Minority Corporate Counsel Association Inc

The Global TEC Forum: Empowering Change in Technology, Education and Careers (“G-TEC Forum” or “Forum”) addresses diversity in the tech industry, the latest disruptions and challenges facing the legal profession, and how emerging technologies are changing the practice of law. It was a direct response to the lack of diversity in the technology industry and specifically to general counsel who shared that it was a challenge recruiting and hiring under-represented minorities for their departments and as outside counsel. The G-TEC Forum is one way that MCCA is addressing these challenges by promoting the brightest women and diverse talent in the industry by providing those talented lawyers with an opportunity to share the latest disruptions and challenges facing the legal profession and how emerging technologies are changing the practice of law. In addition to continuing legal education focused on promoting our women and diverse lawyers, MCCA provides an opportunity for all lawyers to attend career development programs to support their careers and help them grow their networks in a small intimate setting such as our Forum. The ultimate goal for each attendee is to cultivate professional relationships, learn about the latest tech developments in the legal profession and strategically advance their professional brand and career.

Coinciding with the Creating Pathways to Diversity® Conference, is the annual Diversity Gala. The funds raised from our Diversity Gala support MCCA’s research, conferences and professional development programming throughout the year. The Gala features an elegant networking reception and an awards program honoring individuals, corporate legal departments and law firms championing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

The Seattle Inclusion Summit (“Summit”) is part of the new Inclusive Leader Program we launched in 2018 in partnership with Microsoft to address the growing need for diverse and inclusive leaders to disrupt homogeneity in legal leadership. To accrue the dividends that diversity and inclusion (“D&I”) has the potential to produce, bold and inclusive leadership is required both on an individual and a systemic, organization-wide level. Diversity by itself is not enough. An organization with a reputation for inclusiveness becomes a magnet, attracting top diverse talent; in turn, that talent can better tap markets’ potential, whether in emerging economies or among a broader set of consumers.

The inaugural Summit focused on the newly released research report, Bias Interrupters: You Can’t Change What You Can’t See (the “Report”). For decades, the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession (“the Commission”) and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (“MCCA”) have worked tirelessly to combat gender and racial bias in the legal profession. This new research confirms that many of the traditional diversity & inclusion tools we have relied upon over the years have been ineffective, and the findings have served as the foundation in developing the next generation of diversity & inclusion strategies.

The Summit included a presentation by expert panelists and a workshop. Panelists shared the findings from the Report, discussed how to strategically implement solutions and reviewed the tactical toolkits provided in the Report. The Summit’s workshop focused on five (5) goals that touched on topics such as eliminating bias from performance evaluations; promoting a culture of inclusion and increasing talent retention; how law departments can be effective allies to diverse outside counsel; and characteristics of an inclusive leader and their role in law firms and corporate legal departments. The ultimate goal of the workshop was to provide guidance and best practices on how individuals can act as organizational change agents, implement real solutions utilizing the toolkits, create systemic accountability and benchmark progress.

MCCA has summarized and finalized the resulting best practices developed by the workshop participants and it is now available to all MCCA members. MCCA members can access the Seattle Inclusion Summit Best Practices and Guidelines via the MCCA Member Portal.

In 2004, the MCCA established the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship (“LMJ Scholarship”) program. The LMJ Scholarship program seeks to nurture the academic and professional careers of outstanding law students and advancing the diversity pipeline to the legal profession. The LMJ Scholarship Program provides financial support to incoming first-year law students pursuing a juris doctorate degree. The scholarship is open to diverse students who have: been accepted to an ABA-accredited law school on a full-time basis; an outstanding or promising academic record; an interest in corporate law; demonstrated community service and leadership qualities; a financial need; and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Since its inception, the LMJ Scholarship program has awarded over $3.5 million in scholarships to nearly 200 students of which 39% are men and 61% are women.

In addition to our major conferences and events, MCCA hosts roadshows throughout the country, featuring thoughtful roundtables that focus on regional issues of diversity and inclusion, specifically recruiting, retention and promotion of diverse attorneys. These roadshows are an opportunity to engage the membership and connect with local leaders to learn about their concerns, share best practices, and discuss sustainable solutions.