Law firms in Greater Boston are struggling with an ongoing dilemma: how to foster diverse talent that reflects their clients and most importantly, society in general. The lack of diversity in Boston’s legal community has shed a light on the reality that to remain competitive in today’s changing demographics, our legal industry must recruit and train a workforce that mirrors the mosaic of America.

US law firms are the training grounds for the nation’s next generation of legal talent. Many lawyers who begin their careers at these firms will leave to become the nation’s next generation of chief executive officers, general counsels, judges, politicians, and academics. As the demographics of America become more diverse and the basis of our economy becomes more global, law firms must be creative in finding ways to foster talent. Producing attorneys with the necessary legal skills, and capturing the benefits of their unique life experiences and perspectives, helps law firms increase the quality of their client services. This, in turn, also raises the value of products and services that clients can provide to their end users, the consumer.

This month’s issue of The Boston Globe’s “Diversity Boston” supplement underscored this point that institutions in virtually every industry are facing today. As co-chair the diversity committee at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (WilmerHale), I’ve seen first-hand ongoing trends of minority attorneys — including women, LGBT, African Americans, Asians, and Latinos, among others — entering and leaving today’s law firms.

The latest findings by the National Association of Legal Career Professional found that minorities account for only 3.21 percent of all partners in Boston. Asian attorneys make up only 2.36 percent of those partners. The National Association of Women Lawyers’ annual survey has found that women account for barely 15 percent of equity partners nationally — a number that has remained constant for the last 20 years.

After years of slow progress diversifying law firm ranks, prevailing economic conditions and cutbacks have had a disproportionate impact on the representation of minorities at firms. The Boston Globe reported in 2010, “A Step Back for Diversity,” noting that the region’s top 10 law firms cut roughly 5 percent of their total lawyers during 2009, but the number of minority lawyers dropped by 9.9 percent. Nationally, the percentage of black, Asian, and Hispanic lawyers at the top 200 US firms fell from 13.9 percent to 13.4 percent. In Massachusetts, the proportion of lawyers from nonwhite backgrounds fell from 13.6 percent to 12.9 percent. These losses represent a lack of investment in the future and a reduction in the ability of these firms to service the needs of their clients. Finding solutions to these problems have been a part of WilmerHale’s initiatives for decades.

Fortunately, most law firms, including WilmerHale, have created diversity committees and hired in-house diversity professionals to help address the issues facing diverse attorneys. Creating an environment focused on both the professional and personal development of diverse attorneys increases the retention, productivity and job satisfaction of such attorneys. Having individuals dedicated to helping diverse attorneys manage their careers while at the firms, and even after they leave to join clients, creates an opportunity for ongoing partnerships between law firms and their clients to train and retain the best legal talent.

These moves are small steps in the right direction. In a dense technology and biotech based economy such as Boston, success is dependent upon law firms and the business community joining together to find creative and lasting ways to recruit and retain diverse attorneys. Both groups share a mutual responsibility to provide these attorneys with a platform to develop their careers. Only by working together will laws firm and businesses achieve their long-term goal of remaining competitive and successful in this rapidly changing global economy. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for achieving lasting success in diversity, however it is the responsibility of the legal sector to be a leader in this battle.

Wendell Taylor is co-chair of WilmerHale’s Diversity Committee.

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