Associate Paulette Miniter recently interviewed Toyota's Meyling Ly Ortiz, managing counsel of Labor & Employment for Toyota Motor North America, discussing the role of in-house counsel in advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

Q: What impact do you see in-house counsel having with respect to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession?

A: In-house counsel have the power to be thought leaders and change agents. As outside counsel, the demands are different; it is a lot to stay on top of your billable hours requirements and develop business while trying to have a life outside of work. As in-house counsel, while we may not necessarily have less work, sometimes we do have a bit more flexibility, which means time to mentor and advocate for the next generation of law firm partners and leaders. We also have the power of the purse; we can ask for diverse teams, we can ask for underrepresented attorneys to get development opportunities and sponsorship, and we can ask about who is receiving origination credit for our matters.

Click to read the Q&A here.