Why Law Firms Must Include Men in the Push for Increased Gender Equality

These days, "diversity" and "inclusion" (or D and I, the catchphrase du jour) are hot topics in firms of all sizes. Despite the current popularity of these issues, too often there is much talk and little action, and these important discussion points are relegated to trivial buzzwords. Such dismissal is dangerous for law firms in particular, an industry in many ways under siege. Currently, clients of all varieties are questioning the value of traditional legal services and closely scrutinizing the bills for those services. Competition is fierce. If a client grows even mildly dissatisfied with its attorney, another is clamoring to service that client better, faster and cheaper. In order for a firm to maintain its edge, it is criticial that it understand those values that are important to its clients beyond the requisite stellar, timely legal work, and to align itself as much as possible with those client values. Today, it is extremely likely that gender diversity is prominent among those values.