Covington: Presenting Diversity in Law: What does diversity mean to you?

What does diversity mean to you?

That’s a question that, either directly or indirectly, we’ve all been asked to answer in recent years. It’s likely that your firm, school, organization, etc., has a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative — often known as DEI — or has at least discussed the concept.

Like most things, I think DEI means different things to different people, depending on our personal experiences. So as I was preparing to write this column, I had to ask myself the same question that I started with: What does diversity mean to me?

One thing I’ve always been passionate about, even as a young girl, is equal treatment of women. I’ve been fortunate in my educational and professional careers to have had many opportunities, but there have certainly been instances when my voice was quieted or ignored due to nothing other than my gender.

And I think that’s what diversity means to me: Ensuring that all voices are heard. That makes sense if you break down the elements of DEI: Diversity, equity and inclusion all involve the concept of amplifying a variety of voices.

Why am I telling you this? Because Indiana Lawyer is now taking steps to celebrate diversity in the legal profession with a new awards program in 2023, Diversity in Law.

At its core, Diversity in Law is a simple concept: We want to recognize Hoosier lawyers and judges who take active steps to promote diversity within the legal profession, giving a microphone to voices that might not otherwise carry.

And we’re not just talking about racial and ethnic diversity, although those are certainly important parts of this event. But we want to highlight other areas of diversity, too, whether that’s gender diversity, socioeconomic diversity, even geographic diversity.

Like I mentioned, this awards program is brand new in 2023, so you likely have questions about what it entails. Allow me to break down the basics:

Who qualifies for a Diversity in Law award? Unlike our Leadership in Law program, Diversity in Law doesn’t have specific categories or years-of-practice requirements. Instead, we’re looking for lawyers and judges who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to DEI efforts. “Sustained” is the keyword here — we want to recognize legal professionals who make diversity, equity and inclusion a regular part of their practices, not merely a box that they check off once a year.

What qualifies as a ‘diversity effort’? Again, we’re defining “diversity” broadly, so we don’t want to set parameters that are too specific. Is there an attorney at your firm who started a diversity committee? They qualify. Do you know of a law school alum who established a scholarship for students from traditionally underrepresented populations? They qualify, too. Is there a judge who has created a diversity clerkship program within their court? You guessed it — they qualify. Think broadly when you’re considering nominations; that’s how we’re thinking, too.

How do I submit a nomination? The nomination form is available at theindianalawyer.com/diversity-in-law-nominations. You can also find more details about the awards program at that page.

How will awardees be honored? We’ll be hosting a recognition breakfast on Oct. 5, and we’ll be publishing honoree profiles in our Oct. 11 issue. If you’re an Indianapolis Business Journal subscriber, you can also pick up that supplement in the Oct. 13 issue of IBJ.

Now, I know I said there aren’t specific categories for the Diversity in Law awards, and that’s technically true. But we do have one special award that’s akin to our Leadership in Law Lifetime Achievement Award. For the Diversity in Law program, it’s the Diversity Trailblazer Award.

Like the general Diversity in Law awards, the Diversity Trailblazer will be someone who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to DEI efforts. But we’re not looking for just a participant in those efforts — we’re looking for a leader, someone who takes the helm of diversity programs, or even creates those programs themselves. We’re calling it a Diversity Trailblazer, but what we’re really looking for is a diversity superstar.

I’ve mentioned this before in this column, but one of my goals as editor of Indiana Lawyer has always been to expand the services we offer to our readers (“diversify” those services, you might say). I get a lot of press releases and emails from law firms and other legal organizations asking us to write about new diversity committees, scholarships, legal education programs, etc., so creating an event to recognize those programs seems like a natural fit for our audience.

If you know of a lawyer or judge worthy of an inaugural Diversity in Law award, nominate them by July 10. By doing so, you’ll be answering the question that I posed at the start: What does diversity mean to you?•

__________

Olivia Covington is editor of Indiana Lawyer. You can reach her at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.