Forget the affinity groups. Ditch those expensive consultants. And stop—just stop—telling me how hard your firm has been trying to fix the problem.

If you sincerely want to stem the departure of midlevel and senior female lawyers at your firm, you can start by giving women real leadership positions. By that, I mean appointing female partners to the management, executive, or compensation committee. Not those peripheral committees—like diversity, marketing, or recruiting.