In the Media
For Midsize Law Firms, Curbing Boys-Club Culture Starts with Diversity at the Top
Read Time: 1 minMember and Uplift Co-Chair Kristi W. Richard (Baton Rouge) was interviewed by Law.com for an article on cultivating diverse leadership in law firms, a long-term effort that requires investing in employees from the beginning of their employment — which, for many midsize firms, may be easier said than done.
Regulatory member Kristi Richard of Louisiana-founded firm McGlinchey Stafford, who also serves as co-chair of the women’s initiative at the firm, pointed out other midsize challenges to inclusivity, including localized office cultures spread across a geographic footprint and, depending on economic conditions, a tighter budget impacting diversity and inclusion program funding.
Richard added that cultivating diverse leadership is a long-term effort that requires investing in employees from the very beginning of their employment.
“The key that we’ve learned in talking to others is setting people up to do those things [needed for leadership],” she said. “You have to build that pipeline starting when they’re associates … setting them up at that point to build a culture of inclusivity and respect, and then giving them the skills and the leadership abilities and training them from there, so that you know you have a person able to step into roles because they’re qualified to do so.”
“What we try to do … is be cognizant of [diversity] and ultimately trying to get diverse people, such as women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, in some of those positions where their voices are heard a bit more and can direct action,” Richard said.