He will appear on a Canadian Legal Summit panel discussing diverse talent as a competitive advantage
In a recent episode of CL Talk, Canadian Lawyer’s podcast, Lucas Kilravey, a lawyer who has been actively involved in various pro bono and non-profit initiatives including the Prisme Conference and the Canadian Association of LGBTQ2S+ Lawyers, spoke about the business case for diversity in law, the persistent gaps in representation at major firms, and the practical steps needed to support and advance diverse legal talent. Kilravey, who is an associate in Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP's real estate practice and is based in New York, discussed the impact of open communication and inclusive leadership on team performance, the shortcomings of traditional mentorship programs, and the urgent need for greater transparency and accountability in law firm hiring and promotion practices. Kilravey will speak on these issues at the Canadian Legal Summit 2025 in Toronto on October 9.
Below is a summary of the conversation:
Diversity isn’t just a buzzword in the legal sector – it’s a business imperative, reshaping how law firms operate and compete. “From the smallest deals to the largest deals, diversity just makes good business sense,” says Lucas Kilravey, an associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in New York and a leading advocate for inclusion in the profession. His perspective, rooted in years of high-stakes real estate transactions and deep involvement in diversity initiatives, underscores a hard reality: law firms that fail to embrace diverse talent risk stagnation, while those that do see ideas flow, hierarchies break down, and competence rise to the top.
Kilravey’s experience spans both sides of the border, from articling at BLG in Toronto to advising on major US mergers. He quickly points out that the most effective teams aren’t built around checkboxes or identity politics but around open communication and a culture that values ability. “Ideas flow, people aren’t stuck in hierarchies. People are actually getting things done and sharing information openly,” says Kilravey. The result isn’t just a feel-good atmosphere – it’s a measurable business advantage, especially in markets like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, where diversity is the norm, not the exception.
Yet, even in these cosmopolitan centers, the reality on the ground often falls short of the rhetoric. Kilravey’s early days at Osgoode Hall Law School – a place he calls “certainly the most diverse law school in the country” – starkly contrasted with his first experiences on Bay Street. “It was surprising to see that the demographic shifted entirely. They were just entirely [inverted], and that included, with respect to the representation for 2SLGBTQ+ communities,” says Kilravey. He says the absence of visible diversity was not generally about overt discrimination, but about people missing from the room, a gap that prompted him to act.
That action first took shape as the Firm Hop Initiative, bringing together nine firms in 2020 for a two-day tour to demystify the recruitment process for LGBTQ+ law students. “We got nine firms together in 2020 and created an organized tour where students who are members of our community could sign up and come visit these firms in a two-day organized fashion, get to know about their policies and diversity, and demystify the process,” says Kilravey. The program’s success led to the creation of the Prism Conference in 2022, a national recruitment event that filled a gap for LGBTQ+ lawyers, and ultimately to the founding of the Canadian Association of LGBTQ2S+ Lawyers.
Kilravey’s move to New York hasn’t slowed this momentum. If anything, it’s expanded his reach. “Our work has actually continued very strongly in Canada, and now our work is expanding to international partnerships,” says Kilravey. He’s forged connections with legal associations in Western Europe, recently speaking at the German Bar Association in Berlin and building networks in Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris. “We’re bringing all those people to Ottawa as part of this year’s programming,” says Kilravey, illustrating how borders no longer confine advocacy for diversity in law.
But the landscape isn’t uniform. The US and Canada, often compared, operate under different pressures and expectations. Yet Kilravey is blunt about the challenges of generalizing the American legal market. “A market as large and complex as the United States is challenging to discuss as a monolith,” says Kilravey. While the US has seen a cooling toward diversity and inclusion, he doesn’t see the same trend in Canada. He suggests that Canadian firms may be doubling down on diversity to assert a distinct identity.
Still, the profession faces stubborn barriers. Kilravey doesn’t mince words about the uncomfortable truths behind the lack of progress. “Many partners, not all, critically, not all, but many partners systematically hire people who look, speak and think like them. We see this again and again,” says Kilravey. The result is a leadership pipeline that lags behind the diversity of the broader profession and society. “Law firm leadership consistently lags the diversity of firms, the profession and society. It’s nowhere near what it needs to be,” says Kilravey. The problem isn’t just about gender or race, but about entrenched social networks and class. “Deal making and books of business rely on a very narrow set of elite social connections, and these tend to be monopolized by wealthy white men who went to a narrow set of private schools,” says Kilravey.
Transparency, Kilravey argues, is the only way forward. “Light is the best disinfectant. So we need to drop the ego and start with concrete qualifications, because the debate now often is, 'Well, that’s your view, but we don’t have any numbers.' Because there are no objective numbers, we have to at least establish a reality to work from,” says Kilravey. He calls for public, annual, and ongoing diversity disclosure for law firms, following the UK’s Law Society's lead, and broadening the conversation to include internationally trained lawyers and class considerations.
Mentorship isn’t enough, he insists. “You need someone who’s going to be in your corner and advocate for you, and we need to get serious about identifying who those people are and helping connect them with the people who need their assistance,” says Kilravey. Formal mentorship programs often fall flat without organic connections and genuine commitment. “If you don’t have the time to mentor someone, you shouldn’t be participating in a mentorship program. It matters for junior lawyers. You need to make yourself available. And it’s not a sin to say you can’t, but you have to be serious about it,” says Kilravey.
For lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds, self-advocacy is non-negotiable. “Always keep written records of what you’re doing in the firm or [outside] the firm. You know to be able to advocate for yourself effectively, which can include being able to ensure no one is able to make claims about you or your work that aren’t accurate,” says Kilravey. Building a reputation for integrity and finding allies who understand diverse lawyers' unique barriers are critical; otherwise, firms rely on elite networks that favour lawyers from privileged backgrounds. “If you’re in a large law firm, people can’t pay our rates unless they’re from an elite institution. If you need that for lawyers to progress up the ranks, then I think what you’ve done is create an invisible ceiling, which is part of what’s reflected in the massive fall off of diversity from junior associate rank to partnership,” says Kilravey.
Kilravey says his experience working on 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy holds lessons for business firms like his. He believes law firms could learn from grassroots organizations' entrepreneurial spirit. “You need to empower innovators and get out of the way. So you need to give them a mandate, give them a budget, and avoid death by committee,” says Kilravey. Perfectionism, which serves clients well, can stifle innovation if left unchecked.
Looking ahead, Kilravey’s prescription is clear. “There needs to be longitudinal, clear, unambiguous data across the board that we can track. We should look at the diversity of the bar compared to the diversity of small, medium and large firms. For small and medium, we have to create a minimal regulatory burden, but we need to have that data and understand the direction that things are going,” says Kilravey. The challenge for law firms isn’t just to keep up with shifting demographics and expectations, but to lead by making diversity a core business strategy, not an afterthought.
Kilravey will appear on a panel entitled "Diverse talent as a competitive advantage: retention, growth, and self-advocacy" at the Canadian Legal Summit in Toronto on October 9. To learn more or register for the event, visit the Canadian Legal Summit website.
This conversation can also be found here:
The episode can also be found on our CL Talk podcast homepage, which includes links to follow CL Talk on all the major podcast providers.
