What If Law Firms Were Really Serious About Increasing Diversity?

What if Law Firms Were Really Serious About Increasing Diversity?

There is an episode of the hit television show Seinfeld in which George decides that every decision that he has ever made has been wrong, so he resolves to do the complete opposite of what he would do normally.  When he does this, his luck changes and everything begins to go his way, including getting a girlfriend and a job with the New York Yankees and moving out of his parents' house.  After he made a drastic change, he saw a dramatic difference.

If law firms and corporate legal departments are really serious about improving diversity in the profession, then they must make dramatic changes to the way they currently function and operate.  While there has been a slight increase in the number of minorities and women in the profession, the increase has been slow.  Most of the progress has been with the largest law firms in the U.S., but has not trickled down to the 40-lawyer firm in Nebraska, or the 7-lawyer legal department in Wisconsin.  The lack of substantial progress begs the question: are law firms and legal departments putting forth their very best effort in improving diversity?

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