What are your proudest accomplishments in the area of diversity and inclusion in law? I’m humbled by Morrison Foerster’s trust in my leadership abilities and so proud of our commitment to diversity and inclusion. In our New York Securities Litigation, Enforcement and White-Collar Defense Group, nearly all of our associates and of counsel identify as diverse based on race, gender, and/or sexual orientation. My practice involves guiding clients through complex and stressful government investigations and litigation, and it feels amazing to attend everything from attorney proffers to client meetings with teams of talented, well-prepared diverse attorneys. I’m also proud of our sponsorship initiative that provides a framework for success for these fantastic junior attorneys.

What are the greatest diversity and inclusion-related challenges today for New York lawyers and firms? The greatest challenge in any organization can be acknowledging that although things are much better than when I started practicing law, there is so much work to be done. I have seen statistics indicating that only 2%-3% of equity partners at large law firms are women of color. That is way too low and not reflective of New York City. That low percentage means that all lawyers need to actively mentor diverse junior associates, many of whom work in environments where they don’t see many people who look like them in leadership roles. There are a lot of unwritten rules to success and many of us have mentors who explained the dos and don’ts to us; we all need to make an extra effort to do the same for diverse junior attorneys.

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