What diversity means to a particular firm hinges on its goals and culture, which may be resistant to change. It s one of the reasons it s hard to come up with a cookie-cutter approach for all law firms. You can t export what law firm A does to law firm B except in the core concepts, in the commitment from on top to diversify. The cultures are very local and if there were a single solution, then everybody would be doing it. It s a much more complicated problem.
Diversity happens because the leader sets the tone.
But making a commitment to diversity is only part of the process of actually achieving it. Attrition rates for minority associates, both men and women, are higher than the average attrition rate for all associates, according to the ABA s Miles to Go 2000 report. Within eight years of joining a firm, 79.8 percent of minority male associates and 86.2 percent of minority female associates have left, compared to 77.2 percent for all associates. When you talk to attorneys of color who decide to leave firms, you very often hear that they did not feel comfortable, they did not fit in, they did not feel engaged. I think part of it is a lack of mentors, people you can go to with any issue that you have.