NAMWOLF Applauds Karen Donovan’s Article on Law Firm Diversity; Reinforces Recognition of Growth for Minority/Women-Owned Firms

The National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) endorses Karen Donovan’s article on Corporate America’s push to have law firms increase their diversity efforts. The article illustrates Corporate America’s (clients of these law firms) determination to insist that law firms boost diversity efforts and demonstrate their commitment to being diverse, or fail to be awarded work.

New York, NY (PRWEB) August 10, 2006 -- The National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) endorses Karen Donovan’s article on Corporate America’s push to have law firms increase their diversity efforts. The article illustrates Corporate America’s (clients of these law firms) determination to insist that law firms boost diversity efforts and demonstrate their commitment to being diverse, or fail to be awarded work.

While facts indicate that vast improvement must be made in diversifying law firm ranks, the article missed the opportunity to discuss the enormous progress of growth in the diversification of law firms. Each year, more and more firms hire diverse attorneys, resulting in a unique body of lawyers providing highly-skilled legal representation.

“I commend Karen Donovan for her article, as it is a great promotional tool in encouraging law firms to improve their diversity,” said Yolanda Coly, Associate Director of NAMWOLF. “But, I must recognize that many law firms have had tremendous growth in making their respected firms diverse throughout the ranks, and it is NAMWOLF’s hope that other firms follow suit.”

Companies now enforce diversity requirements for law firms to ensure that hired outside counsel represents the diversity of their customers. Corporate giants, such as Sara Lee, DuPont, and Wal-Mart lead the push for diversity at law firms which is growing.

Karen Donovan is a former editor and reporter at the National Law Journal. Her work has appeared in Wired, Business Week, and The New York Times. Formerly a practicing attorney, she recently completed the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship Program in Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

The National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (www.namwolf.org) was founded in June, 2001. It is a national trade association comprising a select group of minority and women-owned law firms who exhibit excellence in the legal profession. The primary aim of the organization is to advocate for the increased utilization of minority and women-owned law firms by major corporations and public entities throughout the United States.

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