2018 Seattle Inclusion Summit

The Seattle Inclusion Summit (“Summit”) is part of the new Inclusive Leader Program we launched in 2018 in partnership with Microsoft to address the growing need for diverse and inclusive leaders to disrupt homogeneity in legal leadership. To accrue the dividends that diversity and inclusion (“D&I”) has the potential to produce, bold and inclusive leadership is required both on an individual and a systemic, organization-wide level. Diversity by itself is not enough. An organization with a reputation for inclusiveness becomes a magnet, attracting top diverse talent; in turn, that talent can better tap markets’ potential, whether in emerging economies or among a broader set of consumers.

The inaugural Summit focused on the newly released research report, Bias Interrupters: You Can’t Change What You Can’t See (the “Report”). For decades, the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession (“the Commission”) and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (“MCCA”) have worked tirelessly to combat gender and racial bias in the legal profession. This new research confirms that many of the traditional diversity & inclusion tools we have relied upon over the years have been ineffective, and the findings have served as the foundation in developing the next generation of diversity & inclusion strategies.

The Summit included a presentation by expert panelists and a workshop. Panelists shared the findings from the Report, discussed how to strategically implement solutions and reviewed the tactical toolkits provided in the Report. The Summit’s workshop focused on five (5) goals that touched on topics such as eliminating bias from performance evaluations; promoting a culture of inclusion and increasing talent retention; how law departments can be effective allies to diverse outside counsel; and characteristics of an inclusive leader and their role in law firms and corporate legal departments. The ultimate goal of the workshop was to provide guidance and best practices on how individuals can act as organizational change agents, implement real solutions utilizing the toolkits, create systemic accountability and benchmark progress.

MCCA has summarized and finalized the resulting best practices developed by the workshop participants and it is now available to all MCCA members. MCCA members can access the Seattle Inclusion Summit Best Practices and Guidelines via the MCCA Member Portal.

Please click below to verify if your organization is an MCCA member:

MCCA Corporate Members
MCCA Law Firm Members

To request your member login please email membership@mcca.com.

To inquire about MCCA membership please email membership@mcca.com.

Event Agenda