Making Diversity Part of the Fabric of Your Law Firm with Kerry Shad and Sharita Whitaker - Episode 56
Kathryn talks with Kerry Shad and Sharita Whitaker, both partners at Smith Anderson. They talked about why they went to law school in the first place and how they found the practice areas that are right for them. They also get into Diversity a Inclusion nitty gritty like what DaI means to them, what DaI initiatives are necessary for law firms, the advantages of DaI programs in mid-sized firms compared to Biglaw, the impact of DaI on recruiting efforts, and how recruiting efforts compare to retention efforts. Also, they discuss how they balance the DaI efforts and firm management generally with their legal practices. Episode Resources swhitaker@smithlaw.com kshad@smithlaw.com Episode Highlights Being a lawyer - 4:17 Wanting to do real estate work - 7:24 The opportunity to work in real estate - 9:14 Being interested in litigation - 9:07 Trying to prevent people’s problems - 10:30 What does diversity and inclusion mean to them - 11:32 DaI is everything - 13:32 Seeing the growth of DaI efforts - 22:04 Recruiting and retention - 23:43 It’s all about opportunity - 25:25 Being a part of a very diverse team - 32:50Subscribe, Share, and ReviewTo get the next episode subscribe with your favorite podcast player. Subscribe with Apple Podcasts Follow on Spotify Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
