The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel
Published: February 01, 2010
The Editor interviews Kevyn Orr , Partner and Chair of the Jones Day Diversity Task Force.
Editor: Please tell us about your professional background and whether or not you are still involved with diversity?
Orr: Yes, I am and have been all of my professional life. At the University of Michigan School of Law I was a member of BLSA (Black Law Students Association) and served both as the faculty liaison for the organization and on the University's faculty hiring committee. In those roles I was able to offer the perspective of students of color, which I felt was a critical perspective for the institution to have in that era of controversy around affirmative action. After graduating from Michigan in 1983, I started practicing as a trial lawyer with a majority Miami law firm where I was on their recruiting committee. I was involved in mentoring and outreach with the Black Lawyers Association in Miami as well, eventually becoming chair of the Racism in the Profession Committee. Today, in addition to having an active bankruptcy and litigation practice and serving on the firm's Advisory Committee, I am the Chair of the Jones Day Diversity Task Force, a position that allows me to work on diversity both within my firm and the profession.
Editor: Would you tell us about the Jones Day Diversity Task Force and its mission?
Orr: Jones Day's Diversity Task Force (DTF) was organized in 1987. The DTF is composed of 19 partners from 12 domestic offices, and is diverse by gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, location, and practice area. It meets at least monthly to determine how to recruit, retain, develop and promote the best possible lawyers from a diverse talent pool. Our firm's core mission is to provide exceptional client service by ensuring that these lawyers are fully integrated into the firm and that they develop a sense of ownership of the firm.
Editor: How does the task force implement its mission?
Orr: The Task Force implements its mission in two ways. One way is through outreach to organizations dedicated to increasing diversity in the profession. That outreach may involve financial contributions, participation in a study, or our presence at events honoring diversity pioneers. In the case of student organizations, we serve on career panels, as interviewers in mock interview programs, and as judges for moot court competitions. We also engage with our clients on diversity issues by examining and discussing best practices. The other way we implement our mission is by giving our own lawyers many opportunities to participate in our outreach to diverse organizations and to increase their own diversity awareness. In 2009 Jones Day participated in, and often hosted, scores of diversity events involving lawyers from all of our domestic offices. We've also supported their attendance at diversity seminars offered by Corporate Counsel Women of Color, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the Project for Attorney Retention, the National Association of Women Lawyers, and Lambda Legal, to name just a few. So, we collaborate extensively with our lawyers, including practice group heads, in the interest of diversity. Obviously, I cannot be aware of all of the diversity opportunities in all of our 14 domestic offices, so if someone sees an opportunity for us, say, an organization with which they're involved, we take their lead and not only with financial support but also with volunteers.
Editor: What changes has the Diversity Task Force made under your leadership?
Orr: I'm fortunate that my predecessor, Alison Marshall, who's still a member of the Diversity Task Force, recruited into service a number of the partners now on the Task Force. Her continuing contribution together with the work of the Task Force members have given us a great platform for pursuing our diversity priorities. But no Diversity Task Force however well constituted can be effective without the support of firm leadership. Jones Day has a long history of such support, and we benefit today from the the clear message from our Managing Partner, Steve Brogan, that diversity is a crucial foundational value of the firm. Steve and his predecessors have created a wonderful system of consensus relationships among the diversity committees in our various offices. My goal has been to develop a review process that prioritizes our efforts into three broad categories. The first category involves matters involving national organizations that mutually benefit both the firm and the organizations. For example, this year we are participating at the highest level with the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), Lambda Legal, and the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO). The second category involves those events where we historically have been involved, such as job fairs and affinity group events at the local and regional level. The third category involves events that we either weren't aware of or did not have access to, but came to our attention through the work of our partners or associates.
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