Most law firms approach diversity from a committee approach (see the “Diversity Trends” article for proof), if at all. A few years ago, Warner Norcross & Judd LLP decided that method wasn’t working. The firm, one of the largest in Michigan, named Rodney Martin its diversity partner in 2006 and gave him the authority and responsibility to develop policies and programs that would make the 210-attorney firm a more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming organization.

“As our firm expands beyond Michigan to play in a more global marketplace, we realize the business has changed — as have the expectations of our clients,” Martin says. “As a firm, we identified diversity as a critical element in the path to our future success and decided that we would become champions of diversity.”

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One hundred percent of the 80 large law firms that participated in a recent survey report having a diversity committee. That number is up from 96 percent from last year’s Altman Weil Flash Survey — and it’s not the only indication that law firms are increasingly committed to diversity efforts. For instance, 58 percent say they had a designated diversity manager or director, up eight percent from last year and 13 percent from 2005, when the first survey was conducted.

However, those diversity managers often don’t have the time to do the job effectively, said some respondents. Although 79 percent of diversity managers are lawyers in their firms — compared to 67 percent in 2007 and 57 percent in 2005 — the number who hold the position full time is down from 61 percent in 2007 to 53 percent in 2008. In fact, 44 percent of the lawyer-managers in the position balance their duties with an active law practice. Of those, 65 percent have billable-hour requirements as high as 2,000 hours per year.

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What are diversity managers paid? A recent Altman Weil Flash Survey of 80 large law firms revealed that the median annual total cash compensation for diversity managers at those organizations is $184,000, up 5.1 percent from 2007. Other findings:
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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced the settlement of a Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 harassment retaliation lawsuit against Tavern on the Green, the landmark restaurant located in Central Park in New York City. The settlement included an award of $2.2 million and significant remedial relief.

The EEOC sued Tavern on the Green in September 2007 after conducting an administrative investigation and attempting to reach a voluntary settlement out of court. The commission charged that the restaurant engaged in severe and pervasive sexual, racial, and national origin harassment of female, black, and Hispanic employees.

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade of 10,000 workers on September 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary. By 1893, more than half the states were observing a “Labor Day” on one day or another, and Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday in 1894.

President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day. Here are some statistics about America’s workforce from the U.S. Census Bureau: read more…