Join us on Twitter — LIVE tonight!

Tonight we’re running a closed-door session on LGBT workplace equality at law firms, with representation from many leading firms in NYC, and we’ll be live-Tweeting key insights, as well as producing a white paper on the unique challenges presented by these environments.

In addition to being totally excited to try on some web 2.0 communication techniques with the event, the topic is fascinating because as a leadership structure, the “partnership model” you find in law firms and professional services firms presents an interesting challenge for diversity efforts:  on the one hand, these organizations live and die by the young, bright talent they can recruit (or steal from one another), but on the other, their dispersed executive structure allows many leaders to operate outside the firm’s norms  and expectations when it comes to creating an inclusive, welcoming environment for all kinds of talent.  A contradiction in the brand, I would say, and one that doesn’t go unnoticed by informed talent, especially of the millennial variety.

I know this because I’ve seen the contradiction live and in-person, within the same firm:  headquarters employees who feel like they can be fully “out” and safe, vs. employees in regional offices headed by partners and other leaders who proactively or passively make it very uncomfortable for diverse employees to be 100% themselves.

Stay tuned to my blog for the high-level findings and recommendations that emerge from this session.  We’d love to hear your observations as well, so please plan to weigh in!

-Jennifer

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LABELS: affinity groups, career, corporate america, developing talent, ERGs, identity, law firms, new media, twitter, workplace, workplace diversity