Building a Championship Diversity Program With a College Athletics Approach

Recruit. Develop. Promote. The mantra of every college athletic department in the country. Recruit the talented blue-chipper, coach him up on skills and fundamentals, and gradually promote him from benchwarmer to second team to starter to … you get the picture. Law firm leaders can learn a thing or two from college coaches when it comes to running their diversity and inclusion programs. No athletic program can succeed without doing all three, and neither can a law firm. By now, just about every firm interested in making its workplace more diverse and inclusive has some sort of diversity program. The problem, however, is that too many firms focus on just one aspect of diversity, namely recruitment, and don’t pay enough attention to development and promotion of their diverse attorneys. But a successful diversity program requires a holistic approach that addresses recruitment, development and promotion. Here is the playbook for success.

Recruit

The recruitment of talented diverse attorneys is typically the focus of most firms. It’s for good reason. Getting talented attorneys in the door is essential. In college athletics, recruitment is all about relationships and visibility. It’s how a college in Lawrence, Kan., can routinely recruit the best basketball players from places as far away and different as New York City and Los Angeles. It’s how a college in Central Pennsylvania can recruit the best women volleyball players from the beach towns of California and Florida. They are able to do this by creating and maintaining relationships with recruits and by making themselves as visible as possible. Recruiting talented law students is really no different. While it is true that a select group of law firms can attract the best and brightest just by name (or salary), the majority of law firms do not have this advantage. Yet, there are countless law firms with seeming disadvantages, whether location, salary or size, that consistently attract talented diverse attorneys. They are able to do this not just because they participate in minority job fairs, or are members of organizations such as the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group, or sponsor various diversity-related events. They are able to do this because of the individual efforts of their attorneys. Attorneys who actually get to know and mentor students and young attorneys, attorneys who are active and are leaders in affinity bar groups, attorneys who by their conduct, accessibility and visibility leave no doubt of their commitment to diversity in their firm and within the bar. They are relationship builders. Off the top of my head, I can rattle off a number of attorneys who fit the bill, and it is no coincidence that they are all at firms that routinely recruit the best and brightest diverse attorneys. If you are a firm leader and cannot think of anyone at your firm who fits the bill, you should make it a priority to address this deficiency. The combination of institutional support and individual effort is a powerful recruitment tool that any firm serious about diversity must have.

Develop