COVID-19: The Surprise D&I Catalyst

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated many longstanding cultural fault lines and accelerated other societal transitions that were already underway. Many of the changes wrought by the pandemic are therefore here to stay. It should come as no surprise, then, that the twin health and economic crises of 2020 will also certainly change how diversity and inclusion initiatives shape our workplaces for good — and forever.

The legal industry, like nearly every other industry worldwide, has been impacted over the past several months. As law firms and other legal organizations necessarily look to cut costs and adjust budgets in this difficult time, extra investments in diversity and inclusion such as affinity group conferences or gatherings, cultural celebrations and bias trainings, just to name a few, appear obvious targets. Likewise, the lack of access to safe, stable childcare and schools has impacted women and single working parents in a particularly stark and notable fashion. The digital divide has similarly been illuminated, and our new, pervasive reliance on reliable internet connectivity threatens to leave many women and diverse groups in the dark.

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