When we say we're Your connection — we mean everyone

The ALA Committee on Diversity & Inclusion is dedicated to providing you with resources and support that you can use to be an advocate for diversity and inclusion within your workplace.

Each year, we update and add to the tools and resources that we make available to you for this purpose and this progress report is a summary of our accomplishments and ongoing initiatives. If you haven't thought about ALA as a resource for your firm or chapter diversity initiatives, take a moment to see what we currently offer:

RESOURCES – To help the profession attract, retain and develop diverse attorney and staff talent, ALA continues to host a wide range of resources on its website for administrators, firms and chapters interested in broadening their knowledge of diversity and inclusion best practices. These resources include the ALA Diversity Toolkit, ALA Guide to Cross-Functional Mentoring, and the news items, must-read reports, studies, podcasts and web links hosted on the ALA Diversity Resource page. New this year, the committee authored a series of monthly diversity tip sheets to help administrators highlight and observe widely recognized cultural and heritage months in their workplaces.

EDUCATION – ALA continues our commitment to offering diversity education at the Annual Conference and fall regional conferences, as well as editorial content in our flagship publication Legal Management. This fall, diversity sessions were conducted at the Region 1 Conference in Connecticut, Region 2 Conference in Atlanta, and Region 3 Conference in Minneapolis, and Regions 5 & 6 Conference in Anaheim. Click on each of the preceding hyperlinks to download a copy of each presentation. We are especially proud that at the 2013 Annual Conference & Exposition, the Annual Conference Committee has selected the President of Diversity Best Practices, Andrés T. Tapia, to deliver the David W. Brezina Memorial General Session. We also would be remiss not to acknowledge the great work that is being done by ALA chapters to lead in the area of diversity education. Seven chapters participated in the Achievements in Diversity Chapter Awards Program in 2012, and a number of chapters hosted chapter meetings or educational events that specifically featured diversity and inclusion topics or themes. This grassroots support of the ALA Diversity Initiative is vital to our success as an organization in addressing our diversity goals.

ACTION – ALA continues to look for ways to meaningfully increase diversity and inclusion within our membership, leadership, business partners and headquarters staff. This year, membership applications and recruitment materials were reviewed to ensure that they are inclusive of individuals of all backgrounds and changes were made that we feel will keep us relevant and appealing to everyone interested in professional legal management. An initiative has been started to court Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWOBE) to the Association and make them aware of the opportunities that exist for them to provide products and services to our members. Further, the Committee hosted its first ever mid-year meeting to develop a more strategic approach to diversity and inclusion as an Association.

ADVOCACY – We have supported efforts from peer organizations to share best practices and education. ALA sponsored the Center for Legal Inclusiveness Legal Inclusiveness Summit in Denver, CO this May, and in 2013, we will expand our involvement to offer three event scholarships for students enrolled in undergraduate, law or MSLA programs so that they can attend the summit, learn more about the Association and our members and grow to become advocates of both diversity and inclusion and professional legal management as they advance in their careers.

This list reflects just some of the work we were able to complete. In addition to these efforts, we recognize that the best way we can create change in our profession is to extend opportunities for you, your chapter, and your firm to become involved in creating more inclusive, respectful workplaces. To that end:

• Join the ALA Diversity and Inclusion Discussion Forum. Bring your leadership skills to bear on some of the most pressing and important issues facing our Association, our profession, and our industry. Join the ALA Diversity and Inclusion Discussion Forum on LinkedIn.
   
• Participate in the ALA co-sponsored Measures of Success research study. We have partnered with the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession on their Measures of Success study and I encourage you all to participate by responding to a confidential survey that asks questions about how your organization and you personally measure diversity success in your workplace and in the profession. Responses should be submitted no later than March 15, 2013. You can learn more and find the link to participate on the IILP website.

We appreciate your taking the time to read this update, and invite your suggestions as well as any comments about how you feel we're doing as an Association in this area. Let us know what type of support would be most valued by you. We want to know what you need and what challenges you face. To submit a comment, email Maria Garcia, Staff Liaison, Committee on Diversity.

Sincerely,

The ALA Committee on Diversity
Laura Hlavacek, 2012-13 Chair, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP