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CAREER COUNSELOR’S CORNER
Law firms focus on minority hiring [Christine Willard] Moral, business interests raise awareness of differences.
Despite hits to hiring in general because of
direct impact on the output into the profes-
departments, deans of the state’s four law
the economic downturn, major law firms
sion.
schools and representatives of other bar
across the country are under pressure to continue efforts to diversify their legal staffs.
associations in the state, including the three With larger numbers of minority law stu-
minority bar associations, attended.
dents, “the hiring base is much broader, “There’s the case for doing it because it’s
giving us an available pool of talent that in-
Bourne’s goals are twofold: to increase the
the right thing to do, and then there is the
evitably leads to a greater mix,” Dreizer said.
minority representation in the state bar and
case that it is good for business,” said James
to encourage greater participation from
Bourne, president of the Indiana State Bar
Cynthia-Clare Tagoe, a native of Ghana who
minority members who currently belong.
Association. He has made increasing minor-
joined White, Case as an associate after she
Acknowledging and embracing the difference
ity involvement a goal of his tenure.
received her J.D. from Case Western Reserve
a minority person brings to the firm helps
University School of Law in 2001,said diver-
make minority attorneys more comfortable
sity is welcomed at that firm.
and get their careers on track, participants
“Our clients, especially large corporations, are requiring the law firms they work with
heard. Having a mentor, whether a minority
to provide them with statistical information
“It takes all kinds to make what we do work,
and encouraging the assignment of minor-
in all legal markets around the world,” she
ity attorneys to their matters,” said Alison
said.
The economic downturn has reduced turnover as well as total hiring. Junior associates
Dreizen, partner in charge of diversity at White, Case in New York City.
or not, is important.
Retaining attorneys of color is as crucial as
are staying in their first jobs longer.
hiring them. At White, Case, a new program That firm has about 1,600 attorneys, more
randomly assigns a coach to every associate
“Firms are focused on having their classes
than half of them in offices outside the
to answer questions and guide their careers.
be as representative as possible,” Dreizer
United States.
The firm organizes attorneys into small
said. “It gives hope that in 10 or 15 years, we
practice areas.
won’t be talking about this subject.”
ment’s most recent study, released last fall,
“It’s harder to get lost in the crunch,”
This story appeared in the September, 2003
showed that 3.71 percent of minority attorney
Dreizen said.
The National Association for Law Place-
mental increase from the previous year.
Diversity training focused on law firms begins this fall at the leadership level.
“The profession has not achieved its goal to have representation that equates to repre-
“Experimentation helps each firm determine
sentation in law school classes,” said Jerry
what is going to work best for them in reten-
Nash, deputy director of NALP.
tion,” Dreizen said.
He pointed to the June Supreme Court deci-
Indiana’s Bourne was the driving force in a
sion affirming the University of Michigan
recent Diversity Summit. Managing part-
School of Law’s admission policy, saying the
ners from firms with 10 or more members,
focus on the front-end of admissions has a
managers of corporate and government legal
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edition of The National Jurist, www.nationaljurist.com
are partners in major law firms, an incre-