“We are incredibly proud of winning the Thomas L. Sager award. It is the gold standard recognition of a firm’s diversity efforts,” shares Natalie Pierce, a shareholder and the co–chair of the diversity and inclusion council at Littler Mendelson P.C.
Littler’s commitment to diversity is deeply ingrained in the firm’s culture and reflected in the way the firm communicates. Members of the firm’s executive committee work closely with the managing shareholders of each office to clearly set diversity goals. In addition, attorneys of color hold prominent leadership roles at Littler. Twenty percent of the firm’s board of directors are attorneys of color (five of twenty-five members) and represent a third of the firm’s management committee.
“We want the best talent, and that equals having diverse talent,” Pierce explains. “Our attorneys create policies and procedures to help employers comply with the law and foster inclusive workplaces. We represent employers in court, government agency hearings, and at the bargaining table. And excellent and effective representation includes having representation that reflects our clients’ varied and multicultural workplaces and business communities.”
Justly proud of its internal diversity measures, Littler also seeks collaborative efforts with community and bar associations. This is especially important for recruitment. The firm advertises in minority law journals, participates in minority job fairs, sponsors minority law student associations events, reaches out to minority student organizations, and participates in diversity-related career panels at a number of law schools. Littler’s exposure helps it recruit the best diverse minds available.
“We are trying to increase our national profile as a firm of inclusion,” reflects Pierce. “For example, our LGBT initiative has already had a positive effect on recruiting. I recently received an e–mail from a gay Latino law school student from a great east coast school who wrote that he had heard about Littler’s efforts with respect to diversity in general – specifically inclusiveness of attorneys of color and LGBT attorneys – and said that ours was the type environment he sought in an employer.” Littler also received a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign.
Littler abides by the adage that recruitment is fruitless without retention. The firm’s affinity groups are focused on particular areas of inclusion and membership, and each is open to all attorneys. Another program that is vital to Littler’s retention rate is its mentorship program. During their first three years with the firm, associates are paired with shareholder mentors, who are responsible for promoting an inclusive work environment and encouraging each associate’s work and progress.
Pierce’s own experience is proof that mentoring works: “My upbringing demonstrated the power of having people who will show you the way,” she recalls. “Neither of my parents went to college, I am Latina and the first generation born in this country, and I was helped in my professional career by people that would take time out of their day to help me. Some of my mentors were older white males, demonstrating that effective mentoring relationships can be cross-ethnic or race, cross–gender, and/or cross–generational. They helped me develop the competence, credibility, and confidence that is critical for a successful career.” DB
From the November/December 2009 issue of Diversity & The Bar®