ABA Practice Forward Group Focuses on Well-Being and Diversity in the Profession
Illustration by Hanna Barczyk
We have passed the one-year pandemic mark and the vaccine roll out is underway. Many of us have been taking the past year one day at a time, focusing on hope for the future and making it through this pandemic. That being said, it is critical for us to take time to reflect on the changes and challenges the year has brought and how our profession responds to them, so that we continue to work to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. In an industry where work-from-home was not the norm before the pandemic, we must examine how environmental changes have affected our and our colleagues’ experiences.
In a recent article, the ABA shared some of the early results from a new ABA survey answered by approximately 4,400 people in September and October of last year. The survey explored how COVID-19 impacted diversity and inclusion programs and how legal employers revised workplace policies and procedures in response to the pandemic. It also explored what resources respondents felt were needed moving forward. The early results shed light on the concerns of responding attorneys, over 50% of which report working from home 100% of the time. In this post we will focus on the experiences reported by the women and attorneys of color who responded to the survey.
In our 2020 close-out post, we recognized women attorneys’ grit and commitment to their clients throughout COVID-19. We also acknowledged the added responsibilities and juggling that women with children have experienced during the pandemic. The ABA’s survey results emphasize the increased childcare responsibilities and disruptions to work that women with children have experienced. The respondents to the recent survey in this group indicated that they often have concerns that their employers view them as not committed and overlook them for opportunities. The ABA reported that “[w]hen asked what they needed to succeed, female lawyers said they wanted more supportive, engaged employers, as well as comprehensive plans for sick and family leave and subsidies for child care, family care and tutoring.”
Female lawyers, lawyers of color, and younger lawyers also “said they want more guidance about mental health and well-being and effective diversity, equity and inclusion programs.” In addition to the increased resources for working parents mentioned in the paragraph above, these attorneys also desire robust mentoring, sponsorship, diversity and inclusion programs, and pro bono programs.
Each of the groups referenced in this post are distinct and have distinct experiences, and it is critical for legal employers to address the issues each of these groups face in order to ensure retention. The last thing our profession needs is an exodus disproportionately affecting women and people of color. We applaud the ABA’s efforts to protect the progress that has been made and proactively question and address the pandemic’s effects, and we call on legal employers and lawyers to follow suit.