Page 16 - CCCA 295084 Magazine_Summer 2019

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“ In Biglaw, I didn’t see lawyers “ typically abled people are so quick

with disabilities. with in-house,
to focus on disabilities, rather than
there are other people with the abilities people have. In fact,
disabilities in the department innovation requires both diversity
and part of the company-wide and inclusion, and people with
community. I like connecting with disabilities are likely to enjoy huge
Futures Group, Microsoft ” innovative insights particularly
the disability community.
when it comes to understanding
to the Board, Deloitte LLP ”
Stuart Pixley, Quantum and Silicon Systems
and adapting technology.
Ken Fredeen, General Counsel and Secretary

hiring People with Diverse Backgrounds His passion for diversity and inclusion led him and other
Lawyers with disabilities and racialized lawyers have a harder in-house counsel to found the Legal Leaders for Diversity and
time ftting into private practice, and are more likely to work as Inclusion, an organization committed to promoting diversity.
in-house counsel. Legal departments offer an alternative work- In 2014, the organization created a scholarship fund for law stu-
space that fosters inclusion. dents with disabilities, and in the future, it plans to create a da-
When organizations as a whole make diversity a priority, tabase listing law graduates with disabilities so in-house counsel
legal departments can use this opportunity to participate and can easily connect with them.
get resources to hire and retain diverse lawyers. Pixley found a When companies consider hiring people with disabilities,
better ft at Microsoft because the company places a high value the conversation usually starts with accommodation. Accord-
on diversity and inclusion. It has a Chief Accessibility Offcer ing to the Carleton University David C. Onley Initiative, which
and a Chief Diversity Offcer in its executive team to support its studies employee accommodation, 65% of employees do not
efforts to be diverse. require accommodation, and for those who do, the cost is less
“In BigLaw, you have to be a revenue generator but you need than $500 on average. Do an analysis of your work environ-
mentorship and support,” he explains. “It was hard for me to ment, considering not only cost but also what your workplace
get that, especially from anyone who looks like me or has the already does for current employees.
same challenges.” “By the way, when you create a more inclusive workplace for
Generally in-house counsel are looking for experienced law- people with disabilities, you create a workplace which benefts
yers, preferably those who have worked at large law frms for a everyone,” adds Fredeen. “We are all more productive. For ex-
few years. This requirement is a major barrier for underrepre- ample, the sit-down/stand-up desk was created for people with
sented groups, who typically work in government, in smaller back problems; yet, today, we all beneft from having this in-
frms or as solo practitioners. expensive option. I call this the ‘curb cut effect’ in our offces.”
"I am often asked, ‘Will corporate legal departments recruit
me if I'm working as a solo practitioner?’," says Pixley. "It's a Creating an inclusive workplace
pipeline problem. In-house counsel may need to expand our Inclusion in the workplace is an ongoing process that must be
doorway." nourished and encouraged. One of the biggest issues for people
You need a dedicated group of people to promote diversity. with disabilities, for instance, is perception. People do not want
Ken Fredeen, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board at to be seen as different. When recruiting people with disabilities,
Deloitte LLP, is not who you would expect to get involved in think about how that person can contribute to your organization.
such initiatives and he knows it. The self-described “typical, “Typically abled people are so quick to focus on disabilities,
straight white guy” has served on the federal Labour Market rather than the abilities people have,” says Fredeen. “In fact, in-
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Panel and received novation requires both diversity and inclusion, and people with
a number of awards for his work supporting diversity and Ca- disabilities are likely to enjoy huge innovative insights particu-
nadians who live with disabilities. larly when it comes to understanding and adapting technology.
“Being inclusive in particular of people with disabilities is For example, a lawyer with visual impairment will likely be able
a key leadership quality,” says Fredeen. “It starts with building to navigate technology in a paperless world much better than
diverse teams, but to draw out the best in your talent, you need most of us. I call that an asset and I have seen it work.”
inclusion. What it means to be inclusive is evolving and that Become a mentor—mentorship is crucial for racialized law-
is why leaders need to constantly learn from, engage with and yers and people with disabilities. Get involved with the CCCA
be authentic with their people in order to build and maintain Mentoring Program, and start a program at your organization
high-functioning inclusive teams.” to look at ways to bring in diverse law students for summer or

16 CCCa MaGazINe | SuMMer 2019 ÉTÉ