New Research to be Presented at Creating Pathways to Diversity® Conference

New Research to be Presented at Creating Pathways to Diversity® Conference

Washington, DC − Findings from two new, important studies on diversity in the legal profession will be presented by The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) on September 26. The conference will take place 7:30 am to 8:00 pm at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Now in its 12th year, Pathways brings experts and leaders together to network and discuss best practices for building diversity at the nation’s law firms and corporate legal departments. This year’s attendees will also be the first to hear the results of these groundbreaking studies:

• Sustaining Pathways to Diversity®: A Comprehensive Examination of Diversity Demographics, Initiatives and Policies in Corporate Legal Departments. This collaboration between MCCA and the NALP Foundation is benchmark research spotlighting diversity demographics within corporate legal departments. This important and timely study also examines specific efforts and initiatives undertaken by companies to support and promote diversity and inclusion throughout the legal industry.
• A Research Study on Generation Y Attorneys’ Opinions. MCCA will present an initial white paper on the key findings regarding what Gen Y law students and lawyers like and do not like about today’s legal workplace and what it might look like if they were in charge. The research results will be discussed by a panel that will also suggest how organizations can prepare for changes this new generation of lawyers will bring to the profession. This research project is the first of its kind on a subject of significant importance to the legal profession.

“MCCA is pleased to unveil the results of these critical research studies at the Pathways Conference, our seminal diversity conference of the year,” said Lori Garrett, Vice President and Managing Director, Southeast Region, MCCA. “Conference attendees will have even more to take back to their organizations to help them advance diversity after hearing about these findings. This is not the year to miss.”

During Pathways, speakers from some of the nation’s leading legal departments, organizations and law firms will provide analysis of new issues in diversity, inclusion and management, and will deliver a fresh discussion on some of the old challenges facing the legal profession. Topics will include: corporate legal spend, pipeline initiatives, affinity groups, inspiring leaders, lawyers as C-suite executives, minority- and women-owned law firms, LGBT in-house attorneys’ issues, chief legal diversity officers, the pulse of legal business and much more.

There will also be a luncheon panel presentation on the new book Courageous Counsel: Conversations with Women General Counsel in the Fortune 500. On the panel will be women who either are or have been General Counsel for Fortune 500 companies, and they will share their stories and insights.

This year, Pathways is being held two months earlier than usual. It will precede MCCA’s first Diversity Honors Galaon September 27 at the Lincoln Center in New York.

Conference attendees can qualify for CLE credits. For more information or to register for the Pathways Conference, go to the MCCA website event page or contact Maria Volpe-Viles, MCCA’s event planner by email or call 419-873-1403. For media who wish to attend, please contact Diane Nowak-Waring, MCCA’s PR contact, by email or call 1-410-626-0805.

The mission of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association is to advance the hiring, retention, and promotion of diverse attorneys in legal departments and the law firms that serve them. MCCA furthers its mission by publishing research on achieving diversity and best practices in the legal profession, honoring innovative diversity programs with its Employer of Choice and Thomas L. Sager awards, and assisting diverse law students through the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program. MCCA’s work has been recognized with awards from the National Minority Business Council, Inc., the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Gay and Lesbian Law Association, and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Founded in 1997, MCCA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and also has a Southeast regional office in Atlanta, Ga. For more information, go to mcca.com.