Pandemic discriminates, hits career growth of lawyers from minority backgrounds harder

Pandemic discriminates, hits career growth of lawyers from minority backgrounds harder

A global study of Association of Corporate Counsel Foundation reveals that careers of lawyers from minority groups have been impacted harder compared to their non-minority peers

Coronavirus pandemic discriminates, based on one's background! Hard to believe, but this is what a global study conducted by the Association of Corporate Counsel Foundation (ACCF) has revealed.

The ACCF study has found out that lawyers from underrepresented communities have witnessed their career progression being impacted harder by the COCID-19 pandemic compared to their peers from other groups.

The Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP) and the Thomson Reuters Institute were co-producers of the report - Pandemic Nation: Understanding Its Impact on Lawyers from Underrepresented Communities.

The study found that 44 per cent of lawyers of color in the UK currently find personal development and progression at work challenging.

Respondents said the lack of in-person contact, a heavy workload and caregiver responsibilities were the main reasons why COVID-19 had hindered their career development.

"Our goal is to make the industry a more diverse, inclusive and accepting place that is representative of the society it serves; and the critical insights revealed in this survey help us inch closer to that goal by gaining an unvarnished assessment of the work that is ongoing and the work that still needs to be done," Lia Dorsey, president of the AFLDP and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Ogletree Deakins, said.

The study also found out that the pandemic was unforgiving for women lawyers. Some 70 per cent of women lawyers said the pandemic had hurt their well-being compared to 54 per cent of men.

Other issues thrown up by the pandemic include increased stress levels at work, poor work-life balance and a lack of time spent on self-care activities.

A substantial number of UK respondents rued they had taken on increased work hours and more responsibilities without additional pay during these testing times.

The survey also found out that a greater number of women lawyers and lawyers of color harboured grievance that there is often inconsistency between what firms say they are doing to improve diversity and inclusion compared to what they actually do – something that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

The most effective solution, according to the respondents, was for the firms to address the structural barriers to greater diversity by providing formal sponsorship programs and setting a 30 per cent target for diverse candidates to fill job openings and for representation on key committees.

"Knowing how and if solutions to these barriers are working is critical to increasing retention and advancement of these professionals in these underrepresented communities within the legal industry," Jennifer Chen, director of the ACCF, said.

Some 400 lawyers across North America, Europe and Asia participated in the ACCF survey.