LINK is White & Case’s Black/Minority/Ethnic (BME) Affinity Group in London. As part of our Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, it aims to foster the professional and personal development of our lawyers and employees and provide a sense of community along with our other Affinity Groups. LINK’s most recent success has been in joining with our Women Lawyers Network and our Spectrum LGBT Affinity Group to host an annual Diversity Week in London. This past year, the five-day set of events celebrated diversity through leadership lessons from trailblazing women, an Islamic art exhibition, a film screening and a concert by the London Gay Men’s Chorus.
LINK has also launched a Diversity Speaker Series on Attorney Career Development. Prominent BME lawyers from other corporations have joined us to discuss their career paths and provide insights. The speaker series is designed to provide role models, potential mentors and networking contacts not only for our lawyers who identify as BME but also for all other interested colleagues.
According to Tallat Hussain, LINK’s Chair and environmental counsel in our Energy Infrastructure, Project and Asset Finance Group in London, one highlight of Diversity Week and the Diversity Speaker Series is that the events attract a variety of people, including those who might not identify directly as BME or with any particular demographic group that serves as a focus of the Firm’s other Affinity Groups. After all, “gatherings that bring together diverse individuals show our respect for difference, and that is how the world should be,” she points out.
By focusing on inclusiveness and connections, the London diversity events aim to make all individuals at White & Case feel welcome and valued. Lawyers and other employees separated by practice areas, physical location and background have come to know each other through LINK, Spectrum and the Women Lawyers Network. We hope to build on the strength and popularity of events like Diversity Week and add to what are now core fixtures on our programs calendar. “It’s important to understand that White & Case’s support for diversity and inclusion is far greater than any legal or regulatory obligation we may have,” Tallat makes clear. “It shows our commitment to our people and the communities in which we take part.”
Membership in LINK is open to all lawyers and employees, and White & Case welcomes all comments, suggestions and contributions to enhance our Diversity and Inclusion programs.