Biglaw, In-House Counsel

General Counsel Will Hit Biglaw Firms Where It Hurts If They Don't Increase Diversity ASAP

Biglaw firms will go without cash payments if they don't give Black lawyers the chance to succeed.

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We will no longer celebrate good intentions or highly unproductive efforts that haven’t and aren’t likely to produce better diverse staffing. It’s the results that we are demanding and will measure going forward.

— Coca-Cola General Counsel Bradley Gayton, in a letter to the company’s outside counsel, where he demanded that law firms staff at least 30% of new matters with diverse attorneys, with at least half of that billable time going to Black lawyers. Within the next two years, Gayton hopes he will be able to increase his diverse billable hour staffing requirement to 50%. In his letter, Gayton notes that noncompliance over two quarterly reviews will result in a “non-refundable 30% reduction in the fees payable” until a law firm complies, and continued failure could result in a firm no longer being considered for legal work with the company.

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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