Microsoft Boosts Efforts to Build a Diverse Legal Pipeline

Microsoft Corp. recharged its long-running diversity initiative for outside counsel last year amid nationwide protests for racial justice and inclusion, Corporate Vice President and General Counsel Dev Stahlkopf said.

The software giant increased its focus on Black and Latino leadership at partner law firms and boosted their financial incentives for reaching the company’s overall diversity targets, Stahlkopf said Thursday in an interview with Bloomberg Industry Group Strategic Initiatives Executive Editor Lisa Helem.

Microsoft’s gender and minority legal diversity program has helped drive more diverse representation at its partner law firms for the past 12 years, Stahlkopf said.

However, the number ...