Biglaw

The Racism You Have To Get Through To Be A Biglaw Managing Partner

His story is important for everyone in Biglaw to read.

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Ellisen Turner

Irell & Manella has a new managing partner. That fact isn’t particularly surprising — management changes at Biglaw firms happen with regularity. But Ellisen Turner, who recently got the nod to manage Irell, is African-American. Given the lack of diversity in the upper echelons of Biglaw, well, this is big news.

Vivia Chen at the Careerist explains her reaction to the news, “Wow. He’s African-American! Anyone who pretends that she didn’t react the way I did is, well, pretending.” Chen went a step further than just marveling at his promotion, and spoke with Turner about the ways in which race has impacted his career. The resulting interview is a fascinating inside look at the intersection of race and Biglaw.

Turner admits to feeling pressure to succeed in his new role, especially because he doesn’t want to “fail” his community. And he says those expectations are pretty universal when diverse persons are elevated to important positions, “Even if someone says, ‘I don’t feel that pressure,’ there’s pressure.” He hasn’t lost his perspective though, saying this is on a different level than experiences his father went through:

My dad was one of the Norfolk 17 who integrated public schools in Norfolk, Virginia. I know what real pressure is like. And this doesn’t compare to what my dad went through. They were spat upon, and people tried to stab them.

But one of the most illuminating moments occurs when Turner is asked if he’s experienced racism in his career:

Yes! I live in the United States, after all.

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Fair enough, but the story he goes on to tell is important for everyone in Biglaw to read. It shows how even in the midst of trying to recruit diverse lawyers, firms can let their implicit bias show:

When I was interviewing at firms, a partner invited me to go to the firm’s box at a Lakers game. When I went showed up, one of the first things a partner there said to me was, “We have enough soda.” He assumed I was there to serve them. I didn’t go to that firm. That attitude is there. There are people who have not interacted much with blacks, who can’t imagine that a young black man could be a lawyer.

And Turner’s story isn’t some outlier to be dismissed. Go ahead and ask any African-American lawyer, and they’ll have their own story of being overlooked or worse because of their skin color.

Turner believes the new horizon for meaningfully increasing diversity at law firms is no longer whether an African-American attorney will be hired, but whether they are put in a position to succeed. He’s optimistic that Biglaw is on the path to making progress, even though there may be setbacks:

But I don’t think we’re in as bad a position as people think we are. I believe firms and companies are not just giving lip service to diversity. I believe they think diversity will lead to better outcomes. But they are not quite clear about the tools that will get it done. People are having serious conversations about diversity. You have might have setbacks, and some people—well-meaning people—will work against your goals. But even those setback open doors.

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Congratulations to Ellisen Turner. We wish you much success as you lead Irell into a bright new future.

headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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