In my interviews with Global Leader in Law member GCs, lots of themes emerged regarding RFPs and pitching for work. Foremost amongst these was Diversity & Inclusion (D&I). It was the third question on my crib sheet, but at least half the respondents brought it up in their first answer. Our sample may have been small, but this issue is clearly punching above its weight. For transparency, five of our respondents were male and six female.
A couple of the respondents felt they had been working on this topic for years and that only now was it gaining some serious traction. A year ago, my company undertook some research in a European country (not the UK), interviewing senior legal decision-makers. Everyone wanted to say the right thing re D&I – yes, it’s a good idea, yes, we support it etc., but when push came to shove, they conceded that what really counted was getting the best lawyer and the best advice, regardless of that person’s gender, ethnicity or social background. A year is clearly a long time in corporate law as our sample of respondents took a very different view.
