Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Make Your Law Firm Stronger, So How Do You Achieve It?
Diversity, Equity, and inclusion are words we hear a lot, but what does it mean for your law firm, and how can they benefit our practice?
At Yaeger Legal Consulting, we know that being a successful law firm means becoming a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive law firm. We need to focus on achieving greater inclusion when it comes to race, age, ethnicity, gender, disabilities, and sexual orientation.
Diverse law firms benefit from diverse backgrounds and experiences, varied opinions, and different ways of looking at the world. Overall, a diverse law firm is a stronger law firm, with more creative ways of solving problems.
The American Bar Association maintains a “longstanding commitment to diversity through eliminating bias and enhancing inclusion in the Association, the legal profession, and the justice system.” You can check out their guidance on diversity and inclusion, people with disabilities, Hispanic legal rights, education pipeline, racial and ethnic justice, sexual orientation and gender identity, and women in the profession.
Time for a change
Despite this focus on diversity by the ABA, a recent report shows that law firm leaders are mostly male and white. This demonstrates that there’s a long journey ahead to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the US legal system.
Does it sound like your law firm could pave the way? Let’s get started!
As lawyers, it’s essential to foster an inclusive environment. We can do this by:
- educating ourselves and our team
- tackling bias, promoting reflection and self-awareness
- building a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion
- creating an intentional hiring plan
- developing a marketing and communications plan that promotes diversity
- working with bar associations and participating in diversity programs
We’d be thrilled to guide you on how your law firm can achieve these important goals.
How Yaeger Legal Consulting is making a difference
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are topics that Laura Yaeger is deeply committed to. Her experience in this area makes her the ideal person to guide your law firm in this important direction:
- Pledge to ACT
When committing to diversify your team, one way to achieve this is to make a pledge to ACT. Laura Yaeger is a proud member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and her law firm, Yaeger Law has taken the member pledge to ACT, which is all about forging connections. It’s a commitment to diversity and including minority attorneys.
- Support for the LGBT community
Laura Yaeger is the past chair and co-founder of the LGBT caucus of the AAJ, and the chair of the LGBT caucus of the Florida Justice Association. The LGBT caucus was approved unanimously at the AAJ annual convention in 2016, and today there are over 700 members. It’s a valuable and engaged part of the trial lawyer community. A caucus is a networking group that focuses on membership, fundraising, education, and public service.
- The Wool-Yager-Cabraser Convention scholarship
The Wool-Yaeger-Cabraser convention scholarship allows a trial lawyer who’s a member of the LGBT community to attend the AAJ annual convention, and it also provides a travel stipend to offset the associated travel costs. Laura Yaeger believes so deeply in this scholarship that Yaeger Law was a platinum donor. We recognize that the AAJ annual convention is the best way to connect with trial lawyers and it offers unparalleled community, networking, and education.
Let’s amplify your practice
When you diversify your practice, you amplify it. It’s just one of the many aspects we can help you with.
With Laura Yaeger by your side, you’ll experience personalized support. Our work will focus on assessing and reviewing your firm’s current infrastructure, workflows, and protocols. With our guidance, we’ll help you to streamline your practice so that you’ll be working more efficiently and productively.
Together, we’ll plan the future direction of your law firm and strategically plan the path ahead.
Let’s start with setting up a consultation – we’re excited to start this journey with you.