Attorneys from Colorado and across the country participated in Step Up for Diversity: Take Action to Build an Inclusive Legal Profession^TM, a one-of-a-kind, national, online campaign developed by the Center for Legal Inclusiveness to improve the retention and advancement of diverse and female attorneys.

During the inaugural campaign, which ran from the Fall 2011 to Spring 2012, attorneys reported completing hundreds of diversity and inclusiveness action items. The top attorney participants from three categories include:

• Corporate Counsel Category:
  Yvette L. Lewis-Molock,
• Supervising/Managing Attorney Category:
  Scot A. Duvall, Equity Director, Middleton Reutlinger, Louisville, Kentucky;
• Other Attorney Category:
  Marcos A. Barbosa, Member, Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC, Kansas City, Kansas.
  
  

Learn more about what each top participant did to take top honors at: StepUpForDiversity.org

National research studies report diverse and female attorneys are routinely (but mostly unintentionally) excluded from career-enhancing opportunities, which contributes to the fact that the legal profession is still the least diverse of all professional careers.

“Step Up for Diversity provides a concrete way for attorneys in law firms and other legal organizations to personally help with diversity and inclusiveness in the legal profession,” says Kathleen Nalty, CLI’s Executive Director. “CLI developed this program because many people want to support the cause but they don’t know how. With our action items they now have a list of practical things they can do that will make a big difference for diverse and female attorneys.”

The campaign is aimed at corporate counsel, supervising/managing attorneys, and other attorneys, and the action items vary in degree of difficulty and effort required. Some are as simple as inviting a diverse or female attorney to lunch, while others are more involved, such as extending invitations to diverse and female attorneys to make substantive presentations in corporate law departments.

The three top attorneys were honored and recognized at the Legal Inclusiveness & Diversity Summit luncheon on Monday, May 7 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown hotel. Read te press release.

You can still participate in Step Up for Diversity!
Sign up here and add your name to the list of attorneys making a difference for diverse and female attorneys.