In February, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. gave the opening remarks at the conference of chief justices of state supreme Courts. At one point in his speech, he noted that for many people law is now a symbol of exclusion rather than empowerment. But he could have easily turned his gaze to the legal profession itself and made the same comments. The legal profession is more than 92 percent white, although the population is 30 percent people of color. Last year in New York of the 190 lawyers who made partner, only 11 were minorities.
Most firms are familiar with the grim numbers, but few know what to do about it.
There are a handful of firms, however, that have locked onto mentoring as a way to recruit and retain lawyers of color, and they have a recent study to back up their approach. The executives reported that their mentors were very helpful in advocating for their upward mobility and explaining and introducing them to informal networks. The concept of mentoring can easily become an amorphous, touchy-feely category. Cumberlander, who has worked with three Fortune 200 companies and several law departments, employs a clear definition of mentor. In this context, style means the approach that is appropriate in a particular situation.