Diversity & Inclusion in the Latin American Legal Profession

IILP is partnering with the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, Philip Morris International, and the New York City Bar Association to examine diversity and inclusion issues and challenges for lawyers in Latin America.  The objectives are to:

• Examine the particular diversity and inclusion issues and challenges facing lawyers and the legal profession in Latin America;
• Discuss better practices for lawyers, law firms, and corporate law departments seeking to advance diversity and inclusion in Latin America;
• Assess what's needed to make diversity and inclusion a reality in the legal profession in Latin America;
• Analyze what is and isn't working (and why); and,
• Hear from corporate clients about how diversity and inclusion fits into their decisions about which firms they retain as outside counsel in Latin America.

As an initial step, a conference was convened in New York City on June 5, 2017 where over 130 lawyers, primarily from Latin America, spent half a day hearing from corporate clients and law firms, as well as discussing among themselves, how multinational corporate clients are driving diversity and inclusion in Latin America, the particular challenges and successes that law firms in Latin America are experiencing, and what strategies and programs might further advance diversity and inclusion efforts in the Latin American legal profession. The conference was sponsored by:

If you missed the conference, a video of the plenary proceedings is available here. Or, you can read the summary report that features highlights of the conference. Diversity_Inclusion_in_the_Latin_America_Legal_Profession-2017_Event_Report.pdf

If you are interested in the next steps for Diversity & Inclusion in the Latin American Legal Profession, please email IILP at Info@TheIILP.com.