Page 16 - Delaware Lawyer - Winter 2019

FEATURE
Jennifer Leonard
Women and
There are too few female leaders, but a new generation is eager for change.
What is the Problem? Women and men enter law school in equal numbers. But by the time lawyers ascend to senior leadership positions in the profession, the numbers are undeniably warped, with some estimates showing women holding only 20 percent of leadership positions in legal services organizations.
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Why Should We Care?
This diminution of women in the profession should trouble all members of the bar.
The overrepresentation of any one group necessarily means that the perspec- tive and resulting behavior of the whole is limited. With women so underrepre- sented as their careers advance, the pro- fession, the clients it serves, the legislative bodies that craft law, and the courts that apply that law to facilitate disputes before them, are deprived of a more informed approach at the most impactful levels. We should assume that this imbalance weak- ens our collective efforts.
But we are lawyers and we cannot just assume — we need proof. And the proof is emerging. Our failure to confront and change hurts the profession and, for the pragmatic reader, it’s simply bad for busi- ness. Research, including a 2015 McKin- sey Report titled Diversity Matters, con-
sistently shows that diverse perspectives enhance problem-solving, produce new solutions and — as a result — enhance client service.
Corporate clients are lightyears ahead of the legal profession when it comes to understanding the benefits — psychic, financial, cultural and otherwise — inclu- sion creates. Corporations have adjusted in myriad ways, including on-site child care, professional development trainings on gender equality, equal compensation policies and clear, well-communicated sexual harassment policies. One way they have effected change is through leverag- ing their power with professional service providers — both because greater equity and inclusion increasingly aligns with corporate values and because businesses understand how the services lawyers pro- vide them are enhanced by greater diver- sity. So, all things being equal, corporate clients are actively seeking lawyers from
the Legal Profession