I am really excited about my upcoming opportunity to represent Goulston & Storrs at the Driving Diversity in Law & Leadership Summit: Washington D.C. next month. Joining a stellar group of diverse women legal leaders, I will be a panelist discussing "The Meritocracy Myth: Pipeline Development and Advancement for Diverse Candidates." Like my colleagues at Goulston & Storrs, I am committed to hiring and developing attorneys from historically underrepresented groups. Law is a practice, and without opportunity, development, and a seat at the decision-making (and rainmaking) table, no lawyer can advance to leadership, whether or not such lawyer is from an underrepresented group.  At Goulston & Storrs, I include diverse associates and other attorneys on my team daily, promoting their active participation in all the legal work we do.  With young lawyers in particular, that includes, among other things, (i) providing my team with the proper tools (input, examples, feedback, and more) to successfully produce stellar legal work product, (ii) teaching my team, first by example and progressively through chair opportunities, how to conduct legal negotiations with opposing counsel, and (iii) incorporating my team into client facing and networking opportunities (both work and social).

Diversity and inclusion cannot be a box-checking fad or empty words without action. Developing attorneys takes sustained time and effort. Together, diversity and inclusion are a cultural and economic opportunity to strengthen the practice of law with lawyers who bring new ideas and perspectives, reflecting our clients and benefitting our organizations.