Another AboveTheLaw winner! Biglaw firm promoting diversity

[WOT?*]

Biglaw firm promoting diversity by sending out an e-mail promoting the white male partners and how they help the women in the workplace.

With quotes from the women about how well they lead.

"He listens to me" is a good one. "He gave me a seat at the table." is another.


abovethelaw.com/2018/04/biglaw-firm-doesnt-think-men-get-nearly-enough-credit/

[cville]

Do I miss big firm life? Ha ha ha ha haaaaaa haha ha


No.

[cville]

I read the email to my husband and he goes "hey, I also do not actively discriminate against my female colleagues!" And now he's referring to himself in the third person as "Champion."

[walterismydog]

Do whuuuut now?


Cool story, bros.

[Michelle]

May 1, 2018 18:13:54 GMT -5 cville said:

I read the email to my husband and he goes "hey, I also do not actively discriminate against my female colleagues!" And now he's referring to himself in the third person as "Champion."

I'm dying.

And uh white men.

There is a new white male HR Director at my company. That is a rare breed here. All my most challenging work relationships are with white men. 

This particular one called a meeting with risk management and benefits, but not me or the manager on my team (and we are over HR policy for the system), to ask about why we have a certain employee-friendly policy.

He was questioning why we go beyond the requirements of the law and wanted to spend an hour discussing it. I got added to the meeting for obvious reasons. 

Um, hey a-hole, it is part of our strategy to be an Employer of Choice. We don't set our threshold for employee-friendly policies at what is minimally required by law. That's not how to become a best in class employer. Go back to where you came from. grrrrr

[sushi]

I was alone in his office with the door closed and he didn't grope me!

[downtoearth]

May 2, 2018 7:17:03 GMT -5 BirdGirl said:

The execution was terrible and the ATL criticism spot on. I mean “Men Champions” come tf on.

But if the larger point is to show people that there’s value in advancing younger associates careers, I think that’s good. It shouldn’t need to be called out or celebrated. People should just know. But they don’t. Case in point the senior person above me who is afraid to give me any leash and feels compelled to take credit for most of what I do. I don’t understand that compulsion - particularly when I can’t take her job. But it’s there in a lot of people. This is not how you fix it though.

Wasn't the whole point of the email and "Champions" list to "support the development of women leadership," but there don't seem to be any women leaders nominated or in this email thread? We can only see that the goal was for advancing women leadership - not aged-based or advancing younger men associates to be less discriminatory to women. I don't think it has anything to do with advancing younger associates.  So if your boss is a "leader" and woman, but still a terrible manager, and advocate for younger associates, then that is one thing, but I'm not sure it's related here to the miss that this firm had

[cville]

Listen, maybe some of these men ARE champions of women attorneys. But "he listens to me" means jackall. How about:

"He shared 50% credit with me on a case"

"He actively supported my promotion to partner by advocating for me to the executive committee verbally and in writing."

"Over the course of his 30 year career, men and women associates working for him have been promoted at equal rates."

"He named me second chair at trial when I was a midlevel associate and assigned me to cross examine key witnesses."


Maybe every one of these dudes does just that, but:
1. This email is for shit. Men named, women quoted anonymously ffs. I mean. We promote women by taking away their individual voices?!

2. They provided 0 tangible information that they do so.

[downtoearth]

May 2, 2018 12:32:01 GMT -5 melmaria said:

*sits sadly in biglaw office questioning life choices for 8th time this week*

Not only Biglaw...I think about that too. My company has never had or discussed diversity let alone gender equality. I spent 3 days in the field a week ago and that was the first time I have ever been in the field with a woman consultant from my own company in my time here (6 years) or my whole 15 years in consulting - really it was the first time I was in the field with a woman who wasn't a regulator overseeing the work.

Two VPs are women out of about 20.  12 out of 47-49 business or group leaders are women and only 5 are in the technical expertise fields (the others are legal or HR). Not changing fast in my area of engineering/science either.

[miso]

May 2, 2018 13:02:52 GMT -5 cville said:

Listen, maybe some of these men ARE champions of women attorneys. But "he listens to me" means jackall. How about:

"He shared 50% credit with me on a case"

"He actively supported my promotion to partner by advocating for me to the executive committee verbally and in writing."

"Over the course of his 30 year career, men and women associates working for him have been promoted at equal rates."

"He named me second chair at trial when I was a midlevel associate and assigned me to cross examine key witnesses."


Maybe every one of these dudes does just that, but:
1. This email is for shit. Men named, women quoted anonymously ffs. I mean. We promote women by taking away their individual voices?!

2. They provided 0 tangible information that they do so.

Agree.

I was coming in to say something similar.

I wouldn't write off "champions" simply by virtue of their sex.