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Integrating Women of Color into the FirmBefore you utilize the recommendations presented below, first assess the totality of your diversity initiatives and whether women of color are integrated into those initiatives. If your firm already has a thriving diversity initiative that has been integrated into the overall business strategic plan, make sure that women of color are fully integrated into that effort. If women of color are not viewed as separate from women in general or people of color in general, the firm’s ability to recruit, retain, and advance them is impaired. When women of color are acknowledged as a unique group with unique needs within your larger diversity and professional development efforts, you are more likely to see the kinds of successes that are possible. If your firm does not already have a diversity initiative, then ensure the integration of women of color as the initiative is being developed and implemented. Because every firm is different, you should take the following suggestions and make them your own to ensure the greatest success. This list of suggestions is also not intended to be exclusive of other strategies that may be successful and necessary in getting your firm to address these issues in a way that works best for you. Be inclusive, creative, and diligent in creating and sustaining diversity and professional development strategies that foster the successful careers of women of color. 1. Address the success of women of color as a firm issue. 2. Integrate women of color into existing measurement efforts. 3. Integrate women of color into the firm’s professional fabric. 4. Integrate women of color into the firm’s social fabric. 5. Increase awareness of issues of women of color through dialogue. 6. Support women of color’s efforts to build internal and external support systems. 7. Stay compliant with anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, and hold accountable for noncompliance. Find out more about the report Visible Invisibility: Women of Color in Law Firms |
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