Theresa Conduah in Law360 Pulse: ‘How the DEI Landscape in Law is Changing’

As firms move into 2022, they continue to tout goals to improve the representation of underrepresented groups in law. To chat about the reality of where the legal industry stands when it comes to its purported diversity, equity and inclusion goals, Law360 caught up with Haynes Boone intellectual property Partner Theresa Conduah.

Conduah, who is a frequent speaker on diversity issues in the legal industry, said firms are beginning to head in the right direction in supporting their attorneys of color in particular, but the industry still has a long way to go.

Conduah also has worked as in-house counsel for a number of companies. She was managing counsel for Toyota Motor North America Inc., counsel on intellectual property for United Airlines, and most recently, vice president of intellectual property for Dosist, a cannabis and wellness company based in Los Angeles.

Q: Do you think the pandemic, and everything that’s happened in the world since, has caused a shift in the legal industry? Has it been a motivating factor in putting more emphasis on DEI?

A: I’m hopeful. We have a very long way to go, as is probably evidenced by recent discussions about [Supreme Court] nominees. I’m hopeful about the progress and the commitments being made by the legal profession on increasing and sustaining diversity within the profession.

In 2020, with the pandemic and social justice movements, we were flooded with social media statements, firms making donations, etc. And that felt like organizations were sort of checking a box and moving on. But I find it extremely hopeful and exciting to learn about the ongoing commitments that firms and corporate legal departments are making to critically examine, and certainly define, the systems and processes to help move the needle on making the profession more equitable.

Excerpted from Law360 Pulse. To read the full article, click here. (Subscription required)