2019 Inclusion Index Survey Report
The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) in partnership with Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA) is proud to announce our new benchmark research assessing diverse and inclusive leadership within the legal profession: Unleashing the Power of Diversity Through Inclusive Leadership.
The legal profession has long been focused on hiring and promoting diverse talent — yet progress has been slow. Although people of color (including those who identify as Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx) comprise a growing number of law firm associates and in-house counsel, they remain significantly under-represented at higher levels. Many factors contribute to this situation, but one is indisputable: attrition rates for attorneys who are people of color have been increasing in lock-step with hiring rates. To truly accelerate diversity in their ranks, it’s clear that lawyers need new strategies.
To better understand how attorneys feel about their organizations’ diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts, MCCA partnered with RRA in 2018 to launch an Inclusion Index survey. This proprietary survey was created to help organizations assess company leadership, practices, and culture to create a baseline metric of inclusion and measure progress over time. More than 600 respondents from both law firms and corporate legal departments, and across all demographic categories responded to the survey, yielding a robust set of insights.
Thank you to all of the organizations that participated in the Inclusion Index survey. Our goal is to equip senior legal executives with data to lead more inclusively, empower and better prepare rising leaders for general counsel positions. This data will also provide opportunities for us to work with leaders to share best practices and challenges in developing an inclusive workplace.