A leader in developing attorneys-- Givens takes on role of diversity director at Miller Canfield

By Mike Scott Legal News The issue of diversity is one that law firms across the country are paying more attention to and investing in. Miller Canfield is taking a leadership position in this area by moving one of its long-time shareholders into the role of firm diversity director. Len Givens, recently honored by the State Bar of Michigan's Labor and Employment Section as the recipient of its 2010 Distinguished Service Award, has been tasked with working with all Miller Canfield lawyers to help them "stay on track." His role is to help all lawyers develop and meet firm and personal goals. "It is easy for someone to get lost in the cracks at a large law firm that has more than 400 lawyers and is continuing to grow," Givens said. "But we're focused on hiring the best lawyers we can find and that investment makes it critical that we help them to succeed." Givens makes it clear that Miller Canfield does not have any quotas it must fill, although he is actively involved with looking for lawyer candidates from many minority backgrounds. Without such attention it can be easy for firms to hire professionals of similar backgrounds. Yet Givens admits there are more Asian Americans, African Americans and lawyers of Middle Eastern heritage graduating from the top law schools around the nation. "Diversity is sort of a buzzword now," Givens said. "It is important to hire and maintain the best lawyers coming forward out of any demographic background. It doesn't matter what their background is -- we want the best." However, it is necessary for Givens to look harder to find qualified minority candidates even though more of them are going to law school. In this recessionary labor market, competition for the best and brightest is greater than ever. As the U.S. corporate world and general population trends continue to diversify, the demand for qualified minority candidates continues to rise. In his role as diversity director, Givens is involved with recruiting efforts of both minority candidates and non-minority candidates. While Miller Canfield has paid close attention to hiring qualified minority candidates over the years with the help of many of its partners, including long-time partner and labor and employment lawyer Jim Tobin, it can be difficult for some of those lawyers to maintain a focus in such a large firm. Tobin has been a professional mentor to Givens throughout his career. "If you hire someone and you later lose that person that is a significant investment that you lost," Givens said. "Our goal is to make the best hire." Having a diversity manager or director is certainly not a new trend. As far back as 2005 up to 45 percent of law firms participating in a survey by management consulting firm Altman Weil indicated that they have a designated diversity manager or director. The survey also found that 94 percent of participants report having a diversity committee in their firm. The survey, developed with input from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), canvassed more than 200 law firms. MCCA identified two critical factors that distinguish successful diversity efforts from those that fail -- leadership involvement and accountability, according to the study. Of those firms who had diversity managers, 53 percent were lawyers and 78 percent of those lawyers were partners. Employment and labor law, both nationally and in Michigan, were in their infancy in the early 1970s when Givens began practicing law. He was on the ground floor of many key developments in these areas, especially in his activities bargaining first contracts for many public sector clients, said Megan Norris, a Miller Canfield principal and leader of the firm's Labor & Employment Law practice group. "Len has always been a leader in developing lawyers," Norris said. When he became the chair of Miller Canfield's labor group in the mid-1980s, the department had a total of five attorneys. During Givens' tenure as chair, the group grew to almost 40. "Len continues to spend a significant amount of his time mentoring attorneys regarding specific cases, the general skills of a labor lawyer, and the non-legal skills necessary to survive in a difficult profession," Norris said. Givens will pay close attention to billing numbers and trends and will serve as an outreach of human resources to any firm professional who could benefit from guidance on any legal, business, billing or operational issues, he said. Ideally Miller Canfield, and other law firms in town, want a professional turnover rate of zero but that is an impossible task. As diversity director, it is Givens' job to ensure that all team members take advantage of equal professional opportunities and that the firm is representative of its client base. So there may be instances where he becomes involved in a traditional human resources issue to correct any behaviors or perceptions. In his new capacity as firm diversity director, Givens is formally taking on a role he has served less formally for years, Norris said. Because of that experience, Givens understands that diversity is not tokenism and is not promoting a particular group at the expense of others, but rather is making sure that anyone with the right talent is given an opportunity and the appropriate training and mentoring to succeed. "His focused efforts in this area will yield benefits to both the firm and the profession for years to come," Norris said. Givens has been with Miller Canfield for nearly 40 years. During that time he has seen the firm develop a history of equal opportunity like many other law firms in the area. Not only the firms themselves, but the clients who hire them have had cases of discrimination or bias over the years. This fact ensures that the role of a diversity director today remains important and relevant. "We try to treat everyone with a broad brush and make opportunities available for all of our employees," Givens said. Published: Thu, Jun 24, 2010

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