Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50885
LAW DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT LEADING Through their role as a client, there is no doubt that many in-house legal departments have the power to push for greater diversity within the profession. But for many corporate counsel, the key to developing the most effective inclusive- ness strategy is to join up with colleagues in a collective effort to evoke change through the entire pipeline. Similar to initiatives seen in the United States over the last decade, corporate counsel-led diversity programs have sprung up in Canada in the last few years, urging corporate legal leaders to join their peers in signing on to promote diversity within their own departments, and also when selecting outside firms. One of the newest such efforts, Legal Leaders for Diversity and Inclusiveness, launched in May with 40 general counsel signatories, a number which has since grown to 55. DIVERSITY IN-HOUSE Corporate counsel can be in the driver's seat when it comes to pushing law firms and their own organizations towards more inclusive representation. By Helen Burnett-Nichols "This is probably one of the first initia- tives I've seen where there's been this much excitement and energy around it, so I'm very, very positive about it. I'm really looking forward to the conversa- tions," says Terrie-Lynne Devonish, chief counsel at AON Canada, and a recent signatory to Legal Leaders for Diversity. Kevin Derbyshire, general counsel with DuPont Canada and co-founder of the Canada-wide initiative established by general counsel, explains that its pur- pose is to promote and encourage greater diversity and inclusion in the signatories' own businesses, as well as co-operate to foster the same values throughout the legal profession and the larger Canadian business community. A similar program, A Call to Action Canada, had its first event in 2009 and is based on the 2004 U.S. initiative of the same name. The program also runs conferences and summits every year and currently has eight signatories, with GlaxoSmithKline Inc. as the most recent participant. "We are looking to in-house counsel to take the lead on this issue by using their economic leverage as clients to push for diversity," says co-founder Joy Casey. Ritu Bhasin, a diversity specialist with bhasin consulting inc., says while companies need to have their own diversity initiatives that are relevant based on their organizational culture, there is also a lot of strength when industries and sectors come together on an initiative like Legal Leaders for Diversity because it allows counsel to share thoughts on what works and what doesn't. "It also helps to provide a strategic roadmap for those organizations which are more in their infancy," she says. INHOUSE OCTOBER 2011 • 31