Action Steps

 

Action Step – Take Your Firm’s Measure

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

TAKE YOUR FIRM’S MEASURE

What gets measured gets done, so measuring the effectiveness your firm’s retention program makes sense. Benchmarking where your firm is now with respect to key indicators will let you know where your firm needs to concentrate its retention efforts and will tell you later if your firm is making progress in retaining its valued lawyers. Here are some key measures worth exploring:

  1. The number of men who are working flexibly
  2. The number of female and minority lawyers at your firm’s highest levels
  3. The demographics of the lawyers working on your firm’s biggest and best cases…

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Action Step – Remove Mixed Messages From Flexible Work Policies

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

REMOVE MIXED MESSAGES FROM FLEXIBLE WORK POLICIES

It makes good business sense to have a policy that puts in writing the terms and conditions under which lawyers can work reduced or flexible hours – unless the policy contains negative messages that undermine your firm’s flexible work program. What sort of mixed messages? Here’s just one example of a grudging introductory paragraph that makes it clear that flexible work is not encouraged:

“Lawyers are expected to work full-time schedules as necessary to meet the needs of the Firm’s clients. The Firm will consider requests to work less than full-time, but such requests will not be routinely granted.” Read more

Action Step – Develop Your Firm’s Unique Business Case for Flexibility

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

DEVELOP YOUR FIRM’S UNIQUE BUSINESS CASE FOR FLEXIBILITY

Too often flexible work programs are viewed as special accommodations for women lawyers with young children – and that virtually guarantees that they will fail. Research shows that nonstigmatized flexible work strengthens law firms by increasing tenure among the firm’s lawyers and leading to stronger client relationships, better recruiting, and more profitability. While you can tell your firm this, you can make the point more effectively by showing the specific ways your firm will benefit from increasing retention… Read more