profile
Building bridges for the
next generation
New general counsel for DuPont Canada brings diversity initiatives.
By Jennifer Brown
Ernest Tuckett doesn't
mince words when asked how he feels
diversity should be addressed in the
legal profession. Tuckett is a strong
advocate for promoting minorities and
believes there has to be some form of
consequence to get outside law firms to
respond effectively. "I definitely think the
carrot-and-stick approach is needed in
the legal profession," says Tuckett, who
became the new general counsel for
DuPont Canada last June after working
for the company in the United States. "We
can get the most with the carrot and show
how serious we are about diversity when
we make some hiring decisions based on
how folks perform in that area. Certainly
that's the case in the U.S. and from what
I've seen in Canada it could be helpful
here as well. I understand the dynamics
are different in the states — we can and
do track numbers — whereas in Canada it
seems to be mostly self-reporting."
Law firms may be afraid to make it a
strategic issue, but Tuckett says there are
many reasons to explore how diverse the
profession has become other than filling
a need by clients who demand a diverse
roster of lawyers working on their files.
"I think most women, minorities, and
gay and lesbian lawyers will happily selfidentify if asked — if they know the
By introducing them to lawyers, paralegals,
and law clerks and getting them interested in
the law it becomes a pipeline initiative to one
day feed into the profession.
ERNEST TUCKETT, DuPont Canada
w w w. c a n a d i a n law y er m a g . c o m / i n h o u s E
February 2013
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