大法律中有色人种律师的五个建议

By Ann Jenrette-Thomas, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Stinson LLP In most large law firms, a critical aspect of being a successful partner or shareholder is the ability to bringin business. Being a rainmaker can be challenging for all attorneys, not just attorneys of color. Law schoolprepares us to think like a lawyer, research like a lawyer, and write like a lawyer. But, rarely do law schools How people purchase legal services has changed. Gone are the days where you could be an excellent lawyerand have a full roster of clients just by virtue of your legal acumen and your affiliation with a white shoe lawfirm. Today’s big law lawyers have to provide excellent legal services AND know how to market and sell theirlegal services. Building a book of business can be even more challenging for attorneys of color in big law.Although we are not a monolith, there are some unique challenges – and opportunities – that attorneys of There are two core challenges that largelyplague big law attorneys of color: lack of accessto the purchasers of big law legal services, andlack of understanding by majority lawyers/law The purchasers of big law legal services fall intoa few limited categories: wealthy individuals,in-house counsel, and business leaders. Althoughnot true of all, many of these purchasers hadto have some wealth or connections to get into white and went to majority white institutions. Unlike the typical purchasers of big law services, countlessattorneys of color are the first in their families to go to law school, and some are the first in their families togo to college. Many are the children of working class, middle class and/or immigrant parents. This means Moreover, many attorneys of color did not attend elite educational institutions. One critical factor of theseinstitutions is they have a higher percentage of people in their class and alumni network who land influential,powerful positions. These connections can open doors and provide opportunities that are not available to thosewho did not attend those institutions. Even when attorneys of color attend those institutions, factors like affinitybias and class differences, could impact the depth of the relationships that are made. Furthermore, there is But there is hope! Over 90 General Counsel’s have pledged their support of ABA Resolution 113, which asksthe providers of legal services “to expand and create opportunities at all levels of responsibility for diverseattorneys, and … clients to assist in the facilitation of opportunities for diverse attorneys, and to direct a greaterpercentage of the legal services they purchase, both currently and in the future, to diverse attorneys.” Corporate diversity and inclusion objectives in their outside counsel guidelines; encouraging relationship partners tostaff their matters with diverse timekeepers; periodically requesting information on the demographics of thetimekeepers working on their matters; providing financial incentives for those who meet diversity objectives;financially penalizing those who don’t meet diversity objectives; asking to see the diversity of those who receiveorigination credit for their matters; and ceasing to work with law firms that lack diversity. This increasing Now that more business development opportunities are opening for attorneys of color, here are a few strategies Affinity-based organizations, whether they are bar organizations, chambers of commerce, or even sororitiesand fraternities, can create opportunities for attorneys of color to expand their network and hopefully obtainbusiness. The beauty of these types of organizations is that the affinity serves as a common bond. Individuals You can start to build good relationships with in-house lawyers who you may not have otherwise had access to.In addition, since many corporate legal departments are looking to increase their own diversity numbers, youmay find that your affinity-organization colleagues from other law firms are taking jobs in-house, thereby givingyou a potential source of business. Moreover, in-house counsel who actively participate in these organizations The fact is that some of the ways in which attorneys of color will obtain business is different than the typicalstrategies used by white lawyers. Attorneys of color are not a monolith. We hail from a variety of cultures, racialand ethnic backgrounds, each of which have their unique ways of building trust and bonding with one another. For example, let’s say that your objective is toexpand work in Korea. The type and amountof socializing that is required to build trust inKorean business relationships differs from whatis typically needed to build trust in American Similarly, let’s say that your objective isto obtain the business of wealthy AfricanAmericans in your city, but in order to attract financially support the Urban League since many of your prospective clients sit on its board. Your firm, division,or marketing leaders may not understand the rationa