Creating a Welcoming Workspace for Diverse Employees by Laurie Carter

Winter 2008

Some people enjoy being pioneers; they get satisfaction from being the first to break gender and racial barriers. However, that has never been my goal. For me, being the first African-American administrator at The Juilliard School was initially a lonely and disheartening experience. As I walked down the halls more than twenty years ago, I did not see anyone who looked like me, and some people would not even speak to me. I felt isolated and ignored. After six months, I had started to think about moving on.

Fortunately, I leveled with my boss, and we had a very frank discussion about my concerns. He urged me to stay, describing the exciting and fulfilling work I could do for Juilliard, and convincing me that I could make a difference. He also very quietly—and without my knowledge—asked a female administrator to reach out to me on a social level. For the first time at the school, someone asked me to lunch. It was a small gesture, but it was an important first step toward a feeling of acceptance.

Today, Juilliard’s staff and student populations are extremely diverse. However, this rich, multi-cultural environment was not created overnight. During my time at the school, my colleagues and I have worked hard to develop mentoring and community-education programs to make our institution more welcoming for women and minorities.

We have also stressed the importance of diversity to the world outside our offices. I recall a conversation I had with a partner at a law firm we were considering retaining. When I asked him about his firm’s diversity efforts, he responded, "Oh, is that still an issue?" Immediately, I knew that this firm was not right for Juilliard. I know many other executives and administrators from large organizations who concur with these sentiments—we want to see diverse legal teams for the work we commission, and if a firm is unable to provide that, then we will find other firms that can.

So how can law firms and other legal employers attract and retain diverse candidates? Start with a serious and comprehensive plan. The culture must be created from the top down. After all, if the people at the top do not display a deep commitment to diversity, the rest of the firm will quickly surmise that it is not really a priority. The efforts must also be ongoing—there is nothing to be gained by successfully executing a recruitment initiative, only to abandon diverse employees after they join the firm.

To help create a welcoming office culture, designate more senior attorneys to serve as mentors to each new employee. Even if the match does not work out in the long run, the new hire will at least have had a friendly coworker to speak with during those challenging first months. Many African-American attorneys have told me that they left law firms that failed to provide adequate mentoring. These attorneys encountered established cliques and "old-boys’ networks," and when they realized how difficult it would be to rise through the ranks, they chose another path. The results might have been different if the firm had established a line of communication to senior attorneys through a mentorship program.

It is also essential to consider your office's day-to-day operations. Think about where people are physically placed in the office, how assignments are divided, which attorneys are most able to travel, etc. Make sure that your diverse attorneys are visible. New recruits will be surveying your office, and noting whether there are attorneys who look like them in prominent positions and whether they appear happy and comfortable.

Finally, diverse attorneys need to take ownership of their own circumstances. Issues of discrimination are real and should be taken seriously, but this does not mean that young people from diverse backgrounds should allow themselves to become discouraged as they pursue a career in the law. If that is your dream, do not let anyone stand in your way. Twenty years ago, I came very close to walking away from a great opportunity because I felt a sense of isolation in my work environment. Now, I understand that, with hard work and commitment, environments and attitudes can change.

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Laurie Carter is the Vice President and General Counsel of The Juilliard School and the Executive Director of its Jazz Studies Graduate Studies. In 2004, the New York County Lawyers' Association named Ms. Carter one of the Outstanding Women of the Bar.