There has been nothing more important to me in my career than making the legal profession more inclusive. Proven time and again by cognitive and social science, there is clear evidence that diverse teams provide high-yield returns. A sustained commitment to DE&I isn’t just good for the firm and our people, but also the clients and communities we serve. To me, any DE&I strategy should be inclusive of this understanding—and though there is always room for growth, I’m proud to say that we’re getting it right at O’Melveny.

The centralization of processes is key to both hiring and work coordination efforts. When there is process, we can evaluate that process for biases. That evaluation can then help us identify and address growth areas that can subsequently result in the recalibration of our process with a renewed focus on DE&I. For example, it is known in the legal industry that hallway staffing—though a quick and direct way to staff matters—can be full of unconscious bias, resulting in homogenous teams time and again. A formalized work coordination process provides us the opportunity to ensure there is consistency across work assignments.

It has been a hallmark of Brad’s leadership to always focus on DE&I—so much so that DE&I is a top three priority of the firm, and therefore the Executive Committee. As part of our routine meetings with Brad on high level strategic priorities, he is keen to hear perspectives on our approach to DE&I as a firm and creates an open environment that encourages honest conversations on our progress and goals. In so many institutions, DE&I is viewed as a zero-sum game, where there is seemingly a limit to the positions occupied by underrepresented lawyers. On the Executive Committee and throughout the firm, we know that the culture at OMM is beyond that: there is shared success and collective joy within and across underrepresented groups as we move towards role-parity at the firm.