I sat in last week on a powerful panel discussion, “Talking Successfully About Race, Politics & Gender at Work,” in which two law firm executives shared how they and their staffs talk about difficult issues of race and gender.

The two women also shared their own personal stories of vulnerability and empowerment, one of coming out to her colleagues as transexual and the other of an early-career encounter with blatant racism.

The program was presented by i.WILL — Inspiring Women Igniting Leadership and Learning — and its founder Andrea Markstrom, CIO at Taft in Minneapolis, and moderated by Anna McGrane, cofounder and COO of PacerPro.

My report on their stories is the subject this week of my column at Above the Law: Powerful Discussions Of Race And Gender In Law Firms.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.