Katherine Mateo Speaks on HR Works’ “A Seat at the Table” Podcast on Fostering Belonging and Diversity in Law (Part II)

Olshan Litigation Counsel Katherine Mateo appeared on an episode of “A Seat at the Table” podcast entitled “Fostering Belonging and Diversity in Law (Part II)” (listen to Part I here). In the episode, Kat discusses the key role that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) play in the legal industry. She shares how important emotional intelligence and retention are in promoting diversity now and in the future. “Something that I've learned in these 10 years is that who you see in positions of power will tell you what you can expect for your career," Kat says. "Unfortunately, a lot of the spaces I've been in the past are not very diverse, so I take it as my responsibility to be that for someone else." She also gives advice to organizations that are just starting out or are currently reformatting their DEIB practices to correct their footing: "Smaller companies sometimes feel like 'what value can I add, we're so small.' But I do feel like smaller environments can do it more efficiently. Because it's so small, you could reach 100% of your employees in a way that a larger environment can't. They can deploy their message more efficiently and have more authentic conversations."

Listen to the entire podcast episode here.