Microsoft's Brad Smith Spearheads Diversity Initiative in Legal Profession

''National Law Journal: How do you think the legal profession is doing overall, as far as getting diverse people into the pipeline?

Brad Smith: I think at this point the challenges are outpacing our progress. The country is becoming more diverse every year, and yet the legal profession is becoming more diverse at a much slower pace. We see the ultimate goal as building a legal profession that is as diverse as the country we serve. Just think about how quickly the country is changing, and one can easily see how substantial that challenge really is.

NLJ: Clearly you believe that companies and law firms have a responsibility to help diversify the profession. What about law schools?

BS: I think there is a real opportunity for law schools to join with law firms and law departments to try to build a more diverse student body. First, I think law schools have an opportunity to partner with colleges with whom they share a common campus. There's probably no one better to help equip a college student to think about and get ready for law school than people already working in law schools as administrators or professors. We think it makes sense to expand the role that law schools play in this regard. Second, we are hopeful that law schools will pay more attention to the value of a diverse student body. One of the concerns in the profession is that the U.S. News & World Report [rankings] have sometimes focused law schools on a so-called 'definition of excellence' that doesn't pay any attention to having a diverse student body.

NLJ: What is the purpose of the council's conference?

BS: This event in Chicago gives us the opportunity to do three things. Of course it's an opportunity to provide some students early in their career with some different perspectives and advice that will hopefully be helpful. Second, it's an opportunity for people to meet each other from different law schools and meet people who are spending their summers at different places. Often it's this kind of informal network that serves people well in life. Third, it's an opportunity for us to learn from them. For those of us focused on trying to expand diversity in the profession, it's important for us to have our ears open and really listen to the next generation of potential lawyers. If we're going to attract more young people into the legal profession, I suspect some of the best advice we'll get is from young people who have just entered the profession themselves.

NLJ: It sounds like the council has set pretty lofty goals, as far as diversity.

BS: We really look at this as a long-term objective. It's probably going to take until the end of this decade, even if we are successful, to expand diversity on the country's law school campuses to match diversity among undergraduates. That means we need a combination of strategies that focuses both on attracting more college students to the law and helping diverse law students to become more successful. Third, it means we're going to have to pilot projects that work, and then we're going have to grow them to scale. That will require that different bar associations and institutions across the profession really come together to expand the resource pot.''