Diversity and inclusion initiatives can easily lose traction because of a crisis. Recalling the years before the Great Recession, Joel Stern, the CEO of Chicago-based National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms, said legal departments were beginning to survey their law firms on diversity and inclusion efforts.

During that time he served as an in-house attorney at Accenture, which began a diversity and inclusion program, and noted companies such as DuPont were also putting diversity and inclusion initiatives in place.

"There was some progress made and companies were excited about it," Stern said. "When the crisis hit, we lost that momentum."