Assistant Dean De Mello talks about hiring and EDI in Charlene Theodore’s podcast

Work That Works is a podcast hosted by Ontario Bar Association President, Charlene Theodore, which implores us to consider important questions like: What drives productivity? Why and how does dysfunction creep into today’s workplaces? Why do some lawyers thrive while certain demographics are leaving the profession at alarming rates?

In the episode released on April 21st, Theodore invited Ryerson Law’s Assistant Dean for Student Programming, Development and Equity, Tanya (Toni) De Mello, for an engaging hour-long conversation. They explore how legal workplaces can adopt lessons learned from Dean De Mello’s role in creating an inclusive and innovative academic community at Ryerson, along with lessons from her revelatory PhD research into recruitment in the legal sector.

Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd have spurred more people to consider changes that are needed as we move ahead in the world of work, and the legal sector is no different. More legal employers have been rethinking how we do work, and in particular, how to get it right from an equity, diversity and inclusion lens. In addition, there has been a push from both the general public and from clients for legal workplaces to be more diverse and reflect the communities they serve.

During the podcast, the two take a dive into thought-provoking questions, like:

• What are some of the barriers to full participation and engagement in academia or workplaces?
• What does it look like to give a comprehensive legal education that embeds equity, diversity and inclusion into every aspect of the curriculum?
• How do technological solutions help or hinder recruitment processes and access to justice?
• How can today’s law firms lean into the interests and needs of tomorrow’s diverse leaders?

Dean De Mello notes that the biggest barrier for many people is moving from awareness to action. As with every podcast episode, Theodore wraps up by summarizing some of the key practices that employers can adopt in their workplaces to create an immediate impact.

As Dean De Mello reminds us, engaging and collaborating with diverse teams makes us better colleagues, better lawyers, and better leaders which fosters a more accessible, innovative and effective legal profession. Charlene Theodore notes that this is how we create better workplaces and how we can best serve our clients.

Listen to the podcast here (external link, opens in new window) .