AI Issue 8 2017

Acquisition International - August 2017 51 Achieving Legal Excellence Shook works with clients to make significant progress in the recruitment and advancement of attorneys from diverse backgrounds. The firm is actively involved with the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and is a supporter of A Call to Action: Diversity in the Legal Profession. Shook is also a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession, national organisations dedicated to improving diversity and inclusion in the legal arena. Law school workshops - Shook partners with student organisations such as the National Black Law Students Association on programmes that offer practical advice on improving resumes and interviewing skills. Diversity job fair recruiting - Shook recruits at such events across the nation, including the Heartland Diversity Job Fair, DuPont Minority Job Fair, Lavender Law Job Fair, Cook County Minority Job Fair and South-Eastern Minority Job Fair. Women’s Management Council - This proactive group of Shook women partners serves as a catalyst for programmes targeting the unique challenges facing women practitioners. Educational programming - Shook’s diversity and inclusion committee spearheads diversity- themed presentations throughout the year, for both attorneys and staff. Recent programmes have included those focusing on increasing awareness of implicit bias, cultural competency, generational diversity and trans inclusion and luncheons featuring Shook alumnae in the judiciary, LGBT issues, native American/tribal law issues and parenting diversity-sensitive children. Diversity and inclusion checklist - Shook requires every attorney to personally commit to diversity, as a core value. To help achieve the firm’s diversity goals, all attorneys are required to complete at least 10 diversity commitment action items from the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Checklist, as part of the annual evaluation and compensation process.