In-house and private practice diversity
Microsoft deputy general counsel (and first female lawyer) Mary Snapp and Covington & Burling’s London head of technology; Lisa Peets, discuss the diversity work that their organisations are doing, both separately and together.
GC: What initiatives has Microsoft and its legal department pioneered to promote race and ethnic diversity within its workforce?
Mary Snapp (MS): Microsoft’s legal department has had a focused diversity team for 12 years. Brad Smith [Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer] and I collaborated to start the diversity team within the department, which grew to include 85 people. Our original focus on women and racial and ethnic minorities has been sustained, but we have also added other areas of diversity and inclusion focus over time, such as people with disabilities and US military veterans.
