How The Diversity Movement Is Helping Legal Organizations Leverage DEI Principles To Unlock Business Excellence

For legal organizations and law firms taking a 2021 inventory of their human capital and aiming to improve diversity among their workforces in 2022, this may be the Q4 conversation you’ve been looking for.

“The movement is a rhythm to us / Freedom is like religion to us / Justice is juxtapositionin’ us / Justice for all just ain’t specific enough.” Common

In the past few quarters, I’ve teamed up with The Diversity Movement (TDM) on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programming for The Society for Diversity, Duke University, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, and Morrisville and Durham Chamber of Commerce events.

TDM provides the tools, methods, and perspectives that businesses need to spark lasting culture change and evolve into more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organizations. It also helps its clients shift individual behavior, so those individuals can form high-performing teams that deliver better business outcomes.

This week, I had the opportunity to catch up with Jamie Ousterout, certified diversity executive and head of client services at TDM. She helps clients move forward and take action on their diversity, equity, and inclusion journeys. Jamie has served clients across various industries, including legal, healthcare, pharmaceutical, financial, technology, and non-profit. She is an alum of Cornell University in 2009 with a bachelor of arts in English and history.

I’ve learned a ton over the last year from TDM and during this week’s conversation with Jamie. For legal organizations and law firms taking a 2021 inventory of their human capital and aiming to improve diversity among their workforces in 2022, this may be the Q4 conversation you’ve been looking for. Without further ado, here is a (lightly edited and condensed) write-up of our conversation.

Renwei Chung (RC): What drew you to this type of work?

Jamie Ousterout (JO): I have always had a desire to help create teams where everyone feels welcome and included and to work with organizations to optimize their processes and procedures so they can better serve their customers and communities. DEI is a natural extension of this work.

Sponsored

At The Diversity Movement, we know that DEI can help unlock business excellence — and my hope is that individuals will take what they learn at work and bring it back to their friends, families, and communities to create a world where everyone feels safe and welcome.

RC: TDM has worked with legal nonprofits like The American Health Law Association (AHLA) and law firms like Bricker & Eckler. What have you learned about DEI issues and opportunities at organizations like these?

JO: Law is such an important field that has a broad impact on our society. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with both AHLA and Bricker & Eckler. In working with associations, and specifically with AHLA, there is a unique opportunity to have a broader impact across things like healthcare equity to help create a better world.

RC: Are there any issues in the legal industry that you’ve noticed that are unique to the profession?

JO: I have observed that our clients in the legal profession have incredibly well-documented processes and procedures. The challenge becomes applying these processes and procedures consistently and equitably across the organization.

Sponsored

RC: TDM and The AHLA have a case study coming out later this month, can you tell us what this focuses on?

JO: We are very proud to have worked with AHLA over the past several months. AHLA has been on their DEI journey for many years, but we helped bolster their journey by providing training — both in eLearning and virtual formats — as well as doing a comprehensive assessment of their organization.

One of the areas for improvement that we identified in the assessment was around creating a more transparent board nominating process: one that mitigated unconscious bias and allowed the best candidates to be selected for board service.

By working with AHLA staff and the nominating committee, we revised the nominations process, which was recently approved by the board. You can view the forthcoming case study at: https://thediversitymovement.com/case-studies/. We’re excited to continue working with AHLA and other organizations in the law profession.

RC: How can legal organizations and law firms assess their DEI competency?

JO: With all clients, we suggest starting with an organizational assessment. This assessment includes surveys, listening sessions, and a review of processes and procedures.

Through the survey, we are able to gather quantitative data on the current state of DEI competency within an organization, and we are able to gain additional, qualitative data through listening sessions — small group settings where participants are asked to share openly about the culture of the organization. This helps us establish a baseline for the organization and understand its unique issues and challenges.

We can then suggest strategic goals and initiatives to address these issues in a comprehensive DEI action plan. And importantly, we help our clients track against progress and help hold the organization accountable.

RC: As we near the end of 2021, what steps can legal organizations and law firms take to ensure they are fostering diverse and inclusive cultures?

JO: It is imperative that diverse and inclusive cultures are championed by leaders within the organization. However, everyone can play a part in creating a more inclusive and welcoming culture.

One simple way to do this is to recognize other voices at the table and encourage their participation, to use inclusive language for other people’s identities and backgrounds, and to provide forums for all people to share their unique perspectives and opinions.

RC: What else do you want people to understand about diversity, equity, and inclusion?

JO: Too often, people feel that DEI may not apply to them. They think it’s just race or gender. They don’t understand that inclusion involves everyone within an organization. Everyone brings a unique and valuable background, with a range of perspectives and experiences to help us make better decisions.

Additionally, too many people fail to understand that DEI is a continuous practice. The point is to create a work environment where people feel comfortable admitting when they are wrong, can make mistakes, learn to correct them, and keep moving forward. We try to practice this kind of culture at The Diversity Movement where we emphasize progress over perfection with one another and with our clients.

RC: Do you have some favorite or recommended resources for those who are interested in learning more?

JO: The Diversity Movement has a MicroVideo platform, which offers one-to-three-minute videos on various DEI topics to provide quick, learning moments for all busy professionals. This platform is available for free as a beta program through the end of November 2021. My other favorite resource is our inclusive language guide: Say This, Not That.

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


Renwei Chung is the DEI Columnist at Above the Law. He currently serves as a Board Advisor for The Diversity Movement (TDM), whose integrated approach enables law firms to build and strengthen culture by tying real-world business outcomes to DEI initiatives via a scalable subscription-based employee experience platform. And he is excited to host TDM’s and Footnote 4’s new podcast Charge the Wave — focused on entrepreneurs, executives, and icons who are assiduously building companies, cultures, and communities.