Goal-setting / Communications | Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)

The efforts an organization takes to ensure their DE&I goals compare to or exceed industry standards, or those established by associations engaged in promoting the inclusion of underrepresented groups. This includes integrating and communicating the importance of DE&I goals at various operational levels.

Early

Legal aligns with broader corporate-wide DEI goals
Commitment is communicated to external stakeholders (e.g., outside counsel and Legal Service Provider(s) via established communication channels

Intermediate

Legal aligns with broader corporate-wide DEI goals, but creates some specific targets for external stakeholders (e.g., outside counsel and LSPs)
For law firms, set targets based on benchmarking to others (e.g., National Association for Law Placement or firms used by the company)
Legal engages in dialogue with external stakeholders on DEI goals in an ad-hoc way

Advanced

Legal creates targets above and beyond corporate-wide DEI goals, with specific goals for different external stakeholders that assure both quantity of representation and quality of assignments and credits for underrepresented groups (e.g., scorecards, Mansfield Rule, etc.)
Specific targets for different stakeholder groups are clearly communicated in written format, and regular dialogue sessions are implemented that focus only on DEI
KPIs related to outside counsel DEI goals are incorporated into legal department employee performance objectives
Established goals for law firms in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and other countries, where permitted by law. For firms in other countries, engage in regular dialogue on improving DEI
Other legal vendors, such as staffing firms or e-discovery vendors, are included in DEI program for external stakeholders