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The Philadelphia Diversity Law Group held a
conference titled “Diverse Lawyers – Don’t Let Them Get Away,” on Friday,
October 21, 2005. The program focused on retaining lawyers from diverse
backgrounds in the Greater Philadelphia area. Key decision makers at large area
law firms and major corporate law departments attended to hear
presentations and engage in a dialogue on this critical topic.
Samuel M. Reeves, associate general
counsel of Wal-Mart, was the keynote luncheon speaker,
and Verna Myers, a nationally recognized consultant to attorneys on diversity
issues who also holds a law degree from Harvard, served as the conference
facilitator.
Enhanced recruiting and hiring efforts have increased
the number of attorneys from diverse backgrounds hired by large law firms and
corporate law departments. However, both regional and national statistics
indicate that the longevity of these attorneys at the firms is not sufficient
to create a growing pool of senior attorneys and diverse partners. The
conference focused on the factors contributing to this lack of longevity
and explore possible solutions, concentrating on practical and pragmatic
measures.
The Philadelphia
Diversity Law Group is a not-for-profit corporation ganized in 2001 to promote
diversity in the practice of law, particularly in the Greater Philadelphia
area. Its current members are ACE USA; ARAMARK Corporation; AstraZeneca
Pharmaceuticals LP; Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP; Blank Rome LLP;
Buchanan Ingersoll, PC; Comcast Cable Communications LLC; Cozen O’Connor, PC;
Dechert LLP; DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP; Drinker Biddle & Reath
LLP; Duane Morris LLP; DuPont Company; FMC Corporation; Fox Rothschild
LLP; GlaxoSmithKline; Klehr, Harrison, Harvey, Branzburg & Ellers LLP;
Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
LLP; Pepper Hamilton LLP; Post & Schell, P.C.; Reed Smith LLP; Saul Ewing
LLP; Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP; State Farm Mutual Automobile
Insurance Company; Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP; Sunoco, Inc.;
Temple University; White and Williams LLP; and Wolf, Block, Schorr and
Solis-Cohen LLP.
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