Demands For Diversity, Good Intentions and The Reality Gap: MCCA’s Annual General Counsel Survey

Presented at the 2021 Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference

Since 1999, MCCA began tracking information about Fortune 500 general counsel and more broadly Fortune 1000 since 2004. The year 2020 was marked by substantial change. It showed the pliability of our nation as we battled a raging pandemic, the courage of many to stand-up in the face of systemic racism, and the success of women and racial and ethnic underrepresented populations on the national stage. Despite the highs and lows of 2020, we saw substantially less movement within the Fortune 1000 general counsels and in some areas a net loss in representation.

There is still a long way to go before Fortune 1000 GCs are representative of the US population. The rate of change will increase only if female and minority GCs are promoted more often at the highest levels. This means that representation must also increase within the active attorney population. As previous survey editions have shown, once a female or minority candidate is awarded a GC position, the pool from which their successor is drawn becomes more diverse as well.

The panel will discuss the 2021 MCCA report, the key factors to sustaining focus and creating models to carry this focus forward and strategies on how to increase representation at the top in the legal profession.

Moderator:
Peter Muñiz – Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, The Home Depot, Inc.

Panelists:
John Gilmore – Managing Partner, BarkerGilmore LLC
Jennifer Herrmann – Consultant, Spencer Stuart
Jay Kim – Partner, Major, Lindsey & Africa
Sonya Olds Som – Partner, Heidrick & Struggles

The Creating Pathways to Diversity® Conference focuses on global diversity and inclusion, talent optimization, inclusive leadership and management to bolster the promotion and retention of diverse attorneys. The program offers practical development tools, best practices and resources for individual lawyers and organizations.

To learn more about the 2021 Pathways Conference, visit: https://www.mcca.com/events/pathways/pathways-2021/

#InspiringProgress #AcceleratingImpact #MCCAPathways

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) is committed to advancing the hiring, retention and promotion of diverse lawyers in law departments and law firms by providing research, best practices, professional development and training, and through pipeline initiatives.

As the preeminent voice on diversity issues in the legal profession, MCCA accomplishes its mission through industry-shaping publications, research, and training, innovative pipeline initiatives, and curated events designed to connect its members to thought-leaders and one another. MCCA takes an inclusive approach to the definition of “diversity.” Therefore, its research and training addresses issues of race/ ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability status and generational differences which impact the legal profession’s workforce.

Over the years, MCCA’s thought leadership has been widely recognized. The association has received several awards including recognition by the Association of Corporate Counsel, the National LGBT Bar Association, the National Minority Business Council, Inc. and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

To learn more about MCCA, visit: https://www.mcca.com/