It’s hard pleasing everyone at Kirkland & Ellis. Sure, K&E offers oodles of prestige, cutting-edge work, and above-market bonuses. When we asked our associate readers what firm other than their own they’d most want to work for, Kirkland took third place.
But people will always find something to be upset about — and often there’s a political component to the K&E complaints. For example, some people think Kirkland tilts too far to the right, thanks to its association with prominent conservatives like Ken Starr and John Bolton.
Others think the firm tilts too far to the left, bowing down before the forces of political correctness. These critics object to the firm’s Diversity Networking Forums, its Big Gay Cocktail Parties…. and, most recently, its just-circulated “Diversity Census,” asking lawyers for their demographic data.
From a tipster:
Many of us at K&E find this [Diversity Census] offensive. Clients who inquire about the race or sex of the attorneys working on their matters should be told it’s none of their business and that the firm does not staff its matters in accordance with the racist or sexist quota requirements of its clients. If a client asked that no blacks work on its matters, presumably the firm would fire the client, but when the shoe is on the other foot, K&E partners are all too happy to oblige.
But is this really the purpose of the Diversity Census? No, according to the firm. We contacted Walt Lohmann, co-chair of the Firmwide Diversity Committee at K&E, who explained that “participation in the Kirkland Diversity Census is voluntary and anonymous (unless a respondent chooses to self-identify for purposes of receiving materials and event notifications).” Furthermore, “responses are not used in staffing decisions.”
Fair enough. But what if they were — would that be problematic? As reported last year by the American Lawyer:
Over the last few years, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and others have raised the stakes for outside counsel, pressing firms to increase diversity in their ranks or risk losing clients. In one case… Wal-Mart dumped an outside firm that didn’t adequately adhere to the company’s diversity program.
Do efforts like Wal-Mart’s merit commendation or condemnation? Feel free to opine in the comments.
More information about the K&E Diversity Census, plus a copy of the Census, below the fold.
I don’t know anything about My Community Legal Network. Its website tells us this: 
Continue reading "The Wal-Mart of Law Firms Might Be Wal-Mart"
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