Spotlight: Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA)

This week OBABL is spotlighting the great work of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA). Founded in 1997 to advocate for the expanded hiring, retention, and promotion of minority attorneys in corporate law departments and the law firms that serve them, MCCA furthers its mission through the collection and dissemination of information about diversity in the legal profession. MCCA takes an inclusive approach to the definition of “diversity.” Therefore, its research addresses issues of race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, and generational differences which impact the legal profession’s workforce.

Power 100 honoree, Joseph West heads MCCA as its President and CEO. Mary E. Snapp, Microsoft Corporation VP and Deputy General Counsel, chairs MCCA’s board. MCCA was among the first to advocate the law firms institutionalize the role of the law firm diversity professional and empower the position with sufficient resources to lead and manage change in their law firms. In addition, through its annual conference MCCA assisted a small group of law firm diversity professionals to get to know one other and as the group grew in number, they combined forces to establish the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP).

MCCA continues to gather information in support of the role of diversity professional in large law firms. Annually, MCCA invites ALFDP to conduct a survey which law firms may use to benchmark the law firm diversity professional role, reporting relationships, dedicated resources, and budgets. The Annual MCCA/ALFDP Law Firm Diversity Professionals Survey (MCCA/ALFDP Survey) has informed and educated the legal profession about the emerging importance of the law firm diversity professional role and its increasing impact.