Prudential's deputy GC on why clients are sending more work to diverse law firms
When choosing outside counsel, Prudential's Ann Kappler says legal departments should always ask: "Can this work be conducted by a minority or women-owned law firm?"
August 24, 2018 at 12:00 AM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Corporate Counsel
In 2010, Prudential and 32 other large companies – including Xerox, Google and Toyota – founded the Inclusion Initiative, a programme that sought to increase the amount legal departments spent at women- and minority-owned law firms.
This week, the initiative announced that its members spent $240m at minority and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) firms in 2017. Since the initiative started, the companies have spent more than $1.4bn at such firms.
Legal Week sister title Corporate Counsel spoke to Ann Kappler, senior vice-president and deputy general counsel of Prudential Financial, to hear about the company's role in the initiative, and her advice for improving diversity in law – in-house and outside.
What are three pieces of advice you have for in-house lawyers wanting to increase external counsel diversity?
In-house lawyers, when deciding which firms to use, should routinely ask themselves: "Can this work be conducted by a minority- and women-owned law firm?" Corporate law departments, such as Prudential's, have myriad needs – many of which can be met by MWBE firms.
I would also encourage in-house law departments to become involved and increase their engagement with organisations such as the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF), which has been an outstanding resource for identifying prospective firms and helping in-house teams support diversity efforts.
Lastly, I believe it's important to make tangible commitments to diverse firms. This is what we've done with our work with the Inclusion Initiative. And we encourage corporate law teams to join with us.
How did you find the MWBE firms Prudential uses? Word of mouth? How did you determine who could best represent you?
As mentioned, organisations such as NAMWOLF have been a valuable resource for identifying potential MWBE law firms. We evaluate all the law firms that we work with using the same criteria. In many cases, MWBE firms can provide the same – if not better – quality of services as larger firms.
We've heard diverse teams lead to better outcomes. How have you seen outcomes change, if they have, since increasing outside counsel spend to MWBE firms?
Each person brings a unique perspective to his or her work. I know from my personal experiences, diverse teams can provide a distinct advantage by looking at problems differently or highlighting unforeseen challenges and opportunities, leading to better, informed results.
Have there also been efforts to increase in-house diversity at Prudential? What are some pieces of advice you'd give to other departments trying to increase diversity in-house?
A culture of diversity and inclusion is ingrained in our DNA and is paramount to our success. Having a diverse and inclusive in-house team makes us stronger, more resilient and insightful.
At Prudential, we believe that to truly foster diversity in the legal profession, we must take a multifaceted approach. We offer internships and fellowships to increase opportunities for diverse individuals. We also have several programmes focused on building diversity in the talent pipeline. One such example is NJ LEEP – an organisation that provides a legal profession-focused experience for underserved high-school students. Through the programmes, students gain exposure to legal careers, while enhancing their education and college preparedness.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllClifford Chance Further Modifies Lockstep to Better Reward Top Performers
2 minute readUK Black History Month: Four A&O Shearman Staffers Honour Their Unsung Heroes
6 minute readAggressive, Assertive: Is There a Private Equity Lawyer Stereotype, and is it Deterring Talented Juniors?
Trending Stories
- 1The Tech Built by Law Firms in 2024
- 2Distressed M&A: Mass Torts, Bankruptcy and Furthering the Search for Consensus: Another Purdue Decision
- 3For Safer Traffic Stops, Replace Paper Documents With ‘Contactless’ Tech
- 4As Second Trump Administration Approaches, Businesses Brace for Sweeping Changes to Immigration Policy
- 5General Warrants and ESI
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250