Members of Twin Cities Diversity in Practice (TCDIP) believe that diverse workplaces benefit all of us.
We believe in attracting and recruiting top talent in a market rich with opportunities. Whether you are a recent graduate looking to jumpstart your career or a practicing attorney looking to continue building your practice, TCDIP creates opportunities for attorneys of color to advance their careers through professional development and leadership opportunities. TCDIP also hosts a variety of events designed to build important relationships with each other through networking, mentoring, and social events.
Emerging Leaders Group
In order to support the efforts of Twin Cities Diversity in
Practice (TCDIP) Members to attract, recruit, advance, and retain attorneys of color in the Twin Cities, the Emerging Leaders Group (ELG) provides business development, mentorship, and networking opportunities for newer and mid-level attorneys of color. Each TCDIP Member Organization is invited to choose an attorney of color or ally with up to eight years of experience as its Emerging Leaders Group Representative. ELG Representatives are invited to participate in a range of targeted programs and opportunities (from practice roundtables to networking events with Board Members and community leaders) designed to enhance leadership skills and create a stronger community
of diverse attorney in the Twin Cities metro area.
ELG Representatives also work as leaders within their organizations to engage their colleagues in TCDIP’s work and mission. ELG is a self-directed group with ambitious goals and forward- thinking programs. Programming is developed in these groups under the leadership of two Co-Chairs who are elected by ELG Representatives. Co-Chairs then select four attorneys as Leads who each focus on one of four areas: Mentoring, Professional Development, Outreach, and Recruiting. The Co-Chairs also hold seats on our Board of Directors to make sure the Board is actively engaged in ELG activities and plans.
Opportunities for Emerging Leaders Group Representatives
Practice Group Roundtables (PGR): The Emerging Leaders Group is hosting four roundtables in 2020 with the goal of connecting attorneys of color with senior in-house counsel in various practice areas. Each roundtable will focus on a different area of law: transactional, intellectual property, litigation, and employment. In small groups, ELG Representatives and attorneys of color will have the opportunity to talk directly with in-house attorneys about career pathways, how they select and work with outside counsel, and other similar topics. The roundtable discussions are followed by a networking reception.
ELG + Board Dinners: Each month, Members of the Board of Directors invite a small group of ELG Representatives into their homes for dinner. These shared meals are a casual and unstructured way to facilitate community across our membership.
Pop-Ups: All ELG attorneys are invited to organize casual social events throughout the year for attorneys of color and guests. Whether it’s game night or checking out a concert, these social pop-ups are a great opportunity to explore the Twin Cities and build social networks within and beyond the legal community.
Professional Development: ELG identifies areas for professional development of attorneys of color in the earlier stages of their careers. For example, in collaboration with local affinity groups, ELG developed a program to help attorneys hone their public speaking and presentation skills, including how to present effective and engaging CLEs.
Other events throughout the year: ELG hosts programming specifically geared toward early-career attorneys. These include the annual New Attorneys Reception, events with local law students, community service events with our Board of Directors, and more.
Click below to see a roster of our Emerging Leaders Group
TCDIP Connect: Our Mentorship Program
We know that the path to success for most attorneys is paved with exposure to senior attorneys who provide direct guidance and support. We also know that traditional mentoring programs are often cumbersome to administer and that they don’t always work. In order to develop, retain, and advance more attorneys of color, Twin Cities Diversity in Practice (TCDIP) has recognized that we need a better mentoring model for law students and attorneys of color who are newer to the profession.
In the fall of 2019, more than 50 attorneys, law school professionals, students, and professionals from outside the legal industry participated in our fun and energetic Mentorship Hackathon. Participants worked together to develop a sustainable concept for a mentoring program that will be a key piece of TCDIP’s efforts to advance and retain attorneys of color in the Twin Cities.
Using the creative ideas generated during the Hackathon, we are excited to launch a new mentorship program beginning fall 2020. This mentorship program will bring together attorneys of varying experience levels from TCDIP Member Organizations with local law students of color in a small group mentoring model. The goal of this mentoring model is to purposefully bring together attorneys from a range of firms and corporations, with diverse levels of experience and areas of practice, to develop professional interconnectedness with multiple people.