Microsoft has launched a new innovative way to promote Diversity

The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel interviewed Brad Smith, who is the senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Microsoft Corporation relating to Microsoft's Law Firm Diversity Program, about Microsoft's drive for diversity. Here is a an excerpt for the interview in The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel:

The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel Editor: Why are diversity and the culture of inclusion so important to Microsoft?

Brad Smith: Diversity in our legal teams is a business necessity. We have an incredibly diverse group of stakeholders, from employees and customers to business partners, competitors, and regulators. Microsoft has subsidiaries in over 110 countries. We have employees in the U.S. alone from over 130 countries. Our employees, customers, and other stakeholders represent every background in the country and on the planet.

Microsoft needs a legal and corporate affairs team that reflects the diversity of these groups. Otherwise I believe we'll fail to appreciate fully how other people are thinking about us and the legal questions at issue. And as we've learned from experience, sometimes even painfully, if we cannot understand how other people are thinking, there's a greater likelihood that we'll fail to address their needs or persuade them of our position. In this sense, diversity is not simply something that would be nice for us to have; it's a prerequisite for our success.


To read more of the interview, click here