Akin Gump has hired Michele Meyer-Shipp, former chief diversity officer of Prudential Financial, as the firm’s first chief diversity and inclusion officer. The hire makes Akin Gump the latest Big Law firm with a dedicated diversity officer, a role that has gone from obscurity to near-ubiquity in the legal industry over the past ten years. Earlier…keep reading
No matter the naysayers and outliers, the legal profession is esteemed and noble. The good lawyer is an exemplar, able to show the face of justice pursued. This is an important moment for lawyers and law students. In the midst of rollbacks to civil liberties, lawyers are uniquely trained to safeguard and champion the promise…keep reading
The Judicial Diversity Initiative has helped state courts come closer to reflecting the demographics of the community — but there’s still a long way to go, attorneys said. An effort to support qualified black candidates for the bench in South Florida has made strides in recent years — but there’s still a long way to…keep reading
A human resources professional reviews the resumes of two candidates for potential interview for the same position. One candidate has a last name that is easier for the HR professional to pronounce and the pronunciation of the other’s last name is more difficult. The two have the same qualifications, yet the hiring manager, likely in…keep reading
The New York City Bar Association’s latest diversity bench marking report showed sluggish progress alongside a few notable gains, including women and minorities in leadership positions. More women and minority lawyers are sitting on management committees at the largest law firms, but diversity progress remains frustratingly slow in the path to partnership and among the lawyers who…keep reading