Move The Needle Fund: Fifth Firm Application

The Move the Needle Fund (“MTN”) is the first collaborative effort designed and funded with $5M to test innovative initiatives to create a more diverse and inclusive legal profession. The first four founding MTN law firms are Eversheds Sutherland (US), Goodwin, Orrick, and Stoel Rives.

To ensure an inclusive process for filling the fifth firm opening, law firms are invited to apply via a blind application and selection process through this survey.  The application deadline is October 25, 2019. 

The MTN founding firm leaders and general counsel will choose the fifth firm based on the boldness of the interested firm’s diversity goal and their willingness to devote critical resources, experiment with new ideas, and share the outcomes.  

Firms interested in applying and becoming the fifth firm should plan to:

(1) Fully understand and comply with the mission of MTN, which seeks to create a more inclusive and diverse legal profession by leveraging experimentation, collaboration, accountability, transparency, and metrics.

(2) Ensure that everyone in your firm — especially your leaders — is supportive and willing to make personal commitments and take bold actions to make this effort a success.

(3) Set an aggressive, public diversity and inclusion goal that is measurable and meaningful for both your firm and the profession. And be prepared to start measuring progress on your goal as of January 1, 2020 (the official MTN launch date), with Diversity Lab's help. 

(4) Make a financial commitment of $250,000 annually for five years to ensure that MTN has the critical resources needed to achieve its mission.

(5) Agree to work collaboratively with the other law firms, GCs, and community leaders.

(6) Work with Diversity Lab to measure everything you do related to this effort, from start to finish. 

(7) Share your results — including what works and doesn’t work — with each other and the community. As part of MTN, your firm should be prepared to fail, iterate, and try again.

Questions regarding the expectations, application process, or about the MTN Fund more generally should be directed to Caren Ulrich Stacy at caren@diversitylab.com. 

Please Note:  Only the Diversity Lab team, as well as the MTN founding law firm leaders and legal department GCs/deputies, will see your firm's application responses. The MTN founders will not see your firm's name or other identifying factors. And nothing will be shared with the public, including which firms applied or any of the application details.

Thank you for your interest in the MTN Fund!  Together, as a community, we will move the needle farther faster.