How Robyn Pollack Plans To Boost The Attraction And Retention of Millennial Women At Law Firms

She thinks firms should be investing in millennial women to build the next generation of leaders.

Robyn Pollack

“Lauryn Hill said her heart was in Zion / I wish her heart still was in rhymin’ / ‘Cause who the kids gon’ listen to, huh? / I guess me if it isn’t you / Last week I paid a visit to the institute / They got the dropout keepin’ kids in the school.”Kanye West

This week, Robyn Pollack and her firm, Trellis Consulting LLC, a leading diversity and inclusion authority for forward focused organizations, announced a yearlong professional development program. This exciting new initiative is scheduled for the fall, and will be delivered as an interactive webinar.

Designed specifically for women and their organizations, this comprehensive program helps attract and retain this key talent pool, crucial to ensuring competitive advantage, healthy margins, and sustainability in the workplace of tomorrow. The goal is to help millennial women navigate and succeed in the workplace.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to catch up with Robyn Pollack to talk about her past legal career and new diversity and inclusion initiative. Without further ado, here are some excerpts from our conversation:

Renwei Chung (RC): What attracted you to the law and how did you choose Temple University Beasley School of Law?

Robyn Pollack (RP): I worked in advertising and PR for three years after college and becoming a lawyer was always in the back of my mind. I decided that if I didn’t go then I may never go, so I went for it. It was the best decision I ever made professionally.

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Temple’s law school is amazing. I went to Temple undergrad so I was familiar with its graduate programs. It is one of the best law schools around and I had an incredible experience there. So much so that I went back to teach — I just can’t leave!

RC: Earlier this summer, you left the practice of law after almost a 20-year career with the same law firm, spending the last several years as a partner. As a cagey veteran, what advice do you have for young attorneys and those who have just sat for the bar?

RP: I always tell law students and young lawyers that the most important thing for them is to be excellent at practicing law. Learn, put in the time and be unparalleled in the work that you do. That is how you earn respect, build a reputation, and create your brand.

Without being excellent first, you can never rise up the pipeline, develop business (who would refer work to someone who is not the best?), or grow as an attorney.

RC: In what areas have you noticed attorneys struggle as they progress through their careers?

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RP: The biggest issues are around navigating the workplace, career progression, and business development. There is a lot of ambiguity in firms about how exactly to progress and succeed. People often do not have a sponsor and that makes it difficult to get to partnership.

Law is a business — it is not enough just to be a good lawyer — and I have seen a lot of people struggle with the business development aspect of the practice. Navigating the culture of law is also a struggle — the business model of firms is limiting and is something that needs to change.

Average lawyers are one-dimensional; outstanding lawyers can stand in the middle of a circle and look at every permutation of an issue in 360 degrees. Outstanding lawyers have more than just great legal minds — they are practical and can envision creative solutions to complex problems that are in their clients’ best interest.

Success can mean a lot of different things, but the most successful partners in the traditional sense are the ones who build relationships and are selfless. They share origination, worry more about their team’s success than their own, they bring other people up.

RC: You founded Trellis Consulting to help organizations achieve high performance and sustainability through diversity and inclusion. Can you tell us more about your mission?

RP: Too many companies are checking the box and not looking at D&I as the business issue it is. Trellis wants to help companies use the things that make each of us unique — our perspectives, backgrounds, experiences — to drive innovation, better problem solving, and collaboration, which creates competitive advantage and profitability.

I was a business restructuring lawyer, so I understand the importance of healthy margins, cash flow, financial viability. But, those things can only be achieved in a positive, collaborative environment. Trellis wants to help create that cultivating culture where all stakeholders have an equal access path to success.

 RC: In the fall, Trellis is rolling out a millennial women professional development yearlong program, conducted as a web-video seminar. What motivated you to launch this initiative?

RP: So many millennial women share with me the struggles they face in the workplace. There is a disconnect between the business environment they thought they were entering and the reality of what is really there, creating discontent. I wanted to give them the tools they need to navigate the workplace, to have a voice, to be more confident, to find value in what they are doing, to invest in themselves.

It also goes both ways — there is a big issue with attraction and retention of millennials — firms should be investing in these women to build the next generation of leaders.

RC: It was great chatting with you. Is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?

RP: Change is hard, especially for law firms — it is like turning the Titanic around! But it is necessary. The business world is changing fast — firms and companies need to be agile and proactive in dealing with these changes and what this next generation is looking for in terms of culture in the places where they work.

Embedding diversity and inclusion into the fabric is the only way it works. Trellis is at the forefront of this. Our tag line is “we help stakeholders climb, achieve, lead and thrive so your organization can.” I think that encapsulates what we stand for.

On behalf of everyone here at Above the Law, I would like to thank Robyn Pollack for sharing her story with our audience. We wish her continued success in her career.

To learn more about Robyn Pollack and her recent work, check out www.trellisconsultingllc.com. And if you are a millennial woman who wants to learn the best ways to navigate the workplace and gain advantages in your career, then be sure to register now for the Millennial Women Program


Renwei Chung is the Diversity Columnist at Above the Law. You can contact Renwei by email at projectrenwei@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter (@renweichung), or connect with him on LinkedIn. If you need help crafting your story, visit here.