According to Ms Leung, corporations are outperforming law firms in cultivating diversity, with law firms facing a drain of legal talent to the in-house sector as a result. Her comments came as part of a recent New York Bar Association panel discussion titled 'Finding Bliss in the Future of Legal Service and Practice'. The discussion focused on how leaders can cultivate more balanced and fulfilling working lives for lawyers, emphasising the link between work satisfaction and performance. Diversity was the key issue debated by the panelists, who also included Fordham Law School dean Matthew Diller and Davis Polk & Wardwell managing partner Thomas Reid.
'My compensation is based on achieving diversity goals', said Ms Leung, encouraging legal leadership to back-up diversity commitments with robust systems and practice. 'The law firm's loss is our gain', she commented, adding that her own company had recently recruited 'two women powerhouses' who were once employed by Mr Reid's firm, Davis Polk, before making the move to in-house law.
Sector-wide challenge
The panel discussion came in the wake of a November report from the US National Association for Law Placement, which found diversity still severely lacking in the legal sector, particularly within leadership positions. According to the report, the proportion of African-American partners in US law firms is now just 3.65 per cent, having decreased every year since 2009. Women of minority racial and ethnic identities were found to be the most severely underrepresented group, making up just 2.6 per cent of US law firm partners in 2015.
Joseph K West, president and chief executive of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, has suggested that there is no clear choice between law firms and in-house departments for women or lawyers of minority identities. His only advice is for lawyers to follow opportunities where they arise, suggesting that the onus falls on firms and in-house legal departments alike to attract top talent with robust diversity practices. 'Just about every career change I've ever made was the result of an opportunity presenting itself to me that I hadn't anticipated and had no idea would come my way', said Mr West in a recent interview with US News. Sources: Bloomberg BNA; US News
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