In-House Counsel

Call to Action Summit to goad progress on diversity in the law

By Rees Morrison

According to an email I received, the Call to Action Summit, taking place April 24 - 25 in Scottsdale, AZ, expects to bring together more than 100 managing partners and chief legal officers to discuss the issue of workplace diversity within the legal profession. At the professional level in the legal community, there are still 44 percent more men than woman. Minorities make up less than 15 professional of the total professional staff (See my post of March 17, 2006: questions the impact of the Call to Action.).

CTA was formed in 2004 by corporate chief legal officers who wanted to start a dialogue to address the underlying and systemic causes that have created barriers for advancement based on gender, race and sexual orientation. The CTA Summit is now the opportunity to replace rhetoric with measurable action. For the first time, leading decision makers and influencers will be together in one room to establish benchmarks and create an action plan for increasing diversity throughout the profession. Sub-committees are in place to ensure that progress is sustained following the inaugural event.

Rick Palmore, the CTA founder and executive vice president and general counsel for General Mills has spearheaded this conference. For more details, email here.

Full post as published by Law Department Management on March 23, 2008 (boomark / email).