by James Welch

Created on: May 24, 2009   Last Updated: June 01, 2009

Worrisome: the inability to retain minorities and females in law firms.

Perhaps the first step would be to designate an absolute outreach program, and start from within. Assign weary employees a mentor. An employee assistance program? Credit union? Differentials, and/or a raise in these rates? Network with colleges to raise the credits so that a student could graduate sooner?

Or maybe more service to the community would be more suffice. Busy, busy, busy, attorneys are. How can one who's work load comprises paperwork that could fill a football field full of Mack trucks even think about community involvement? Proceeds, of course. Firm ABC will network, and involve their attorneys-minority and female ROLE MODELS-with organizations and set up programs, fund raisers, what have you, and Firm ABC will donate X amount of dollars as well (surely a law firm can afford 2-5% of their massive net worth for a good cause), per WHATEVER. When was the last time a law firm, not the March of Dimes or other cancer-related institutions, did any of these things?

The answer is simple. Follow the lead of other golden-hearted organizations, and it will undoubtedly have the firm become unique, beneficial and build self pride as well as morale. Because frankly, many people don't get paid nearly as much as an attorney, but they're HAPPY with what they do. Why not do both: make an attorney's salary and fill yourself, and your company, with good deeds all around?

Praise: a strong, educated minority and/or female, representing Firm ABC, helping MY community. A firm will most assuringly prevent the Oprah's, Denzel's, and Ellen's of their companies from quitting, if they are HAPPY.

Businesses all over the world are demanding the advancement of diversity within their own places of employment and the companies that they do business with, particularly with the firms they depend on. If you promote diversity internally and externally, it produces new and exciting opportunities for minorities and women. But what's the point if the people you are trying to retain are not satisfied? Albany Medical Center was voted one of the top ten places to work, because it is. As stated earlier, take their example. The work environment. Their mission statement. Their races for good causes. Mind you, they employee many people of all skills, religions and ethnicities, money obviously isn't a problem (if not for the recession, of course), and look at what they do for the community AND their employees which remains

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