What the Pao Case Says About Diversity

Despite the outcome, the Ellen Pao case has sparked a necessary and overdue national conversation on workplace discrimination in the male-dominated world of Silicon Valley, writes Christina Lewis, attorney at the Hinckley Allen firm. While strides have been made toward removing structural barriers to advancement for women and minorities, more progress is needed, including in the legal field, she says. Sustained investment in diversity and inclusion will go a long way toward rooting out unintentional bias and preventing the sense of disenfranchisement that often lead to claims of outright discrimination. According to the American Bar Foundation, the percentage of female general counsel at Fortune 500 companies stands at 21 percent.