Leading Change: Strategies and Innovations for Building the Diverse and Inclusive Legal Organizations of the Future

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has emerged as the tagline by which organizations demonstrate their commitment to increasing representation in the legal profession among traditionally underrepresented groups. But what does DEI look like in practice and how can legal organizations striving to improve their diversity profiles learn from missteps of the past? This program examines some of the new and emerging strategies, policies, and innovative programs that law firm managers and corporate legal departments are implementing to drive meaningful change in DEI in the legal profession. This program will benefit all stakeholders with an interest in cultivating the diverse and inclusive legal organizations of the future.

1. Provide a contextual background/status report on diversity statistics in the legal profession among mid-sized to large firms with regard to gender, race/ethnicity, ability status, sexual orientation, and other identifiers
2. Discuss the importance and significance of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the current legal marketplace
3. Identify new policies and strategies for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in legal organizations, with an emphasis on talent recruitment and retention
4. Discuss developing trends around diversity and inclusion in marketing and business development for legal organizations seeking to retain clients and engage new clients
5. Provide guidance and best practices for organizations to drive meaningful change in their diversity profiles for the future