Thomas Siekman
General Counsel
The Compaq Law Department’s organized diversity efforts began in 1998, under the leadership of Senior Vice President and General Counsel Tom Siekman. Mr. Siekman created a diversity committee to implement a comprehensive diversity plan that is incorporated into the company’s overall global diversity initiatives.
Compaq’s legal department has made a point of communicating its diversity goals and values to its partners outside the legal department. The department’s diversity plan includes obtaining a written commitment from its executive search firm to ensure that Compaq is presented with a diverse and qualified slate of candidates for its open positions. Compaq also distributes requirements to outside counsel law firms regarding the utilization of women and minority partners and associates in the matters they handle for Compaq.
Since the inception of the department’s diversity committee, the organization’s achievements have included: establishing a minority summer internship program; creating a budget to sponsor bar activities and other events promoting diversity in the legal profession; and implementing a Reciprocal Mentoring Program to address the career development of minority attorneys.
The overall result is a broader, richer environment that produces creative legal thought and business solutions. Compaq’s legal department currently retains 42 attorneys in its U.S.-based law department, of which 45 percent are women and 19 percent are minorities.
In addition to being named a 2001 Employer of Choice by MCCA, Compaq has also been recognized for diversity leadership by the State Bar of Texas, Office of Minority Affairs.
Return to List of 2001 Award Winners
From the March 2002 issue of Diversity & The Bar®