Kutak Rock’s Director of Strategic Focus and Diversity Kim McKelvey recently shared valuable insights on a panel at the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) 2019 Diversity & Inclusion Conference at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Titled “Summit of Managing Partners and Diversity Partners: What Works and What Doesn’t?” the panel addressed the most impactful strategies for achieving maximum results within their firms.

In particular, Ms. McKelvey focused on procedures that Kutak Rock follows to stay ahead of client requests for statistics because, she says, “We are very interested in whether we are creating an inclusive, diverse, and equal opportunity environment, so we pull statistics that serve as diagnostics long before clients tell us to.”

According to Kutak Rock partner Saundra Wootton, who was also the panel organizer and a member of the conference steering committee, “Kim McKelvey’s discussion of Kutak Rock’s long-standing procedures, which exceed some of the most recognized industry certification standards, captivated attendees.”

Ms. McKelvey also suggested that clients need to focus on retention and promotion of diverse attorneys, rather than focusing on overall attorney and associate numbers. “Strategic and systemic action—that changes over time as the needs, barriers, and contributors change—rather than a purely programmatic approach, is the key to improving diversity in the legal profession,” she said.

In addition, Ms. McKelvey discussed Kutak Rock’s structures, including a longstanding National Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee, a Forum of groups focused on change, and surveys and SWOT analyses, among others. Taken together, the firm’s structures aim to increase representation of traditionally underrepresented populations and to provide equal access and opportunities for attorneys and staff within Kutak Rock and the legal profession at large. The initiative now includes successive three-year inclusiveness and diversity strategic plans that align the firm’s organizational systems with firmwide strategic inclusiveness and diversity goals.