LawBank Hosts General Counsel Roundtable: The Role of Diversity in the Selection of Outside Counsel
As part of the LawBank lunchtime webinar programs, LawBank founder Jay Kamlet moderated a General Counsel Roundtable featuring attorneys from Xcel Energy and Molson Coors, as well as the Executive Director of the Center for Legal Inclusiveness. Jennifer Jaskolka is General Counsel and Manager of Corporate Safety & Industrial Hygiene at Xcel Energy. Courtney Seely is VP of Global Legal Operations for Molson Coors. Sara Scott is the Executive Director of the Center for Legal Inclusiveness. This lecture was sponsored by Auxana, a business partner of LawBank.
This lunchtime program, which took place on July 15, 2020, addressed the benefits for in-house counsel in working with solo and small firms. The participants discussed fee structures, including flat fee opportunities and tiers in billing. Another topic of discussion was where to source outside counsel. The participating attorneys shared that they rely heavily on historical relationships with other attorneys and utilize listservs including ACC, CWBA, CBA, and others to seek recommendations. Additionally, they also trust word of mouth recommendations.
Another focus of the program was discussing the role of diversity in outside counsel. Jennifer Jaskolka shared Xcel Energy’s best practices and expectations. Xcel demands and requires diversity on their outside legal teams, and it is a primary factor in selection. The company also looks at succession planning in law firms and values law firms that intend to help attorneys of color, female lawyers, and other minority groups succeed. It was the consensus that general counsel wants to see that their vendors, such as law firms, are making the same effort they are when it comes to diversity and inclusiveness. The roundtable concluded with the participants sharing proactive information with the audience. An attorney does not have to be diverse to help, but they can collaborate with diverse lawyers, be an ally, become involved in diverse communities, look for mentorship opportunities, and develop a pipeline of working with diverse attorneys in their practice.
If you are interested in viewing the full presentation, click here. Visit the events page to view upcoming programs hosted by LawBank.
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