gilson & Lione; Michael Wagner, Member, Executive Committee, Baker & McKenzie LLP; Diane E. Webster, Partner-in-Charge of Chicago Office, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP; and our moderator, Lorraine McGowen, Partner, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.

We thought it important to also seek the reactions and comments of corporate clients. What did they think about these findings and would their corporations be open to implementing any of the recommendations? Thank you to Earl J. Barnes, II, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Advocate Health Care; D. Cameron Findlay, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, Archer Daniels Midland; Elena Kraus, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Walgreen Co.; Deborah Lloyd, General Counsel, GE Power & Water; Thomas O’Neill, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Exelon and moderator Sharon E. Jones, CEO, Jones Diversity Group for a stimulating and lively discussion!

Access Success

Access Success showcases attorneys and law students with disabilities and introduces them to law firms and law departments interested in expanding their own networks of able counsel. IILP was excited to be a part of this, the inaugural presentation, and to work with the Chicago Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section; the National Association of Attorneys with Disabilities; the ABA Commission on Disability Rights; the ABA Law Practice Division; and Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. Special thanks to Jennifer Byrne, Bob Furnier, and our own Hannah Kelly for all their work!

Ms. JD 9th Annual Conference for Women in the Law

IILP was delighted to participate in Ms. JD’s “P.R.O.P.E.L.” conference. It was an energetic conference and impressive to see the passion and vigor with which Ms. JD is approaching the diversity and Inclusion challenges of the profession.

Circuit Court of Cook County (IL) First Municipal District Advisory Committee Meeting

IILP was pleased to make a presentation about its work, challenges in the diversity and inclusion arena, and hot and trending topics in diversity at the Circuit Court of Cook County’s First Municipal District Advisory Committee Meeting. As many of the participants are judges, prosecutors, public defenders, court personnel or work in solo practice or for small firms or Legal Aid, Legal Assistance or other not-for-profit entities, we were especially happy to be able to speak with this group as they serve as a good reminder that diversity and inclusion in the legal profession is not only something that those in large corporations or Big Law are concerned about or impacted by. It’s a big profession and we all have a stake in this. Thank you, Hon. E. Kenneth Wright for the opportunity!

Texas Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy

IILP was honored to be part of the Texas Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy’s 2017 Symposium on “Understanding Diversity in Legal Academic and Work Environments” at the University of Texas Law School in Austin. It was exciting and inspiring to see how the law students involved in the program were so engaged in discussing how issues of race and other forms of diversity are being addressed in law school and beyond. Kudos to everyone involved in organizing this stimulating program!

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Inclusion at Work

Inclusion at Work is IILP’s blog, written by Takeia Johnson, a lawyer and Sociology PhD candidate. If you haven’t checked it out, please do so! Takeia writes thoughtful and interesting pieces that capture what a lot of diverse lawyers are thinking and feeling! Here’s the latest post: https://inclusionatwork.wordpress.com/2017/05/03/the-day-after-a-police-shooting/

Video Project

IILP gets many requests to have our programs webcast or filmed for later viewing. But one of the things that make IILP programs so interesting to our audiences is the degree of candor and personal insights so many of our speakers and panelists bring. Therefore, we’ve embarked upon a project to film interviews with speakers and select portions of certain programs with an eye toward creating videos that provide the same substance and information but allow our speakers a degree of control over what gets online later. Thus, they have an opportunity to be completely open when they speak at our programs knowing that anything too candid won’t haunt them (at least not from IILP). Lead by IILP Advisory Board Member Barrington Lopez, IILP has started filming video segments with the help and support of interviewers Danielle Phillip and Rashad Morgan from Brinks Gilson & Lione and Sharon Jones of Jones Diversity.

WHAT’S COMING UP

IILP Review 2019: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

IILP will release its 2019 Review on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession in the 1st quarter of 2019. The Review will provide:

  • Compilation and analysis of the most current statistics on diversity in the profession;
  • articles examining different aspects of diversity issues within the profession, offering practical tips, real world insights, and in-depth analysis of the diversity within diversity; and,
  • A Practice Round-Up that highlights the most promising strategies and programs to advance diversity from across the US.

This will be the IILP’s fifth review and will contain data updated as of September 2018.  The Review will be available at no charge here on our website. Stay connected to access it when we're live! Hard copies will be mailed to the General Counsel of the Fortune 500, the Chairs of the 250 largest law firms in the country, the deans and placement offices of all accredited law schools, and all IILP Partner and Ally firms and corporations.

Thanks to Editor-in-Chief Philip Lee and all of the authors, editors, and everyone who submitted information for the Practice Round-Up. And special thanks to our friends at The Claro Group for their continued sponsorship and support!

Symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

In conjunction with the publication of the upcoming 2019 Review, IILP will be convening Symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession. Please check back at this page for the upcoming dates of Symposia. Our final Symposia based on our 2017 Review will be in Chicago, October 23, 2018.

If your bar association or firm would like to co-sponsor one or more of the Symposia at no cost so that your members may register for any Symposium at a 50% discount, please contact Jenna Meyers at jenna.meyers@theiilp.com for details.

GETTING INVOLVED IN IILP

There’s a lot to be done and a lot more we’d like to do! We could use your help. Please let us know if you’re interested in serving on a Host/Planning Committee for an upcoming Symposium or undertaking a research project. Write a response to one of our blog posts or share/retweet our posts! Or, just attend one of our programs when we’re in your city and bring others who aren’t the “usual suspects.” We’re always happy to see you!

Sandra S. Yamate

CEO

INSTITUTE FOR INCLUSION IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
321 S. Plymouth Court

Chicago, IL 60604

(312) 628-5885

Mobile: (312) 375-8271

Sandra.Yamate@TheIILP.com

www.TheIILP.com


  • 13 Mar 2014 3:04 PM | Sandra Yamate (Administrator)

    In this Update:

    What’s New

    What’s Been Happening

    What’s Coming Up

     

     

    While the calendar may say “spring,” Mother Nature clearly isn’t paying attention. So, at the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (“IILP”) we’re staying warm by keeping busy.  And if you’d like to keep warm, too, we hope that you’ll join us in some of our programs and events!

    WHAT’S NEW

    IILP Advisory Board

    IILP is delighted to announce that Adisa P. Bakari from Kelley Drye & Warren LLP has joined IILP’s Advisory Board.

    2013-14 IILP Review: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

    We’ve received some brilliant article submissions for the next IILP Review and the fall symposia that will be based upon them look to be addressing some novel and intriguing discussions about diversity and inclusion issues and challenges in the legal profession. We’re considering in which cities to present our 2014 fall symposia so if you’d like to weigh in with your opinion, please visit our Facebook page and give us your thoughts!

    IILP’s Up To the Minute News!

    Keep up with IILP’s up to the minute news and activities! “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @TheIILP for the latest information about IILP!

     

    WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

    A View from the Trenches

    IILP was pleased to participate in the ABA TIPS Diversity Series: A View from the Trenches during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Chicago in February. IILP Board Member Hon. E. Kenneth Wright and CEO Sandra Yamate joined a panel with Gary Gassman from Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP and Denise Avant from the Office of the Cook County Public Defender and moderated by Darcee Siegel for a robust discussion about diversity challenges in the Windy City.

    UPenn APALSA Conference

    The UPenn APALSA Conference was without doubt the best organized conference we’ve ever seen! Kudos to the student organizers and volunteers, especially Karen Wong, Anna Han, and Chris Lee! They set a standard few conference organizers ever meet! IILP enjoyed participating in the conference, moderating the opening panel, “A Seat at the Table: APA Inclusion in the Legal Profession and Beyond,” which featured a stellar line up: Nermeen Aratsu from CUNY School of Law and a leader in the growing Muslim legal community; Bruce Yamashita who challenged the US Marine Corps for internal discrimination against minorities; and Phil Yu, the Founder and Editor of Angry Asian Man. It was a lively and fun discussion and served as a reminder about how enjoyable it can be to engage in a discussion with law students.

    InterLaw Diversity Forum for LGBT Networks

    IILP was happy to participate in the New York launch of the InterLaw Diversity Forum’s Apollo Project. The InterLaw Diversity Forum is based in the UK. Its Apollo Project features a toolkit that aims to help firms implement practical, real-life examples and solutions from across the legal sector and beyond that have already proven successful. The toolkit will consist of a portfolio of successful projects and case studies which have resulted in measurable cultural or organization change.  

    WHAT’S COMING UP

    Louisiana State Bar Association’s 7th Annual Conclave on Diversity in the Legal Profession

    IILP is delighted to be participating in the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Conclave on Diversity on March 21 in New Orleans. IILP Board Member Sharon E. Jones will be speaking on “Leadership with Intention: Institutionalizing Diversity & Inclusion in Your Organization” and IILP Advisory Board Member David Douglass will be speaking on “Navigating Cognitive Biases, Blind Spots, and Cultural Impairments When Balancing Ethical Decision-Making.”

    One More Symposium on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

    IILP friends and supporters in San Diego urged us to make a visit to their fair city and present one more symposium on the state of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. And when our friends from the California Minority Counsel Program (“CMCP”) added their voices to the chorus, how could we decline? (And did we mention winter’s persistence?) If you are in or around San Diego on March 27th, please join us for a symposium on the state of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession at Mintz Levin beginning at 3:30 PM. There is no charge to attend this event but space is limited so you must register at www.TheIILP.com (click on Calendar/Events).

    Harvard Law School Negotiation and Mediation Clinic

    IILP has been enjoying a partnership with Harvard Law School’s Negotiation and Mediation Clinic which is lead by Professor Robert Bordone. Working with the Clinic, we have been studying how law firms communicate internally about sensitive topics such as perceptions of bias. As a result, IILP will be joining Professor Bordone and some of the Clinic’s other clients at the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution’s Legal Educators Colloquium in Miami on April 5th to discuss how this has worked and what we’ve learned so far.

    Under Colour of Law: Race and Ethnicity Within the Legal Profession

    IILP is excited to be working with the Equality & Diversity Committee of The General Council of the Bar of England and Wales, the Black Solicitors Network, the InterLaw Diversity Forum, and the Society of Asian Lawyers to present “Under Colour of Law: Race and Ethnicity Within the Legal Profession,” which will explore how explicit and implicit biases about people with darker colour skin impact opportunities for Black Minority Ethnic attorneys in the UK and US. Kevin D. Brown, the Richard S. Melvin Professor of Law at Maurer School of Law at Indiana University has spent over 25 years studying British, American, South African, and Indian attitudes toward individuals with darker skin colour. During the Spring, 2014 semester, he has been teaching a course to American law students in London that compares and contrasts the experiences of blacks in the US, with that of blacks in the UK, blacks in South Africa, and Dalits in India while researching how the experience of being Black in the UK compares to that in the US and what that might mean for law schools and the legal profession. On 17 April, Professor Brown will be presenting his findings, followed by a dialogue between Professor Brown and barrister Gelaga King about how the British and American legal professions are addressing these challenges. The programme will conclude with a panel discussion between British and American lawyers about what they are seeing and experiencing in the real world. During the discussion, a team of law students from SOAS Law School at the University of London will be tweeting their thoughts, comments and impressions about what is being discussed. Our thanks to Baker & McKenzie for hosting this programme. If you’d like to attend, please register at www.TheIILP.com and click on “Calendar/Events.”

    We’ve already had some requests to present this programme in the US and are looking for hosts/sponsors. If that is something in which you’re interested, please let us know!

    LOOKING AHEAD

    Later this spring, IILP will be presenting at or participating in programs in Kansas City, Toronto, New York, and Washington, D.C. We’ll keep you posted and hope that we’ll see you at one or more!

     

     

     

    Sandra S. Yamate

    CEO

    INSTITUTE FOR INCLUSION IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
    321 S. Plymouth Court

    Chicago, IL 60604

    (312) 628-5885

    Mobile: (312) 375-8271

    Sandra.Yamate@TheIILP.com

    www.TheIILP.com

    Follow us @TheIILP

  • 29 Oct 2013 8:38 AM | Sandra Yamate (Administrator)

    In this Update:

    What’s New

    What’s Been Happening

    What’s Coming Up

     

    The Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (“IILP”) is in the midst of a busy autumn, suggesting the old adage that there’s no rest for the “Wicked” may indeed be true. But things have been going so well – no small feat when you’re working toward more meaningful diversity and inclusion in the legal profession – who can blame us if we feel like we’re “Defying Gravity”? So, here’s an update on IILP!

    WHAT’S NEW

    Call for Papers

    Although we’re still in the midst of our current Symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion, we’re already looking ahead to next year and invite you to submit a paper for publication! Full details on the Call for Papers for the 2013 IILP Review on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession along with Author Guidelines can be found on our website at www.TheIILP.com.  

    IILP Advisory Board

    IILP is delighted to announce that Barack Echols from Kirkland & Ellis has joined IILP’s Advisory Board.

    IILP’s Up To the Minute News!

    Keep up with IILP’s up to the minute news and activities! “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @TheIILP for the latest information about IILP! And a special “thank you” to Betty Jang for updating and connecting IILP’s social media!

     

    WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

    Thurgood Marshall College Fund Award

    IILP took great pride in seeing our Chairman, Marc Firestone, receive the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Award. The award was to have been presented last year but Hurricane Sandy forced it to be postponed.

    The Ethics of Diversity and the Politics of Inclusion

    IILP’s October 1-2 fundraisers explored the intersection of the ethics that underlie the legal profession’s diversity efforts and the politics that impact efforts to become a truly inclusive profession. The discussion was robust, the Q&A lively, and we met our challenge grant! It was interesting to see how different the discussions were between Chicago and New York. We’re now working with a team of lawyers to summarize what we learned from both events and will make those available on our website.

    Thanks to everyone who took the time to attend either or both programs. Thanks especially to our panelists and moderators – Stuart A. Alderoty, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, HSBC North America Holdings, Inc.; Elisa D. Garcia C., Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Office Depot; Carrie J. Hightman, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, NiSource, Inc.; Deborah Lloyd, Associate General Counsel, General Electric; Barrington Lopez, Vice President and General Counsel – Midwest Area, Verizon Wireless; Willie Miller, Jr., Deputy General Counsel, Mondelēz International; Gerd Pleuhs, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Mondelēz International; Elke Suber, Senior Attorney, Microsoft Corporation; Cathy Tang, Chief Legal Officer, KFC Corporation; Michael A. Yap, Chief Legal Officer, Prudential Financial Investments – as well as our Host Committee members – Dan Boho of Hinshaw Culbertson; Brian Duwe of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom; John Mathias of Jenner & Block; Lorraine McGowen of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe; Terry Murphy of the Chicago Bar Association; Raj Shah of DLA Piper; Stanley B. Stallworth of Sidley Austin; Michael J. Wagner of Baker & McKenzie; and Tom White of Schiff Hardin – our friends at Mondelēz International and Chicago Chocolate Tours for the goody bag contents, and most especially to Baker & McKenzie and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe for generously hosting the two events.

    IILP in the UK

    IILP launched its new British charitable arm with two programs this fall.

    In Birmingham, DLA Piper kindly hosted IILP as we convened a roundtable discussion bringing together British and American lawyers to discuss diversity, equality and inclusion efforts outside the very largest metropolitan areas such as London and New York. Through a very spirited discussion, we learned that while the diversity issues were similar, resources to address them could differ significantly in cities where less attention is able to be directed toward these issues, thereby impacting diversity, equality and inclusion efforts overall. Our thanks to Sandra Wallace of DLA Piper; Satinder Hunjan QC of No. 5 Chambers; Shalini Sharma of RBS; Michael A. Yap of Prudential International Investments; and Sharon E. Jones of Jones Diversity Group for leading a thought-provoking session.

    London saw IILP with a capacity crowd and a waiting list to attend our Anglo-American Symposium on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in the Legal Profession. Presented in partnership with the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Law Society of England and Wales, panels of American and British lawyers discussed and debated internal diversity efforts within our firms, corporations and chambers; external efforts by corporate clients; and the role and responsibility of our professional organizations.  Thanks to RBS for hosting the London program and to our speakers: Genhi Givings Bailey and Louise Forrest from DLA Piper; Jacky Chase from 25 Bedford Row; John Collins from RBS Group; Sarah Gregory and Michael J. Wagner from Baker & McKenzie; Amanda Parshall from HSBC Holdings PLC; Sandie Okoro from Baring Asset Management; Gretchen Bellamy from Walmart; Michael A. Yap from Prudential International Investments; Sharon E. Jones from Jones Diversity Group; Jonathan Smithers from the Law Society; Maura McGowan QC from the Bar Council; Daniel Winterfeldt from InterLaw Diversity Forum; Deborah Froling from the National Association of Women Lawyers; and Gelaga King from 2 Bedford Row.

    IILP is beginning to plan its next UK/US programs. While we shall continue to present programs in the UK, we are also planning programs to bring British lawyers to the US to discuss some of these same topics with American lawyers.

     

    Symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

    IILP’s first four symposia on the state of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession were held earlier this month in Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas and Seattle. The discussions have been energetic and informative. We continue to see growing geographic and generational differences in the way diversity and inclusion is being experienced and addressed in different parts of the US. If you haven’t had a chance to attend one of this year’s symposia yet, there is still time to do so:

    • Chicago: Tuesday, December 3rd from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP (approved for 3 hours of IL Professional Responsibility CLE Credit)
    • New York: Tuesday, November 19th from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Jenner & Block LLP
    • Washington, D.C.: Wednesday, November 13th from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Baker & McKenzie

    To register for any symposium or to see which authors will be appearing at which symposia, go to www.TheIILP.com. Registration is $50 per person or $25 for members of co-sponsoring bar associations and other organizations, including the National Association of Women Lawyers (“NAWL”); National LGBT Bar Association; National Native American Bar Association (“NNABA”); the California Minority Counsel Program (“CMCP”); the New York State Bar Association Committee on Diversity and Inclusion; and the Chicago Committee. If your bar association or organization isn’t already a co-sponsor, encourage them to contact us at Info@TheIILP.com. Application has been secured or is being made for CLE accreditation for each symposium; check the website for updates.

    Thank you to Sidley Austin; the State Bar of California Council on Access and Fairness; the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles; Baker Botts; AT&T; Davis Wright Tremaine; and our Premier Sponsor, The Claro Group, for their help in making the symposia in Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas and Seattle such a success! On to Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago,  . . .  and San Diego! We’d originally planned only seven symposia this year but due to popular demand, it appears that we’ll be adding a San Diego date to the calendar either in December or early January. Watch our website at www.TheIILP.com or follow us @TheIILP.com for the latest information.

     

    New IILP Partners and Allies

    IILP is pleased to welcome its newest Partner, Kirkland & Ellis and to thank them for their support of and belief in IILP, its mission and its work. If your firm, company, agency, bar association, law school or other organization would like to become an IILP Partner or Ally, you may download the application form from www.TheIILP.com.

     

    IILP on the Road

    Philadelphia Bar Association’s Chancellor’s Forum

    IILP was invited to participate in Philadelphia Bar Association Chancellor Kathleen Wilkinson’s September forum on the Changing Parameters of Diversity. The discussion focused on changing trends in and evolving challenges to diversity and inclusion efforts in the legal profession.

    MIATTY Retreat

    IILP was honored to address the attendees at Mintz Levin’s MIATTY Retreat in Washington, D.C. It was a wonderful opportunity to engage in dialogue about real world issues, concerns and challenges to greater diversity and inclusion.

    Harvard Law School’s Celebration 60

    IILP moderated a panel on “The Diversity Among Us” at Harvard Law School’s celebration of the 60th anniversary of its first women graduates. The panel examined how the various diversity aspects of our identities shape the experiences and perspectives of professional women in the legal world and beyond. IILP Board Member Sharon E. Jones spoke on “Forming Alliances: Enhancing Women’s Power” about how women can effectively advance other women and why harnessing women’s collective power can increase women in positions of power and leadership around the world.

    Defense Research Institute

    IILP and its work was described and cited in the Defense Research Institute’s (“DRI”) new Diversity & Inclusion Manual.

    Filipino Lawyers of Washington

    IILP was pleased to be recognized at the Filipino Lawyers of Washington (“FLOW”) “Boorio Fiesta” in Seattle. Ray Ocampo’s keynote address provided a great deal of food for thought as he expanded upon the theme of masks and the costumes, decorations and Filipino food showed what a beautiful and imaginative event lawyers volunteers can present.

    WHAT’S COMING UP

     

    In addition to IILP’s upcoming symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession mentioned earlier, IILP will be speaking at the State Bar of Texas’ General Counsel Summit; the Chicago Bar Association’s Ethnic and Racial Diversity Committee and Young Lawyers Diversity Committee October program; and the NAPABA Convention in Kansas City. We hope that we’ll see you at one or more!

     

  • 21 Aug 2013 2:55 PM | Sandra Yamate (Administrator)

    In this Update:

    What’s New

    What’s Been Happening

    What’s Coming Up

     

    It can be a challenge to keep apprised of all the diversity and inclusion efforts going on so we thought it time to update you on the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP) and its activities and efforts.

     

    WHAT’S NEW

     

    IILP’s Up To the Minute News!

    Keep up with IILP’s up to the minute news and activities! “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @TheIILP for the latest information about IILP!

     

    Board Retirement

    With her retirement from the University of Washington School of Law, Dr. Sandra Madrid is also retiring from the IILP Board. Sandy has been an energetic and enthusiastic member of the board and we shall miss her wise counsel and guidance. While we’re sorry to lose her, we wish her well and confess our envy that she’s retiring while still youthful enough to enjoy it. Thank you, Sandy, for your hard work and dedication!

     

    IILP Advisory Board

    Please join us in welcoming the newest members of IILP’s Advisory Board:

    Andrew Lipton from Morgan Stanley

    Lorraine McGowen from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP

    Amanda Sommerfeld from Winston & Strawn LLP

     

    New IILP Review on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

    IILP has now released its new Review on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession. The IILP Review 2012 summarizes the relevant data and statistics through the end of 2012, presents essays and articles about different facets of diversity and inclusion – the diversity within diversity – and reports on some of the most interesting and promising strategies, programs, and initiatives that are being implemented within our profession. The new IILP Review can be downloaded from our website, www.TheIILP.com.

     

    For those who would like a hard copy, we have a limited number that will be available for those who attend one of our Symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession where we shall be featuring authors from the IILP Review who will speaking about their articles. This year, we’ll be presenting seven symposia:

     

    • Chicago: Tuesday, December 3rd from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
    • Dallas: Wednesday, October 23rd from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at AT&T
    • Houston: Tuesday, October 22nd from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Baker Botts LLP
    • Los Angeles: Tuesday, October 8th from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Sidley Austin LLP
    • New York: Tuesday, November 19th from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Jenner & Block LLP
    • Seattle: Friday, October 25th from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
    • Washington, D.C.: Wednesday, November 13th from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Baker & McKenzie

     

    To register for any symposium or to see which authors will be appearing at which symposia, go to www.TheIILP.com. Registration is $50 per person or $25 for members of co-sponsoring bar associations and other organizations: As of today, those are the National Association of Women Lawyers (“NAWL”); National LGBT Bar Association; National Native American Bar Association (“NNABA”); the California Minority Counsel Program (“CMCP”); and the Chicago Committee. If your bar association or organization isn’t already a co-sponsor, encourage them to contact us at Info@TheIILP.com. Application is being made for CLE accreditation for each symposium.

     

    Our thanks to AT&T, Baker Botts LLP, Baker & McKenzie, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Jenner & Block LLP, Sidley Austin LLP, and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP for hosting the symposia and to our Premier Sponsor, The Claro Group, whose support has made this publication and these symposia possible.

     

    The Ethics of Diversity and the Politics of Inclusion

    In this unprecedented and thought-provoking discussion, hear from corporate General Counsel and Chief Legal Officers on a topic they’ve rarely if ever discussed in public: A philosophical discussion about the ethics, politics, and disparate objectives that may be underlying the diversity and inclusion stalemate of recent years. This program, followed by a reception with our panel participants, will be part of IILP fundraisers that will be held on October 1st in Chicago and October 2nd in New York, both from 2:30 PM – 7:30 PM.

     

    IILP Chair Marc Firestone will be delivering the opening address followed by the roundtable discussion. Confirmed panelists to date include:

     

    Gerhard (Gerd) Pleuhs (Chicago)

    Executive Vice President & General Counsel

    Mondelēz International

     

    Hubert Allen (Chicago)

    Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

    Abbott

     

    Stuart A. Alderoty (Chicago and New York)

    Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel

    HSBC North America Holdings Inc.

     

    Elisa D. Garcia C. (Chicago and New York)

    Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

    Office Depot

     

    Michael A. Yap (New York)

    Chief Legal Officer

    Prudential Financial Investments

     

    Cathy Tang (Chicago)

    Chief Legal Officer

    KFC Corporation

     

    Carrie J. Hightman (Chicago)

    Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer

    NiSource Inc.

     

    Willie Miller, Jr. (Chicago/Moderator)

    Deputy General Counsel

    Mondelēz International

     

    Deborah Lloyd (New York/Moderator)

    Associate General Counsel

    General Electric

     

    (Visit www.TheIILP.com or follow us @TheIILP as we update each program with additional speakers.)

     

    And to make the events even more exciting, an anonymous donor has issued a challenge grant to IILP: If we are able to raise $50,000 from registration fees and other contributions collected in advance of, during, and immediately following these programs, IILP will earn an additional $25,000. Please help us meet this challenge! A single registration is $500; five individuals from a single organization may register together for $2,000. If you like what IILP is doing, we hope that you’ll support us! You can register at www.TheIILP.com.

     

    IILP gives very special thanks to Baker & McKenzie for hosting this event in Chicago and to Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, our New York hosts!

     

    IILP in the UK

    IILP is establishing itself as a charitable organization in the United Kingdom! Since many of the law firms and corporations with which we work also have a significant presence in the UK, we thought it made sense to start our global efforts there. Our UK arm will focus on educating lawyers in both countries about the similarities and differences in our diversity, equality and inclusion challenges, sharing information and strategies, and fostering greater collaboration between American and British lawyers seeking to enhance the diversity within our profession.  It is our intention to use this new British charitable organization as a vehicle to maintain a steady exchange of information and programming in both countries so as to build continuity and momentum. IILP Chair Marc Firestone very much enjoyed the opportunity to meet with representatives of various law firms and chambers in the UK earlier this summer and we’re all looking forward to an ongoing relationship with the British lawyers to whom  we’re been introducing IILP. We’re very appreciative of the support we’ve been receiving from the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Council of England and Wales as we launch this new effort. And we would be remiss if we didn’t thank Jane Hobson and Claire Roberts from Baker & McKenzie for handling the legal work to create the new organization.

     

    Our next UK programs are scheduled for October 16-17, 2013. On October 16th, IILP, along with the Law Society and the Bar Council, will be convening a roundtable discussion in Birmingham with lawyers from the Midlands to discuss and explore how diversity, equality and inclusion issues and efforts might differ from London. Marc Firestone will be leading the discussion. If you know lawyers in Birmingham or the Midlands region of the UK who might like to attend, please feel free to encourage their attendance and participation but they should register early as space is limited. Sincerest thanks to DLA Piper for hosting this meeting.

     

    On October 17th, IILP, along with the Law Society and the Bar Council, will be presenting an Anglo-American Symposium on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in the London offices of the Royal Bank of Scotland (“RBS”). In this session, IILP Chair Marc Firestone will be speaking about the legal profession’s diversity efforts in an international profession followed by panel discussions during which we’ll be exploring internal diversity, equality and inclusion efforts in law firms and corporate law department; external efforts by corporate clients; and leadership efforts by bar associations, law societies, and bar councils. If you are planning to be in London then, or if you have friends or colleagues in London who are interested in these issues, please encourage them to register to attend as space is limited.  We want to thank our friends at RBS for hosting this event.

     

    WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

     

    New IILP Partners and Allies

    IILP is pleased to welcome its newest Partner, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP and its newest Allies, Choate Hall & Stewart LLP and Morgan Stanley and to thank them for their support of and belief in IILP, its mission and its work. If your firm, company, agency, bar association, law school or other organization would like to become an IILP Partner or Ally, you may download the application form from www.TheIILP.com.

     

    IILP on the Road

    State Bar of Texas

    IILP was pleased to participate in the State Bar of Texas’ Hispanic Issues Forum in Austin. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear about some of the emerging issues in Texas as well as a chance to meet Lisa Tatum, the first African American woman president of the State Bar there. We also had the chance to get to know some extremely bright law students from the University of Texas whom we were later able to introduce to some of the law firms with which IILP works. Thanks to Dahlia Gutierrez and the rest of the host committee for their generous hospitality.

     

    State Bar of Wisconsin

    IILP enjoyed a visit to Madison, Wisconsin where we were honored to be a part of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Young Lawyers program, “Working Together to Lead Together: There is a “We” in Diversity.” Lead by the State Bar’s YLD Diversity Committee Chair, Crystal Banse, it was exciting to be part of such a lively and enthusiastic discussion. Look for some great things to be coming from the young lawyers of Wisconsin!

     

    Defense Research Institute

    IILP participated in the Defense Research Institute’s Diversity Alliance Roundtable Meeting. It was a great opportunity to spend a day with some of the diversity bar association/organization leaders and discuss collaboration and cooperation. We appreciate all the work that Doug Burrell and the folks at DRI put into organizing the meeting.

     

    American Bar Association

    IILP was invited to participate at the ABA Section of International Law’s Spring Meeting in April in Washington, D.C. where we were part of a program titled, “Diversity & Inclusion – A Business Necessity for Global Success” lead by Professor Cheryl Nichols. Later that same week, IILP presented two programs for the ABA Section of Litigation at its Section Annual Conference in Chicago: “The New Rules of the Game” and “The Business Case for Diversity.” Our thanks to the extraordinary speakers and moderators who shared their knowledge and expertise to make these programs successful:

     

    • The New Rules of the Game: Sharon E. Jones, Jones Diversity Group; Ann Chen, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company; Angela Frye, Verizon Wireless; and Martin Montes, Exelon.
    • The Business Case for Diversity: E. Macey Russell, Choate Hall & Stewart; John Mathias, Jenner & Block; Ilah Adkins, RBS Citizens Financial Group; Dorian Denburg, AT&T; Martin P. Greene, Greene and Letts; Nate Saint-Victor, Morgan Stanley; and Gary Ropski, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione.

    IILP was also part of a panel addressing diversity during the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco for the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (“TIPS”) Leadership Academy. The TIPS Leadership Academy is one of the best inclusion programs anywhere so it was a pleasure to get to be a part of it and see firsthand how it is continuing to grow.

     

    New York Outreach Meetings

    When you work in diversity and inclusion, you enjoy and appreciate all the interesting and inspiring people whom you get to meet. In May, IILP Chair Marc Firestone and IILP Board Member Stuart Alderoty spent a day in New York meeting with lawyers from corporations, law firms, public interest organizations, and others to introduce them to IILP and to learn about their work, to discuss the particular challenges they see in making the legal profession more diverse and inclusive, and to share thoughts and ideas about new efforts, directions, and strategies. IILP is very grateful to Cesar Alvarez, Mona Mehta Stone and Greenberg Traurig for hosting these meetings for us.

     

    London Outreach Meetings

    With help from Baker & McKenzie, the Law Society and the Bar Council, IILP convened similar meetings with lawyers in London to introduce them to IILP and to learn more about the perspectives and experiences of British lawyers dealing with diversity, equality and inclusion issues. We left feeling that we’d not only learned a great deal but that we’d also begun to make some new friends with whom we look forward to working with in the future.

     

    Conference of World City Bar Associations

    The Conference of World City Bar Associations convened its 2013 meeting in Frankfurt and IILP was invited to participate in that group’s first session devoted to diversity issues. The US was represented by the Chicago Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, and the Philadelphia Bar Association. Other bar associations that sent delegates included Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Brazil, Brussels, Frankfurt, Ho Chi Minh City, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Montreal, Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Toronto. There, IILP Chair Marc Firestone delivered one of the most brilliant addresses about diversity in a global legal profession ever heard! The excitement that his remarks generated among the delegates was palpable! The general consensus was that Marc’s address was the first time many of the delegates had ever heard someone speak about the need for diversity in the legal profession in a way that made sense beyond US borders.

     

    American Bar Foundation

    IILP was pleased to serve as a commentator to a presentation that the American Bar Foundation’s Director, Robert Nelson, was making to the National Association for Law Placement and the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals about ABF’s “After the J.D.” research. “After the J.D.” and ABF’s Legal Diversity Research Group are bringing together some of the most interesting academic research about diversity at its annual conference and it was an honor to be able to publicly recognize the important role they are playing.

     

    Minority In-House Counsel Association

    IILP also participated in the inaugural Minority In-House Counsel Association Conference. IILP was part of a panel addressing the topic of, “Real Change Now: Effective Strategies for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion.” We helped interview KFC Chief Legal Counsel Cathy Tang for the luncheon program. If you haven’t heard Cathy before, make an effort to attend something where she is speaking. Attendees were very excited by what she had to say, especially about the role and responsibility that in-house counsel should play in supporting the careers of diverse lawyers.

     

    WHAT’S COMING UP

     

    In addition to IILP’s programs on “The Ethics of Diversity and the Politics of Inclusion” and the symposia on the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession mentioned earlier, IILP has a busy autumn in the works. We’ll be participating in a number of law firms’ and corporate law departments’ internal diversity programs and conferences as well as completing our report on the findings from our Measure of Success research study.

     

    Lavender Law

    IILP is pleased that its report, “The Business Case for Diversity: Reality or Wishful Thinking?” is going to be used as a handout for a session on “A Day in the Life of a Managing Partner” at this month’s Lavender Law Conference in San Francisco. If our work is able to support and supplement the work of organizations such as the National LGBT Bar Association, then we are fulfilling part of our mission.

     

    Philadelphia Bar Association

    IILP is honored to be a participant in the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Chancellor’s Forum on “The Changing Parameters of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession” on September 10, 2013. It should be a lively discussion and if you are in the area, we hope that you’ll attend.

     

    Thank You!

    IILP was delighted to have University of Illinois student Janet Lee working as an intern with us this summer. Janet just took the LSAT and will be starting her senior year this fall. We’re grateful for all her hard work! One of her assignments was something that we’ll be sharing a little later: Given the expense of law school, the slow job market that awaits new law school graduates, and the statistical evidence that women and racial/ethnic minorities encounter disproportionate challenges within this profession, why would a woman or minority want to become a lawyer? Janet met with lawyers and judges from a variety of practice settings and generations to hear about their experiences and perspectives, learn about their career successes and regrets, and solicit their opinions before reaching her own conclusion: She still wants to be a lawyer! IILP will be publishing her paper so that you and students who are considering a legal career can see how and why she reached her decision.

     

    And thank YOU for the interest that you’ve shown in the IILP. We hope that you’re pleased by the work we’re doing and we welcome hearing from you!  Be sure to let us know if your email address changes so that you can continue to be kept apprised of our activities.

     

  • 25 Feb 2013 3:04 PM | Sandra Yamate (Administrator)

    In this Update:

    What’s New

    What’s Been Going On

    What’s Happening

    What’s Coming Up

    What You Can Do to Get Involved with IILP

     

    It can be a challenge to keep apprised of all the diversity and inclusion efforts going on so we thought it time to update you on the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP) and its activities and efforts.

    WHAT’S NEW

    Stuart A. Alderoty to be Honored

    IILP is pleased and proud to report that our Board Member, Stuart A. Alderoty, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel for HSBC North America Holdings, Inc., will be honored by the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) with its 2013 Corporate Counsel Leadership Award. The award will be presented during AABANY’s Annual Dinner on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 in New York City. For more information about the event, please visit www.aabany.org.

    WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON

    Model Rules Initiative

    IILP believes that among the many reasons why the legal profession pursues greater diversity and inclusion, the most important is that it is the right thing to do. With that in mind, on September 14, 2012, IILP Chair Marc Firestone and American Bar Association (ABA) Illinois State Delegate Robert A. Clifford, sent a letter to leaders of the ABA suggesting that the ABA amend its Model Rules of Professional Conduct to include a section under which efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal profession would become a matter of ethics and professional conduct. We believe that such an amendment would stimulate positive change for the legal profession. Disappointingly, the ABA does not agree, or perhaps just doesn’t understand this approach to diversity and inclusion. We’ve posted their long-awaited response on the IILP website. But, if you know IILP, you also know that we don’t make suggestions without putting some thought into them. Therefore, IILP is planning to move forward with “Plan B.” We’re in the process of assembling a team of young (and young-at-heart) lawyers who want to become experts in this area and who will be prepared to speak on the topic and lead local efforts. If you are interested in becoming part of this, please let us know: Sandra.Yamate@TheIILP.com.

    Measure of Success

    There’s just three weeks left to make sure that your opinion counts!

    Tell us what YOU think the legal profession’s long- and short-term diversity and inclusion goals ought to be. What do YOU think different segments of the profession – law firms, corporate law departments, government agencies, and bar associations – could, should, and are doing to further those diversity and inclusion goals and objectives?

    All individual answers are completely anonymous and will remain confidential. Please participate in the study and encourage your friends and colleagues to do so as well.

    Click here to take survey
    It will remain open until March 15, 2013.

     

    Harvard Law School Negotiation and Mediation Clinic

    IILP and the Harvard Law School Negotiation and Mediation Clinic have just completed Phase II of our joint research project studying how large law firms handle internal communication issues around sensitive topics such as perceptions of bias. The law firm that was selected to be the subject of Phase II’s study was so pleased with the substantive results of the law students’ research and the action items that came out of their work that they are underwriting the students’ travel so that they may make a presentation about their findings for the firm’s Chairperson and Executive Committee. Needless to say, the students are thrilled and everyone at IILP is delighted that this project has been able to generate useful and usable information for the firm. While we are working to report our findings from this research, we are also looking for firms that would like to be considered as the case studies for Phases III and IV.

     

    IILP on the Road

    IILP was pleased to participate in the Just the Beginning Conference in Chicago in September. Board Member Sharon E. Jones spoke on two panels during the conference.

     

    In October, IILP joined in a panel presentation about diversity in the profession for the Association of Legal Administrators. Our thanks to Kyle Woodward and the other leaders in ALA for organizing such an interesting and lively discussion.

     

    IILP was also honored to participate in the Practising Law Institute’s (PLI) 2013 Diversity and Inclusion in Law Practice Program. Our congratulations to conference co-chairs Lorraine McGowen and Anna L. Brown for developing and facilitating another thought-provoking series of sessions.

     

    On February 25, 2013, IILP CEO Sandra Yamate served as the keynote speaker for Northwestern University Law School’s annual Heritage Month celebrations by the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. It was a well-attended event – no doubt due more to the free bento lunches provided than Sandra as a draw – and, as always when speaking to students, a great deal of fun.

     

    WHAT’S HAPPENING

    The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

    The 2012 “IILP Review: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession,” your one-stop source for this and other information relevant to all types of diversity and inclusion in all facets and practice settings from all over the country is in production. This collection of the most current and cutting edge information about diversity and inclusion in the legal profession is a valuable tool for anyone working on diversity and inclusion issues and anyone interested in educating themselves or others about different facets of diversity and inclusion. Like last year, in conjunction with the release of the Review, we’ll also be presenting symposia around the country during which we’ll report on our findings and discuss current trends, new initiatives, and promising strategies. The symposia are planned for Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Dates and other details for the symposia will be announced shortly.

     

    Our thanks to The Claro Group for their sponsorship of The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession.

     

    WHAT’S COMING UP

    State Bar of Texas

    On February 28, 2013, IILP will be participating in the “Diversity Issues” program at the State Bar of Texas’ Hispanic Issues Section conference. This daylong event is bringing together some of the most energetic and interesting Hispanic lawyers in Texas and we’re excited to be a part of it.

     

    State Bar of Wisconsin

    IILP is honored to be invited to be part of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Young Lawyers Leadership Conference. The conference will take place on March 22, 2013 in Madison.

     

    Defense Research Institute Diversity Alliance Summit

    Our friends at the Defense Research Institute (DRI) are convening a summit of representatives from national diversity organizations and other organizations that work on diversity issues on March 26, 2013 in Chicago. IILP will be one of a number of organizations in attendance.

     

    ABA Section of International Law

    IILP will be part of a panel titled, “Diversity and Inclusion – A Business Necessity for Global Success” as part of the ABA Section of International Law’s Spring Meeting on April 23, 2013 in Washington, D.C. The program, which is being organized by Professor Cheryl Nichols of Howard Law School, will examine how today’s global marketplace makes diversity even more critical to business success.

     

    ABA Section of Litigation

    On April 25-26, 2013, as part of the ABA Section of Litigation’s Spring Conference, IILP will be presenting two programs. On April 25, IILP will be presenting, “The New Rules of the Game,” lead by Board Member Sharon E. Jones with panelists Ann Chen, Angie Frye and Martin Montes. On April 26, we’ll present, “The Business Case for Diversity: Reality or Wishful Thinking?” where Board Member John Mathias, Jr. will present an overview of the findings from IILP’s report of the same name followed by a panel discussion lead by E. Macey Russell and featuring Ilah Adkins, Dorian Denburg, Martin P. Greene, Gary Ropski, and Nate Saint-Victor. Our thanks to Conference Co-Chairs Eileen M. Letts and Mary Smith for giving IILP an opportunity to be part of the Section Annual Conference.

     

    Illinois State Bar

    IILP will be part of the Illinois State Bar Association’s diversity CLE program on May 13, 2013 in Chicago. We’ll be part of a session on “Achieving Diversity in Your Law Firm: Business Advantage and Best Practice.”

     

    Industrial Strength Diversity and Inclusion

    As mentioned in an earlier update, IILP is starting a new series of programs designed to look at diversity and inclusion efforts and strategies as they exist within industries. Among the industries that IILP will be examining are insurance, healthcare, defense contracting and aerospace, financial services, energy, food and beverages, and retail. As these programs get scheduled, we’ll announce them in future updates and post them on the IILP website at www.TheIILP.com.

    There is quite a bit more coming from IILP in the next several months so be sure to let us know if your email address changes so that you can continue to be kept apprised of our activities.

     

     

     

    Sandra S. Yamate

    CEO

    INSTITUTE FOR INCLUSION IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
    321 S. Plymouth Court

    Chicago, IL 60604

    (312) 628-5885

    Mobile: (312) 375-8271

    Sandra.Yamate@TheIILP.com

    www.TheIILP.com

  • 25 Oct 2012 3:01 PM | Sandra Yamate (Administrator)

    In this Update:

    What’s New

    What’s Been Going On

    What’s Happening

    What’s Coming Up

     

    Greetings from the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession ("IILP")! You’ve likely received our earlier notices about some of our new efforts but knowing how busy everyone is, we thought you might appreciate a quick update on IILP’s other activities.

    WHAT’S NEW

    Justice John Paul Stevens Award

    The Justice John Paul Stevens Award is the highest award that the Chicago legal community can bestow upon a lawyer. The award recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated extraordinary integrity and service to the community throughout their careers. IILP is delighted to share the news that our own Willie Miller, Jr., a member of our Board of Directors and the Chair of IILP’s Advisory Board, will be one of the recipients of the 2012 Justice John Paul Stevens Awards. The awards, given by the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Foundation, will be presented during a luncheon on October 2, 2012. Justice Stevens will be delivering the keynote address. For more information or to reserve tickets, visit www.ChicagoBar.org.

    Thurgood Marshall College Fund Awards of Excellence

    The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (“TMCF”) is the only national organization founded for the sole purpose of providing scholarships to students attending the nation's public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In addition to scholarships, TMCF provides leadership development and training as well as programmatic and capacity building support to its 47 member-schools. IILP is proud and honoured that TMCF has selected our Chair, Marc Firestone, to be the recipient of one of its 2012 Awards of Excellence Awards of Excellence. The awards will be presented in Chicago on November 1, 2012 at Sidley Austin LLP. If you are able to attend, a copy of the invitation is attached.

     

    IILP Social Media Committee

    IILP wants to connect with you! Thanks to the hard work of our Social Media Committee, IILP is now on Facebook and LinkedIn.  You’ll be getting an invitation to link to us and we hope that you’ll decide to “Like” us, too! Thanks to our Social Media Committee Co-Chairs, Floyd Holloway, Jr. and Tom White and committee members Adam Bottner, Ann Chen, Jeremy Daniel, Lalania Gilkey-Johnson, Akira Heshiki, Betty Jang, Barrington Lopez, Sucheta Misra, Marci Rubin, and Mona Thakkar for all their work in developing IILP’s Social Media Use Policy and getting us connected.

     

    WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON

    Model Rules Initiative

    IILP believes that among the many reasons why the legal profession pursues greater diversity and inclusion, the most important is that it is the right thing to do. With that in mind, on September 14, 2012, IILP Chair Marc Firestone and American Bar Association (“ABA”) Illinois State Delegate Robert A. Clifford, sent a letter to leaders of the ABA suggesting that the ABA amend its Model Rules of Professional Conduct to include a section under which efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal profession would become a matter of ethics and professional conduct. We believe that such an amendment would stimulate positive change for the legal profession. If you would like to read the letter, it is attached here.

    Measure of Success

    When the legal profession talks about achieving greater diversity and inclusion, what does that mean? Is there any clear consensus within the legal profession as to the ultimate diversity and inclusion goals and objectives that we are pursuing?

    IILP, working with the Association of Legal Administrators, hopes to answer this, and other questions, with its research study “The Measure of Success.”” The Measure of Success” is an online study that seeks to determine what the legal profession’s short- and long-term diversity and inclusion goals and objectives are. It looks at how the legal profession measures or would recognize diversity and inclusion success. It inquires into the appropriate bases against which to measure diversity and inclusion efforts. It examines whether the profession values some types of diversity more than others. And it considers what different segments of the profession – law firms, corporate law departments, government agencies, and bar associations – could, should, and are doing to further those diversity and inclusion goals and objectives.

    Lawyers, judges, law students, academics, legal administrators, diversity professionals, bar association staff – anyone who is part of the legal profession is invited to respond to the survey. All individual answers are completely anonymous and will remain confidential. Please participate in the study and encourage your friends and colleagues to do so as well.

    Click here to take survey
    It will remain open until March 15, 2013.

     

    WHAT’S HAPPENING

    Harvard Law School Negotiation and Mediation Clinic

    IILP and the Harvard Law School Negotiation and Mediation Clinic have launched the next phase of our joint research project studying how large law firms handle internal communication issues around sensitive topics such as perceptions of bias.

    The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

    If you are interested in issues of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, you know that it isn't always easy to find the information you need quickly and reliably. What are the most current diversity and inclusion statistics? What are the cutting edge diversity research efforts by legal academics? What are the most promising strategies clients, employers and bar associations are implementing? What are the new programs and efforts about which you want to be aware?

    The 2012 “IILP Review: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession,” your one-stop source for this and other information relevant to all types of diversity and inclusion in all facets and practice settings from all over the country is in production. This collection of the most current and cutting edge information about diversity and inclusion in the legal profession is a valuable tool for anyone working on diversity and inclusion issues and anyone interested in educating themselves or others about different facets of diversity and inclusion. Like last year, in conjunction with the release of the Review, we’ll also be presenting symposia around the country during which we’ll report on our findings and discuss current trends, new initiatives, and promising strategies. The symposia are planned for Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Dates and other details for the symposia will be announced shortly.

    Our thanks to The Claro Group for their sponsorship of 2012 The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession.

     

    WHAT’S COMING UP

    Industrial Strength Diversity and Inclusion

    As mentioned in an earlier update, IILP is starting a new series of programs designed to look at diversity and inclusion efforts and strategies as they exist within industries. Among the industries that IILP will be examining are insurance, healthcare, defense contracting and aerospace, financial services, energy, food and beverages, and retail. As these programs get scheduled, we’ll announce them in future updates and post them on the IILP website at www.TheIILP.com.

     

    The Business Case for Diversity: Reality or Wishful Thinking?

    IILP’s report, “The Business Case for Diversity: Reality or Wishful Thinking?” continues to generate a great deal of interest. Therefore, IILP is partnering with some of its Partner Law Firms and bar associations to facilitate discussions about the findings and strategies that lawyers in different cities might find useful in making the business case for diversity more effective. We’ll announce dates and locations in future updates and on the IILP website.

     

     

    Sandra S. Yamate

    CEO

    INSTITUTE FOR INCLUSION IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
    321 S. Plymouth Court

    Chicago, IL 60604

    (312) 628-5885

    Mobile: (312) 375-8271

    Sandra.Yamate@TheIILP.com

    www.TheIILP.com

  • 01 Aug 2012 2:42 PM | Sandra Yamate (Administrator)

    Dear Friends:

    My name is Kim Hogrefe. In addition to being a member of the IILP Board of Directors, I serve as the Financial Officer for the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (“TIPS”). You should have recently received an update on IILP programs and activities from our CEO, Sandra Yamate. The IILP Board and I wanted to offer an addendum to Sandra’s update as she modestly omitted to mention something of which the rest of us at IILP are very proud: TIPS will be presenting Sandra with its Liberty Achievement Award during the 2012 ABA Annual Meeting. The Liberty Achievement Award was created in 2008 to honor lawyers and judges who take a leadership role by demonstrating, through choices made in their careers and work done in private and/or public-sector positions, that they have actively promoted diversity in the legal profession. The award will be presented on Friday, August 3rd during the TIPS Welcome and Diversity Reception at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $75. If you plan to be in Chicago for the ABA Annual Meeting, I hope that you’ll stop by. In the meantime, please join my fellow IILP Board members and me as we congratulate Sandra on a well-deserved honor.

     

    Kim D. Hogrefe

  • 01 Aug 2012 2:38 PM | Sandra Yamate (Administrator)

    In this Update:

    • What's New
    • What’s Been Going On
    • What’s Happening
    • What’s Coming Up
    • What You Can Do to Get Involved with IILP

    Summer greetings from the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession ("IILP")! Whatever happened to the notion of summer being a time to slow down, relax, and take some time off? It seems that everyone, including IILP, is as busy as ever!

     

    WHAT’S NEW

     

    New IILP Board Members and Advisory Board Members

    Please join us in welcoming the newest members of the IILP Board of Directors:

    • Stuart A. Alderoty – Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel for HSBC North America Holdings, Inc.
    • Brian W. Duwe – Partner, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
    • Elisa D. Garcia C. – Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Office Depot
    • Thomas P. White – Partner, Schiff Hardin LLP

    We’re also pleased to introduce you to the newest additions to the IILP Advisory Board:

    • Ilah Adkins – Vice-President, Legal Counsel, RBS Citizens N.A.
    • Bonita K. Black – Partner, Frost Brown & Todd LLC
    • Sandra Langs – Human Resources and Professional Development Director, Phillips Lytle LLP
    • Raj N. Shah – Partner, DLA Piper LLP

    The IILP Board and Advisory Board will continue to lead us in our quest for Real change. Now.

     

    Lawrence R. Baca to be Honored

    IILP Board Member Lawrence R. Baca, a past president of the Federal Bar Association and a three-time past president of the National Native American Bar Association who spent over thirty years working in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, will be honored with the American Bar Association’s Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities’ Thurgood Marshall Award during the 2012 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago next week. We’re all very proud of Lawrence and pleased to see him recognized with this prestigious and well-deserved award. For more information, visit www.AmericanBar.org.

     

    WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON

     

    Diverse Partners Network – Washington, D.C.

    IILP Chair Marc Firestone, Executive Vice President of Corporate and Legal Affairs and General Counsel of Philip Morris International, very much enjoyed speaking to and meeting with the members of the Diverse Partners Network in Washington, D.C. The questions that the members posed were provocative and the discussions stimulating! Our thanks to Ben Wilson, David Douglass, and Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP for making this possible.

     

    ABA Section of Business Law

    IILP participated in the ABA Section of Business Law’s 2012 Business Bar Leaders Conference where we examined the particular challenges that state and local bar associations encounter as they try to recruit, retain and engage lawyers who are racial and ethnic minorities in their work and leadership. Moderator Conrad Goodkind and our fellow panelist Wendi Kromash helped lead a lively and very interactive discussion.

     

    Law Preview

    IILP was happy to partner with Law Preview to award scholarships for Law Preview’s law school preparatory program to five incoming students at Loyola Law School – Chicago. The students – Jarrett Adams, Jason Cerecedes, Shamoyita DasGupta, Kristen Kawaguchi, and Nathan Howze – were selected from a highly competitive group of applicants whose outstanding credentials left our IILP selection committee relieved not to be involved in law school admissions decisions!

     

    Women and Minorities: Willing Partners or Reluctant Allies?

    IILP and the National Association of Women Lawyers (“NAWL”) have launched a series of programs exploring whether women and minorities collaborate as effectively as they might to advance diversity and inclusion goals, and, if they do not, examining what might be done to foster stronger and more effective collaborative efforts. We presented the program in Chicago with the Chicago Bar Association and again in New York at the NAWL Annual Meeting and plan to present it in other locations around the country as we seek to delve further into some of the interesting regional /geographic differences (Hello, Hawaii!) and generational issues that are coming to the fore. If you think the lawyers in your city would benefit from the program, please let us know. We’ll be posting the dates and cities for upcoming presentations  as we schedule them and hope that you’ll join us when we’re in a location near you.

     

    Candid Conversations: Diversity and Inclusion and the Roles and Responsibilities of Corporate In-House Counsel

    IILP kicked off its “Candid Conversations” series by leading a discussion with a number of in-house counsel for the US Law Firms Group at their meeting in Louisville. There was a very frank discussion about the effectiveness of traditional corporate client-lead diversity and inclusion efforts, whether there are new strategies that ought to be tried, and, if so, what those strategies are. Our in-house panelists enjoyed the opportunity to really examine diversity strategies and the law firms in attendance welcomed the candid insights that they offered. Our thanks to Bonita Black and Frost Brown & Todd LLC for inviting us to participate.

     

    Diversity and Inclusion: The Future of Boston Law Firms in a Global Economy

    IILP Chair Marc Firestone addressed the Boston Bar Association to explain IILP’s work followed by a panel discussion during which he and other corporate in-house counsel leaders such as Mark D. Roellig, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company; Krish Gupta, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, EMC Corporation; and Rachael Rollins, General Counsel , Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority  discussed the challenges facing law firms in smaller cities as they compete in a global marketplace and the impact that their diversity and inclusion efforts can play. Thank you to our host and program moderator E. Macey Russell, Boston Bar Association President Lisa C. Goodheart, President-Elect J.D. Smeallie, Executive Director Rich Page, and Diversity Committee Co-Chair Renee Landers for allowing IILP to be involved in a very thought-provoking program.

     

    Defense Research Institute

    IILP presented the findings from its report, “The Business Case for Diversity: Reality or Wishful Thinking?” and discussed the implications for the defense bar at the DRI Diversity for Success Seminar in Chicago. We also participated in a program discussing the glass ceiling and current issues facing women lawyers. DRI’s Diversity for Success conference is one of the most interesting and informative programs we’ve attended and one where we learned quite a lot ourselves. Doug Burrell, Rosevelie Marquez Morales, and Pamela Goldsmith are to be commended for the amazing programs they put together.

     

    State Bar of Texas Diversity Forum

    IILP was honored to be among the participants at the Diversity Forum presented by the State Bar of Texas. The discussion was wide-ranging and engaging and for that we thank our fellow panelists Shauna Clark, Amy Davis and moderator Evangeline Mitchell. If you haven’t met Evangeline but are concerned about pipeline issues for African Americans, visit the website for her National Black Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair at www.blackprelawconference.com.

     

    WHAT’S HAPPENING

     

    Harvard Law School Negotiation and Mediation Clinic

    IILP is pleased to announce that it is continuing its partnership with the Harvard Law School Negotiation and Mediation Clinic to study how law firm and their lawyers communicate internally on sensitive topics such as perceptions of bias. This is Phase Two of a project that began in 2010 and is part of an ongoing effort to identify strategies, policies and protocols that law firms can implement to facilitate clearer and more accurate communication across lines of difference. If you know of a large law firm that would be willing to participate in the study in future years, please let us know.

     

    2012 IILP Review of the State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession

    Under the leadership of Professor Elizabeth Chambliss at New York Law School, the data from last year’s report is being updated. We’re receiving some fascinating articles about diversity and inclusion in the legal profession that we think you’ll find just as stimulating and thought-provoking as last year’s Review, if not more so!

    We expect to publish the 2012 IILP Review in the fall and will be hosting seven symposia highlighting facets of the Review shortly thereafter in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C. We’ll be announcing dates in a few weeks. Out thanks to The Claro Group for its continued sponsorship of this publication and the symposia.

     

    If your law firm, corporation, bar association or other organization would like to place an ad in this year’s IILP Review, sponsorship opportunities are available and are attached to this email.

     

    Metropolitan Bar Associations Caucus

    The leaders from a number of metropolitan bar associations from around the US and Canada will be convening at the Chicago Bar Association on August 2nd to discuss how they might better collaborate and share resources in areas such as diversity and inclusion efforts and programming and law practice management resources. IILP will be making a presentation about programs we can offer to metropolitan bar associations to support their efforts.

     

    Diversity and Inclusion in Mid-Size Cities

    The Future of Law Firms in Mid-Size Cities in a Global Economy

    Candid Conversations: Diversity and Inclusion and the Roles and Responsibilities of Corporate In-House Counsel

    IILP’s programs are garnering a great deal of interest. The programs we presented earlier this year in St. Louis, Louisville and Boston are proving to be popular models that can be tailored for the particular challenges and demographics of other cities. We are in the process of putting together a schedule of presentations for other cities; if you think that your city would welcome such a program and are willing to help bring one of these sessions to your local area, please let us know.

     

    WHAT’S COMING UP

     

    Industrial-Strength Diversity and Inclusion

    Sometimes, it’s a matter of perspective.

     

    In art and architecture, perspective can change one’s view and perceptions. From ink blots to Vatican Museum masterpieces to the columns of the Parthenon or the Colonnade in St. Peter’s Square, perspective influences what we see and changes what we understand.

     

    The legal profession has been addressing the lack of diversity and inclusion within its ranks for decades.  We’ve looked at it in terms of the type of diversity (gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.), practice settings (corporate in-house, law firms, etc.), geography (state and local bar diversity programs and conferences), practice areas (litigation, labor and employment law, business law, etc.), and even the intersection of some or all of these. Yet our profession remains one of the least diverse in America.

     

    If it is true that corporate clients can drive diversity and inclusion in the legal profession – and they have certainly been effective at garnering attention for the diversity challenges that the legal profession faces – then one might reasonably expect that all the attention paid to diversity and inclusion initiatives initiated as a result of client demands might have yielded far greater success. That it has not suggests that corporate clients might not in fact have the ability to influence the rest of the profession, or that they’ve not fully exercised their influence, or that they have yet to find the best way to do so. Perhaps a different perspective is needed.

     

    With that in mind, the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (“IILP”) is launching a series of programs designed to look at the lack of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession from a new perspective, that of the various industries that comprise the legal profession’s business clients.

     

    “Industrial-Strength Diversity and Inclusion” will delve into how different industries – e.g., financial services, consumer goods, technology – are addressing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. It will look at each industry’s diversity and inclusion objectives, seek to understand the driving forces for diversity and inclusion in that industry, and examine relevant strategies and promising initiatives on an industry-wide basis so that those in the same arena – business partners, competitors, suppliers, regulators, etc. – can discuss and explore what clients in that industry – and the outside counsel who seek to provide their legal services – can, are, and should be doing to promote greater diversity and inclusion in their law departments, among their outside counsel, and within the broader legal profession. Participants will gain greater insights into, and understanding of, the forces at work in driving the diversity and inclusion efforts of different industries so as to better identify and implement those strategies best-suited to be effective in a given industry.

     

    A schedule for the programs will be posted on the IILP website at www.TheIILP.com as they become available.

     

    GETTING INVOLVED WITH IILP

     

    New IILP Partners and Allies

    IILP is pleased to welcome its newest Partner, Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP and its newest Ally, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and to thank them for their support of and belief in IILP, its mission and its work. If your firm, company, agency, bar association, law school or other organization would like to become an IILP Partner or Ally, you may download the application form from www.TheIILP.com.

     

    Thank you again for the interest that you’ve shown in the IILP. We hope that you’re pleased by the work we’re doing and we welcome hearing from you!

     

     

     

  • 03 May 2012 4:40 PM | Sandra Yamate (Administrator)

    Here's a reminder about some upcoming IILP programs and activities:

     

    Diverse Partners Network – Washington, D.C.

    IILP Chair Marc Firestone, Executive Vice President of Corporate and Legal Affairs and General Counsel of Philip Morris International, will be speaking to and meeting with the members of the Diverse Partners Network in Washington, D.C. on May 7, 2012 beginning at 6:00 PM at Shook Hardy & Bacon, 1155 F Street, NW. Please RSVP to Non Colbert at vcolbert@shb.com.

     

    Women and Minorities: Willing Partners or Reluctant Allies?

    IILP, the National Association of Women Lawyers (“NAWL”), and the Chicago Bar Association will explore whether women and minorities collaborate as effectively as they might to advance diversity and inclusion goals, and, if they do not, what might be done to foster stronger and more effective collaborative efforts. One session will take place with the Chicago Bar Association at its headquarters on May 16th from 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM and the other in New York during NAWL’s Annual Meeting on July 19th. The Chicago presentation will provide 1.75 hours of Professional Responsibility CLE credit. To register for the Chicago presentation, go to www.chicagobar.org and click on the CLE tab for Seminars.

     

    Candid Conversations: Diversity and Inclusion and the Roles and Responsibilities of Corporate In-House Counsel

    IILP will be kicking off its “Candid Conversations” series by leading a discussion with a number of in-house counsel for the US Law Firms Group at their meeting in Louisville, May 17-18. We’ll be discussing the effectiveness of traditional corporate client-lead diversity and inclusion efforts, whether there are new strategies that ought to be tried, and, if so, what those strategies are.

     

    Diversity and Inclusion: The Future of Boston Law Firms in a Global Economy

    IILP Chair Marc Firestone will be addressing the Boston Bar Association on June 5th to discuss IILP’s work followed by a panel discussion during which he and other corporate in-house counsel leaders such as Mark D. Roellig, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company will be discussing the challenges facing law firms in smaller cities as they compete in a global marketplace and the impact that their diversity and inclusion efforts can play.

     

    Defense Research Institute

    IILP will be presenting the findings from its report, “The Business Case for Diversity: Reality or Wishful Thinking?” and discussing the implications for the defense bar at the DRI Diversity for Success Seminar in Chicago on June 7-8. We’ll also be participating in a program discussing the glass ceiling and current issues facing women lawyers.

     

    And, don’t forget . . .

    If you’d like to highlight noteworthy diversity and inclusion efforts by your law firm, law department, law school, bar association or other organization for the rest of the legal profession submissions for the Practice Round-Up for the 2012 “IILP Review: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession” are due by May 25, 2012. Submissions should be emailed to Review@TheIILP.com. For more information about the Practice Round-Up and the “IILP Review: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession,” visit www.TheIILP.com.

  • 03 May 2012 4:37 PM | Sandra Yamate (Administrator)

    Highlight noteworthy diversity and inclusion efforts for the rest of the legal profession in the “IILP Review 2012: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession!”

     

    If your law firm, law department, agency, bar association, or other organization has a particularly successful or innovative program or initiative, or has published a new report, or has released the results of new research you’ve undertaken that helps advance diversity and inclusion efforts in the legal profession and you think other members of the profession would benefit from knowing about it, spread the word about your efforts! IILP is now compiling its Practice Round-Up which will be included in the “IILP Review 2012: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession” which will be published this fall. The Practice Round-Up is your chance to highlight your diversity and inclusion efforts and celebrate your successes with your colleagues around the US and abroad.

    Submissions should include the following:

    • Name of the Organization
    • Name of the Project, Program, Research, or Report
    • Purpose or Objective of the Project, Program, Research, or Report
    • Description and background of the Project, Program or Report
    • Explanation about how the Project or Program operates or the methodology of the Research or Report
    • How many lawyers, law students, judges, students, etc. were/are involved?
    • What kind of costs did the Project, Program, Research or Report require?
    • What was the source of funding?
    • Does the Project, Program, Research or Report require paid staff? If so, how many and for how much time?
    • What have been the benefits of this Project, Program, Research, or Report?
    • What obstacles might someone trying to replicate this reasonably expect to encounter?
    • Who is the contact person for someone interested in learning more about this? (Please provide a name, telephone number and email address.)

    Submissions are due by May 25, 2012. Submissions should be emailed to Review@TheIILP.com
   
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