Guidelines for Advocacy

1. Create an inclusive law department. Be visible and active in your support for diversity and inclusion.
2. Hire from a diverse pool.
3. Take opportunities to educate and coach your team on inclusiveness.
4. Build diversity and inclusiveness plans into employee reviews.
5. Create a mentoring program within your law department where lawyers mentor people from diverse backgrounds. Consider two-way and reverse mentorship programs, and also mentoring outside your organization.
6. Support your organization’s leaders in ensuring that they understand, champion and effectively communicate the business case for diversity and inclusion.
7. Consider establishing a Diversity Advisory Committee to guide the organization and find ways to measure success for progress in diversity and inclusiveness.
8. Help develop Diversity Employee Networks and act as an Executive sponsor of one of them.
9. In dealing with external law firms, make sure they know diversity is one of your organization’s core values and that you expect to see diversity and inclusiveness on their legal teams.
10. Support vendors and suppliers whose ownership or employee base reflects a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Retain minority or women-owned law firms whenever possible.
11. Speak with other CLOs about diversity and inclusiveness and share best practices, and support diversity and inclusiveness initiatives.
12. Join with law schools to support diversity initiatives.
13. Participate in or host a meeting of Legal Leaders for Diversity.
14. Find and support an organization that promotes diversity and inclusion.
15. Participate in programs which provide opportunities for lawyers and students from diverse backgrounds.