Quote:
Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall
But increasing your circle of friends
TM
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What do you suggest for me? I have a pernicious personality{sad face}
So the hard part of the book is the end- what does one do? We have recently hired our first black law clerk (see long string of posts why so few black people end up in patents*). So I'm feeling intimidated by what em might encounter and how I deal with issues here, but grateful to have read the book so I at least see what I'll have to navigate. Some of my partners are saying we shouldn't mention to him that we have started an effort to get some diversity. I'm thinking, he knows we approached Black Engineering Student organizations, and he is going to see there are no other black patent attorneys, and not just at my firm. It's not like there'll be some secret to keep.
I'm thinking we should explain our efforts and I should let him know he can come to me with issues. I mean just thinking about the "survey dismissal" issue from the book, we all routinely dismiss clerks. Plus there will be other stuff I can't imagine. He very likely will have moments.
And I worry about dealing with those moments when it may be a white partner who (accidentally) insults a black clerk. The partner/clerk power imbalance isn't as bad here as most firms, but it is real. And the clerk will be intimidated, at least until he gets to realize I will back him?
What do firms with diversity committees do?
*essentially, maybe because an engineering degree guarantees a well paid job so few go to LS. I'm pissed at myself because we passively waited for resumes, and they didn't come, when all we had to was approach students in eng school student orgs.
