Episode 34 - Building a New Law Firm Culture Through Diversity & Inclusion

We are at a juncture, right now, where we can take a breath and seize the opportunity not just to do a little better in how we have practised law but, a lot!

We can't do that with ALL the same people, or thinking the same way, or doing the same things. We need to celebrate and embrace people from different backgrounds, different approaches, different points of view. And so, in many different ways, diversity AND inclusion (D&I) will play an even bigger role in how we move forward - it's pivotal to legal innovation AND at the centre of building the sort of workplace culture that reflects and respects our contemporary workplace, colleagues and clients.

In this podcast, Terri Mottershead, Executive Director, Centre for Legal Innovation (Australia, New Zealand and Asia-Pacific),spoke with leaders and doers in this space from Australia and the USA about Building a New Law Firm Culture Through Diversity & Inclusion:

•  Ann-Maree David, Executive Director,The College of Law Queensland(Australia)
•  Maddison Harrington, Legal Officer - People and Wellbeing,Griffith University(Australia)
•  Leila Hock, Director, Legal Department Partnerships and Inclusion Initiatives,Diversity Lab(USA)
•  Kimya S.P. Johnson, Senior Counsel and Chair of Diversity & Inclusion Practice Group,Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C(USA)

Topics discussed included:

• Definitions for acronyms often used in D & I
• The importance of taking this time to “build back better” when it comes to the legal industry and D & I
• Identifying the challenges and overcoming them to effect the advancement of D & I in the legal industry
• Ways to ensure your D & I initiatives work in law firms, in legal education and in collaboration with consultancies
• The important role of D & I in developing organisational and workplace culture
• How D & I connects to and advances innovation
• The role of allies in D & I

Thanks so much, Ann-Maree, Maddy, Leila and Kimya for being so willing to candidly share your thoughts, experience, and the fabulous work you all do – it’s making a difference and we are all very grateful for it – amazing!

If you would prefer to watch this session rather than listen, you'll find the link to the video on the CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) FREE Resource Centre here.

Don't forget to also check out and save the date for the other fabulous FREE Reinvent Legal Business  Series 2 webinars and podcasts - you'll find the details and registration links to the videos as we add them here and, if you subscribe to this podcast, you’ll receive notification as we upload more conversations in this series.