The Bridge
PLDIC News
June 10, 2020

Moving Pittsburgh's Legal Community Forward, Together 
The Bridge - PLDIC News
To keep communication open and robust during this unprecedented period of challenge and uncertainty, the PLDIC is publishing The Bridge - PLDIC News every other week. If you missed any issues of The Bridge , catch up here . Know someone who may be interested in receiving The Bridge and other PLDIC communications? Direct them to our website and scroll to the bottom of the homepage to subscribe!
Vibrant Pittsburgh Releases Vibrant Index Summary to Region
Vibrant Pittsburgh, in collaboration with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, released the Vibrant Index Summary on June 3. The Vibrant Index is a project created to inspire organizations to follow best practices in diversity and inclusion. Three companies that scored at or above the 95th percentile on the 2019 Vibrant Index Diagnostic were named “Vibrant Champions     Reed Smith , UPMC and PNC , all members of the Coalition. 

Vibrant Pittsburgh CEO Sabrina Saunders Mosby asked the Pittsburgh business community to be active participants in building more inclusive workspaces throughout our region. Against the backdrop of the national conversation on race now taking place in the wake of the George Floyd murder, Mosby asked companies to “think critically about how they can use their power to affect change; to not only raise awareness about diversity and inclusion in our companies, but to drive the conversations, commitments, and actions among [their] peers.” She reminded us, “ our region will not move forward if anyone is left behind.”  
Towards a Culture of Inclusion: Goal No. 2:
To Expand the Inclusion Conversation
Towards a Culture of Inclusion is a year-long series of programs, which will launch this fall, with three concrete goals. We discussed the first in the May 27 issue . The second : to expand the number of individuals throughout the Pittsburgh legal community who are engaged in the inclusion conversation.
Why is this important?  
Every chief diversity officer, chair of a diversity committee, and diverse attorney has had this experience: at a diversity-themed program, they look around the room and think with a sigh, we are preaching to the choir. Never has it been more apparent than it is now that it is time for everyone to jump into this conversation. Why must more white men be involved in creating a more inclusive legal environment? Because they make up the majority of leaders in law firms and legal departments. Without their participation, change cannot take place and the inclusion conversation just keeps falling on the same ears, over and over.
Who will be responsible for making sure this goal is met?  
Assuming that the Coalition provides relevant and impactful programming in this series, it is the responsibility of the members to commit to encouraging new and different faces to attend and engage in the conversation.
How will we measure whether the goal is met?  
The Coalition will keep records of who attends the programs in the series and compare them to attendance at past events.
LGBTQ Proud - Pride Profiles
Michael Komo
Don't Miss His Great Advice for Employers and LGBTQ Lawyers

Check out our first Pride month profile: Michael Komo, K&L Gates Associate and Chair of the LGBT Employee Resource Group; PLDIC Co-Chair of the Community Building Subcommittee; and ACBA LGBT Rights Committee Member.

Read more
pghlegaldiversity.org
Next up:  Emily J. Wagner of McGuire Woods and Erica Pietranton of Leech Tishman
Coalition Board Member Tony Thompson Elected to ACBA Board of Governors
Coalition Board Member Tony Thompson has been elected to a three-year term on the Board of Governors of the Allegheny County Bar Association.

Tony is a partner at Meyer, Unkovic & Scott and has been active in the Bar Association for a number of years, serving in various positions. He was also instrumental in the founding of the Coalition. Not surprisingly, Tony was selected as the recipient of the ACBA Homer S. Brown Division’s Young Leader Award in 2016.

McGuire Woods’ Bryan Brantley Named MCCA 2020 Rainmaker
McGuire Woods partner Bryan Brantley has been named one of the MCCA’s 2020 Rainmakers. The Rainmakers are 11 exceptional diverse attorneys whose business acumen, passion, and dedication to proactive client development has set them apart as leaders in the legal profession.

Close Out Pride Month by Joining the PLDIC and the ACBA at a Pride Trivia Night
Grab your favorite beverage, put on your best Pride swag, and join us for a trivia contest conducted entirely online to close out Pride Month on June 30 at 5 p.m. The event, sponsored by the Coalition and the ACBA’s LGBT Rights Committee, will not only offer significant bragging rights, but actual cash prizes! Registration open soon.