"Diversity CLE Focuses on Building a Work Portfolio," Diversity & Inclusion Report

There are many elements to developing a career at a law firm, and one of the most important is building a strong and consistent flow of work. At a Diversity & Inclusion CLE in the Seattle office in February, organized by diversity and inclusion director Karen Russell, a group of associates and partners—including Seattle partner-in-charge Bob Blackstone—came together to discuss strategies for building a work portfolio. Over an elegant lunch, Pete Johnson, a partner in the transactions group, outlined some of his favorite tips for how to become a go-to associate. That was followed by the “game” portion of the event, in which attendees competed to name ten specialty bar associations in Washington state and five that are national. The point of the exercise: Associations can be an extremely valuable tool for generating work, and associates should get to know them. Partner Jayanne Hino, who has served on the board of the Asian Bar Association of Washington, and partner Ken Payson, who was served as that same association’s president, talked about the many strategies they employ to get the most out of association membership and meetings. The discussion prompted a host of practical networking tips, such as the suggestion that ladies without pockets carry their business cards behind their name tags.

Read full 2013 Diversity & Inclusion Report