NIIIZ. SPOTLIGHT. DIVERSITY > Continued from page 17

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3 NIIIZ. SPOTLIGHT > Continued from page 17 have broken through many glass ceilings in the legal profession, most agree the industry has a long way to go toward reaching the goal of equal opportunity: A 2009 study of U.S. law firm s by NALP, an association for professionals in law, found women and minorities are still u n d e r ~ represe nt ed, particularly in partner-level positions, According to the study, in northern New jersey, 17 percent of partners, and 46 percent of associates, were women. Four percent of partners, and 9 percent of associates, were minorities. In South jersey, 17 percent of partners, and 41 percent of associates, were women, while 3 percent of partners, and 12 percent of associates, were minorities. By contrast, the U.s. Census Bureau's most recent population estimate puts New j ersey's population at 51 percent female and 30 percent nonwhite. Richard H. Steen, president of the New Jersey Bar Assodation, said the situation is unacceptable. "Lawyers are the people entrusted to zealously guard the fair administration of justice." he said. IIWe should make sure there is room for everyone at every level of the profession, from law schools to the highest court." (a riosortiz Carlos Ortiz, a shareholder at Le ClairRyan and a former president of the New Jersey Hispanic Bar AssOCiation, said > See on page 20

4 NBl. SPOTLIGHT,,... :" '-.,: _:,'. -~. "', _ ;:' ;'-i-c,- -,:; :..:~ :,,:,.. : :.: j ~ ~ ; J: I,",t+i"...w,t... ~"'i"'~~" -. -~ (,.~ ';1 ~-+<-Aj: :>,-.,. ~"~"';'",,'II. 1 1-" A".,.::.,.... -,,,,..:;.t~:nt:.-~ ;,;/J!" r..;j,;' '-""'~' ) ~'< t)."'"j~, ~ ""n ~ ;,-.,,-~ "'-. t~.-,-r_ ~.~.. "';...!+'.;/~'II > Continued from page 18 trail blazers li ke his uncle, also an attorney, opened doors for him. "When my uncle graduated from Harva rd Law School in there were little or no opportunities available to him, because he was Puerto Rican," Ortiz said. "His only real option at that point was to put up a shingle and wo rk in a sma ll office. " Erlina Encarnacion, who was born in the Dominican R e ~ public but raised in New Jersey, said -vh ile hunting for a job, an interviewer at one firm asked her if she IIhad her papers." " I~ was definitely a little shocking," said Encarnacion, a 2008 graduate of Rutgers School of Law - Newark. "I bit my tongue, but the way I am, I'm sure people can notice. I should have said something, but I pretty much was like 'Yes, I'm a citizen. '" Encarnacion landed a job at Morristown family law fi rm Simeone and O'Sullivan, where she said her bilingual background was a selling point "In this particular job, I think it helped,. because in Morris Cou nty - th eres defin itely a community of minorities here that need counsel, and probably feel more comfortable having a Spanish-speaking lawyer," she said. Encarnacion's boss, Salvatore Simeone, said Encarnacion opened up new business opportu nities for the fi rm because of h er language skills. Erlina Encarnacion He sa id in family law, it 's good business to hire female lawyers, as "sometimes clients prefer to work wi th a male or a female, and they'll say that to you." Karol Corbin Walker, a shareholder at LeClairRyan and the first black woman to reach partner status at a major New Jersey firm, said when women and minorities are hired, they sometimes face a disadvantage because they are less wellpositioned to learn the liunwritten rules" that lead to career advancement. lithe rules are, of course, known generall y to the people wilo are basically in charge of the fi rms, and generally, those peo ple share the unwritten rules over a drink, or maybe playing golf or some other activity," Walker said; the people with whom gatekeepers share these rules "typi_ > See on page 22

5 NBl. SPOTLIGHT > Continued from page 20 I, ---- cauy look like them." Tiffany D. Johnson, a 2008 graduate of Rutgers School of Law - Camden and an associate in the litigation practice at Mor~ gao, Lewis and Bockius LLP, in Washington, D.C., said firms should break down b.arriers by offering diversity training that epcourages frank, open discussion of race and gender issues. f True diversity comes about IIwhen you get below the surface 'and you actually al 19w people to see and interact with people dn a very meaningful level - not a surface li vel, but a heart to heart level," said Johnson, who is-black. ~ Though internal challenges still eix-ist, Walker said external forces are helping the cause of diversity. She said many cprporate clients now require their law firms to place a diverse team of lawyers qn their cases'. ~. Jackson said government and corporate general-counsel offices alre,ady are diverse p1~ces, since those sectors place ' a heavy emphasis on diversity. Law.firms, he said} must follow suit. "The majority of firms, they need to really wake up and smell the roses," he said. "We do want the best ~erv l ces,- but we do believe that the best services come from having diversity of experience, diversity of intellect.'! to:jkaltwasser@njbiz.com