(Reuters) - The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, a group of more than 300 chief legal officers and law firm managing partners, is challenging its members to personally and publicly pledge to increase diversity and inclusion in their organizations.

Members of the group's executive board - which includes leaders from HP Inc, eBay Inc, Crowell & Moring and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom - kicked off the initiative Thursday with their own commitments.

"It became clear that this matter needed not only an urgent response, but it needed a thoughtful and meaningful response," said LCLD's president, Robert Grey. "Our members ... said, 'We've all been part of issuing letters that we want diversity. But we've never had to back it up in a public way'."

The push comes amid heightened pressure on law firms, which have long faced criticism for their lack of diversity, to recruit and retain more people of color in response to demands from clients and widespread protests against racism and social inequities earlier this year.

Crowell & Moring executive committee chair Ellen Dwyer pledged in her public commitment to sponsor two Black lawyers at her firm from now into 2021, and to "position them well for advancement within 12 months." She also committed to ensuring that "a diverse lawyer is one of a team of three lawyers identified to succeed a senior partner in relationship partner role for no fewer than six clients in the next 18 months."

Skadden executive partner Eric Friedman's commitment included a promise to periodically meet with junior partners from underrepresented backgrounds to hear about their experiences at his firm and how he could support them, and to sponsor diverse attorneys each year.

A recent study commissioned by LCLD found that support from senior leaders is viewed as crucial to career advancement, but that few diverse attorneys have sponsors.

HP legal chief Kim Rivera and eBay general counsel Marie Oh Huber pledged to, among other things, ensure that their outside counsel gives work to diverse attorneys, further increasing the pressure on law firms.

Last year, more than 170 general counsel signed an open letter threatening to pull their business from law firms that didn't make an effort to become more diverse.

Many firms in recent months have pledged to boost their diversity and support racial justice causes after the May death of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests. Floyd, a Black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.

Hogan Lovells this week said it aims to have its U.S. and U.K. partnership include at least 15% racial and ethnic minorities and 4% lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people by 2025.

Less than 2% of U.S. law firm partners in 2019 were Black, according to National Association for Law Placement data. Fewer than 10% of U.S. law firm partners in 2019 were people of color, and less than 25% were women. Just over 2% were LGBTQ.