Saul Ewing LLP today announced that a team of law firm and legal department leaders, including Executive Committee Member Jim Keller, won the Community Challenge of Diversity Lab’s Moments to Movements Hackathon, a shark tank-style competition to pitch a solution for a more inclusive legal profession. Winning ideas will be further developed by Diversity Lab and piloted with the participating law firms and legal departments.
For the past six months, Mr. Keller and his teammates worked on a solution to this particular challenge question: How can we defend and fortify DEI across the profession and in each organization to withstand downturns, leadership changes, anti-DEI rhetoric, and other headwinds? On July 11, 2024, each team pitched its solution to a live panel of judges before an audience of over 200 industry leaders at the New York University School of Law. The pitches were evaluated on their potential for impact, adoption, and progress measurement.
Mr. Keller’s team pitched a solution to create a customizable, measurable, accessible certification process for every lawyer in an organization to meet certain milestones around engagement, community involvement, client networking, pitch opportunities, collaboration, leadership and more. Tracked through an application to be created by Diversity Lab, law firms and legal departments would report their efforts and must demonstrate that at least 35% of their lawyer workforce meets specific criteria in order for that firm or company to be named a “Guardian of the DEI Universe.” This honor would come with tangible benefits for the pertinent law firms and companies.
“It was an honor to participate in the Moments to Movements Hackathon, and to witness the passion of my fellow participants as we work to preserve and advance a more diverse legal industry,” said Mr. Keller. “I am thrilled that Diversity Lab will develop our idea, and I look forward to piloting the program at Saul Ewing.”
Mr. Keller is a trial lawyer and co-chair of Saul Ewing’s Higher Education Practice. He advises colleges and universities on critical issues of compliance, policy and liability, and leads internal investigations on issues including Title IX, compliance with the Clery Act, student deaths, hazing, sexual assault, and alcohol use on campus. He also litigates complex commercial matters for clients in the real estate, insurance and defense industries. He holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and an Honors B.A. from the University of Delaware.
