Curriculum

The Managing Effectively Across Difference (MEAD) Workshop fits into a broader overall strategy by addressing hidden biases about gender, race, and sexual orientation in the context of developing more-effective management skills in general. But it does not end there. Diversity and inclusion should not be viewed as separate and discrete concepts but rather skills required to become the best lawyer possible, because diverse perspectives, experiences, work styles, and so on are embedded into every aspect of firm life.

Amran Hussein, partner, Corporate Department

Internal Inclusion Workshops

The firm’s internal diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum is designed to give lawyers at every level the tools they need to contribute to creating an inclusive culture for all by being active allies for each other and managing matters and teams in an inclusive way.

For example, the firm offers:

• Allyship and Interrupting Bias Series: Interactive workshops for lawyers at all levels designed to describe how bias affects workplace interactions and how to adapt small changes in behavior that make each person a better ally. More than 95% of participants report a “better understanding of how bias affects people as a result of this training.”
• Cultivating Belonging at Work: A workshop for summer associates on how they can enhance their own and others’ sense of belonging by understanding the power of small inclusive behaviors known as micro-inclusions. Over 90% of participants in the 2020 summer program said they were “likely to implement micro-inclusions in their day-to-day” as a result of the workshop.
• Managing Effectively Across Difference: A workshop designed to address the unique challenges faced by midlevel associates as they start to lead matters and have to distribute assignments and give feedback to those on their matters.

External Development Opportunities

The firm also is committed to the development of diverse and women attorneys and provides opportunities for them to participate in external learning programs such as:

• Charting Your Own Course Career Conference, empowers attorneys of color with practical career and life strategies for short and long term success, helps them develop the skills and know-how needed to build and cultivate commercially and personally relevant relationships and networks and encourages attorneys to feel accountable to each other,regardless of firm or company affiliation.
• The Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys (LIWOCA) annual conference. This conference helps women of color attorneys in law firms and legal departments develop the critical skills essential to becoming partners and leaders in the legal profession.
• The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Pathfinders Program for diverse, high-potential, early-career attorneys provides them with practical tools for developing and leveraging internal professional networks through relationship-building skills, teaching leadership skills and career development strategies.
• New York City Bar Associate Leadership Institute: As a signatory firm to the Office for Diversity, the firm participates in this ABA-award winning program of high-level development trainings for diverse midlevel and senior associates that includes keynote speakers, intensive training modules, and networking opportunities.
• Out Leadership: A global business network of LGBTQ CEOs, multinational companies and leading law firms, providing LGBTQ professionals opportunities to connect, learn and develop insights to help realize dividends derived from inclusive business and leadership practices.