Seyfarth unites with diversity groups to limit COVID-19 impact
Seyfarth Shaw has partnered with a coalition of organisations committed to promoting diversity and inclusion (D&I) to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on D&I in the legal profession.
The Belonging Project is a virtual hub, providing a “comprehensive suite of professional development resources for use by diverse attorneys and law students”. This includes virtual one-on-one coaching and webinars focused on a range of topics.
D'Arcy Kemnitz, executive director of National LGBT Bar Association and a member of the project, explains that diversity in the legal profession took a huge hit after the 9/11 attacks and the financial collapse that followed back in 2008.
“We've seen time and time again how when there's a crisis, marginalised communities take the brunt of the impact,” says Kemnitz.
The project cites data from the National Association of Law Placement, which reported that the percentage of black attorneys at law firms in the US took a full decade to recover after falling after the Great Recession in the late 2000s.
In 2019, black attorneys accounted for 4.76% of all associates, the highest level since reaching 4.66% in 2009.
Kori Carew, Seyfarth’s chief inclusion and diversity officer, is leading the project.
“As a profession, we must double-down on our efforts during this challenging time. We cannot allow this current crisis to set back our progress on inclusion and diversity. With The Belonging Project, like-minded organisations are taking tangible action to help prevent that from happening,” she said.
A number of organisations have already joined Seyfarth in The Belonging Project, including Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Hispanic National Bar Association, Corporate Counsel Women of Color, and California Minority Counsel Program, Diversity Lab, and the Association of Corporate Counsel’s ACC Foundation.
“We hope to build out the tools and resources, so there are a wide array of options that fit the needs of any individual and we want more folks to join us in this work together. I think The Belonging Project is moving the needle on how we not only respond to a crisis but how we can prioritise community when working together,” added Kemnitz.
Refusing to lose progress
Speaking to WIPR, Jean Lee, president and CEO of Minority Corporate Counsel Association in the US, explained that she was invited by Carey to join the project and, given the purpose, “it was a no-brainer to provide resources”.
She added: “It is always better to do things collectively for larger impact than alone when possible. Carey and Seyfarth have been forward-thinking about doing things outside of the box and Carey is someone who has the courage to think of we before I.”
Kemnitz was recruited by Laura Maechtlen, co-chair of Seyfarth's national D&I action team.
“Maechtlen and I were talking about our annual conference and she shared with me the mission of this project, and I was all in,” she said.
According to Kemnitz, The Belonging Project is developing strategies to prevent cuts and fallout, and it's bringing people together collectively around a core ethic of collective responsibility.
“This project rallies us together to remind us that we're all affected by this crisis, and we will interdependently get through this by supporting each other. And guess what—here are with the resources and tools we need to move forward,” she added.
For Lee, the more law firms and organisations do across the board, the greater the impact. “Unfortunately, given the busy schedules, it’s harder to do,” she cautioned.
Lee hopes that the project will help to keep up with the important work of improving diversity, equity and inclusion and not lose the progress made in the past few years.
“Also, I hope we can learn from one another. Pooling resources during this pandemic is critical to survival whether you’re a nonprofit or for-profit,” she added.
Kemnitz agreed, encouraging law firms, law schools, and organisations to join in this work.
She concluded: “If there's anything we've learned from this, it's that we can't isolate and tackle these problems by ourselves. We have to do this work together, which is what the spirit of The Belonging Project embodies.”
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