Building Momentum!
As we reach the halfway point of the year, MCCA’s agenda remains jam-packed. We have expanded our services, increased our networks, and launched two very important research projects. Here’s how we’ve been allocating our time and resources:
Last April, MCCA expanded its range of services to include our first-ever CLE Expo, “Principles in Action,” a conference that offers legal education to in-house counsel, while giving visibility to minority and women partners at the nation’s leading law firms. Many participants forged new business relationships at this conference. If you weren’t able to join us, please mark your calendar because we’ll meet again in Chicago on April 30 through May 2, 2003, for our Second Annual CLE Expo. In 2003, we’ll host the conference in cooperation with the American Corporate Counsel Association, MCCA’s strategic partner in the promotion of a more diverse and inclusive legal profession.
We are also working with Catalyst, which, for more than 26 years, has been the premier independent research organization studying issues about women in business. Catalyst and MCCA will evaluate what it takes for women lawyers to successfully navigate the challenges of the corporate environment and move up the ladder in their law departments. The results of this unique research study will be discussed at MCCA’s fall conference in New York on October 16, 2002. Mark your calendar!
Too often we hear from law firm recruiters that the “success profile” of a desirable candidate must include: graduating from a first-tier law school, being ranked at the top of the class, having law review experience, and completing a federal clerkship. Do these scholastic achievements really impact whether an attorney has what it takes to be successful in today’s competitive law firms? How much value do the most important buyers of legal services—corporate general counsel—assign to these factors when deciding who gets and keeps their business? MCCA will take a solid look at the answers to these questions and the results will be released at our fall conference in October.
MCCA has been invited to join two important efforts in the United States and the U.K. The Honorable Cari M. Dominguez, chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), asked MCCA to participate in a series of informal roundtable discussions about workplace diversity. We are honored that our opinions have been sought as the EEOC seeks to reshape its mission for the 21st century. In the U.K., we’re working with representatives from leading corporations, law firms, and British business associations to launch diversity initiatives for the legal profession. Make sure you read more about these efforts in the pages that follow and in the coming months.
You can continue to count on MCCA to spotlight diversity achievements, work to overcome barriers, and encourage commitment to the goal of a more inclusive legal profession. Your interest and support remain essential, so please stay engaged and involved!
Veta T. Richardson
From the June 2002 issue of Diversity & The Bar®