When I talk with law firms around the country, they tell me they want more diversity in their firms. I believe them. But often they also say they just can't attract more minorities or that the minorities they do attract don't stay very long. I believe that these are real problems. But it is unacceptable to say we can't overcome these problems.
Lawyers are generally pretty smart.
If they run into a problem, they figure out a way to fix it. If we can be as determined in fostering diversity as we are in advocating our clients' positions, there would be more minority lawyers today. At BellSouth, diversity is strongly supported by our Board of Directors and our CEO, Duane Ackerman. But BellSouth is not claiming any moral superiority here. We are proud of our record in diversity, but we know that more needs to be done.