Inclusive Professionalism: The Power and Purpose of Belonging in Legal Organizations

In today's diverse legal workplaces, the pursuit of "belonging" begins with ensuring that your attorneys and legal support staff are (1) able to bring their whole selves to work for themselves and clients, and (2) provided with tools to support their emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Inclusive legal organizations successfully mitigate the social forces and structural disadvantages caused by racism, gender bias, ageism, and other discriminatory factors to create a legal workspace that recognize and celebrate unique perspectives while creating a collaborative environment where everyone feels they truly belong. This seminar will provide practical ways to move your law firm or legal organization from good intentions to a concerted belonging initiative to attract and retain talented legal professionals through a discussion of:

• what it means to create "inclusion" rather than "assimilation" in legal organizations  

• the ways in which mentoring is a pathway to belonging

• the role of inclusion in cultivating lawyer well-being

• leader behaviors that drive belonging and inclusion

• strategies to generate inclusive policies and systems to improve morale and reduce professionalism missteps
   

1. Define the concept of "belonging" and illustrate its impact on lawyer behavior, decision-making, and well-being

2. Harness the power and purpose of inclusion to increase opportunities and satisfaction for employees

3. Obtain strategies for utilizing belonging to internalize concepts of civility, competence, and equity into legal organizations