Black EOE Journal www.blackeoejournal.com 27
Improving law firm diversity is imperative for any firm hoping to compete in the marketplace. That was true before the pandemic, and it's still true today, despite how much more difficult it may be to achieve this goal.
Nominations for "rising star" and other programs are typically due in spring, and gathering client testimonials, case examples and other supporting materials can be time- consuming and logistically challenging under normal circumstances. And we know the required effort (which of course comes on top of keeping up with billable work), combined with the often-gendered tendency to be more reticent about self-promotion, means that award nominees can be less than representative pg!b!snt!ejwfstjuz!bozxbz/! This year, women bearing the brunt of new childcare and homeschooling responsibilities, along with those who care for extended family members, had even less bandwidth and energy to put themselves forward for industry honors. What can your team do to ensure that your bxbse!opnjofft!sffdu!uif!usvf!ejwfstjuz!pg!zpvs! emerging lawyers, rather than an oversampling of those privileged enough to have more spare time on their hands? Make evaluations more transparent and consider what "fairness" means right now. In addition to thinking about the intersection pg! jodmvtjpo! boe! cvtjoftt! efwfmpqnfou-! sn! leaders will need to consider how to evaluate the work attorneys do under these extraordinary circumstances. Obviously, it would not be fair to hold attorneys to the standards for billable hours that they would during a normal year, but what should revised standards look like? As noted, women are taking on a greater share of the childcare, homeschooling and household duties under lockdown, which nblft! ju! npsf! ejgdvmu! gps! uifn! up! cjmm! uif! same number of hours or develop as much new business as men. How can you make sure they won't be penalized for this when it comes time to make decisions about compensation and promotion? Questions about how to fairly and holistically evaluate attorneys' work long predate the current crisis, and they are going to become more urgent in the months to come. Uijt!jt!b!gsjhiufojoh!ujnf!gps!sn!mfbefst-!boe! they will want to focus their limited attention on what matters most for the survival of the sn/!Uibu!tipsumjtu!tipvme!jodmvef!b!dpoujovfe! commitment to diversity and inclusion. The business case is clear, and hard-won gains for women and minorities are hanging in the balance.
For more than 20 years, Debra Pickett, principal and founder of Page 2 Communications, has blended business, legal and media acumen with outstanding communication skills to partner with attorneys, issue advocates, political candidates and executives to get their messages out to key constituencies. Today she leads a team of experienced journalists, editors, marketers and campaign professionals serving as bewjtpst!up!uif!ofyu!hfofsbujpo!pg!mbx!sn!mfbefstijq/
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