Douglas G. Scrivner
General Counsel
(A Primary Legal & Commercial Group Office in the United States)
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company. Its professionals leverage leading-edge technologies and tools to identify new opportunities and drive business-process improvements. Accenture employs more than 133,000 people in 48 countries; its client base includes almost 90 percent of the Fortune Global 100 and two-thirds of the Fortune 500.
(L to R): Veta T. Richardson of MCCA; Douglas G. Scrivner of Accenture; and Hinton Lucas of DuPont Company
Accenture's Legal & Commercial Group is a team of more than 270 professionals worldwide. In the United States, the department employs a diverse team of lawyers-with a healthy percentage of female and minority representation. The group vigorously pursues diverse candidates to join the department. "Employing the best people builds value for our clients," says Douglas G. Scrivner, general counsel and secretary at Accenture.
In 2005, Accenture surveyed its leading outside law firms with respect to their diversity performance. The survey probed deeply into firms' diversity statistics, including, for example, how many women and minorities are practice heads. The survey also asked qualitative questions, such as how the firms deal with sensitive diversity issues. Accenture shared the aggregate data with outside counsel, showing how they compared to their peers, and encouraged the firms to share ideas and best practices. "We used this as an opportunity to have a dialogue," says Scrivner. "We are less concerned with today's numbers than with a demonstrated commitment to progress. The survey was intended to be a benchmark and to provoke discussion. The dialogues were the best part of the process."
The Legal & Commercial Group is also committed to doing its part to fill the pipeline with qualified diverse candidates. The department is considering rolling out a summer internship program to provide exposure to the realities of life in a corporate law department and an opportunity to develop the critical skills not taught in law school. Geared toward students between their first and second years of law school, the program would likely include stints at Accenture's outside law firms and support when looking for jobs the following summer.
Accenture's Legal & Commercial Group has a long track record of award-winning success. It received the first annual Diversity Initiative Achievement Award from the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms. Corporate Legal Times named Accenture's law department among the "10 Most Innovative Law Departments" for setting up a legal service center in Mauritius, where the population speaks Dutch, French, and English; lawyers at the center are schooled in both civil code and common law.
For three years in a row, Working Mother magazine named Accenture to its annual list of "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers." Accenture also received the 2005 Women and Technology Award for "Best Company Advancing Women in Technology," presented jointly by BlackBerry and Women's Networking Group Aurora.
From the November/December 2006 issue of Diversity & The Bar®