Microsoft General Counsel Makes His Case for Diversity

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By Amy MillerAll Articles

The Recorder

August 16, 2012

 

The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity held one of several regional meetings in San Francisco earlier this month. One panelist who's been focused on improving diversity in the legal profession is Bradley Smith, general counsel for Microsoft Corp. Smith chairs the organization's pipeline committee, and during his visit to the San Francisco Bay Area he talked with The Recorder about some of the council's recent efforts and how Microsoft works to improve diversity.Q: How/why did you get involved with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity?A: My involvement really grew out of a meeting that took place in Phoenix, which was an outgrowth of the Call to Action. And it quickly became apparent that it was going to inject an important new voice into the national diversity discussion in our profession. What really is unique about the Leadership Council is that it brings together managing partners of law firms and general counsel. In fact, the membership just passed the 200 threshold, and there are now a total of 205 law firms and companies that are members. What attracted me to the organization was the strong focus on action and not just words, on bringing together the leaders of our profession. When I attended the initial meeting, I guess I expressed my opinions with enough comportment that someone thought they should invite me back.

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