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As a first-generation college graduate, I did not know what kind of doors a college degree or a graduate degree could open. Coming from an economically disadvantaged background, I did not have the resources or the tools to leverage a college degree or graduate degree. At my local
The ABA Law Student Division is proud to announce the winners of the yearly Law Student Division Awards. Congratulations to this year's winners, who will be recognized at our ABA Annual Meeting awards breakfast held in conjunction with the Young Lawyers Division on
As bar leaders, lawyers can successfully integrate diversity into your bar, into your leadership, and into your future plans for your organization. Today, I’m happy to talk about how you as bar leaders can successfully integrate diversity into your bar, into your leadership, and into
For the third year in a row, women once again outnumbered men in law school classrooms across the country in 2018, according to the most recent data released by the American Bar Association. At Enjuris,
What unique challenges to people of color face in the legal profession and what can be done to effectively address these issues? In this episode of the ABA Law Student Podcast, host Kristoffer Butler talks to Jerome Crawford and Tiffany Buckley-Norwood about how the legal profession can become more welcoming for
How does one tell if a firm is truly committed to diversity and inclusion? While many firms tout their commitment to service, diversity and inclusion, and professional development of its junior attorneys, law students should consider the following tips when evaluating a firm’s culture to determine if it is the right fit.
All ABA presidents are sworn to follow the policies of our Association, adopted by our House of Delegates. We value due process and democratic input with the consensus of state and local bar associations from every state, plus specialty bar associations and the ABA’s full range of expertise from all our sections and divisions. Yes, we are driven by ideology, but let’s be clear what our ideology is.
Learn all about "Increasing Diversity Competence: How Office Culture Promotes Good Working Relations" on Friday morning at 9 a.m. during annual meeting events with the Law Student Division. Come and listen to this panel of attorneys talk about their experiences with diverse workplaces, office relations, client connections, and how the legal
Let me tell you a story about implicit bias. In 2009, I married a man I met the first day of law school. He is white. I am black. In 2010, we moved to Chicago. By various measures, Chicago is the most segregated city in the United States. Specifically, for
Implicit bias is pervasive. It is a consequence of our brains’ quest for efficiency. Instead of laboring over every decision we need to make each day, our brains take shortcuts when making routine decisions. For example, each time you stop at a red light you don’t contemplate what that means
Barbara Grutter was a successful business owner with excellent academic credentials. In 1997, Grutter applied to the University of Michigan Law School. Grutter was ultimately rejected from the program. Grutter, who was white, argued that the denial amounted to racial discrimination.
Once again, 2017 data reveals that female enrollment in law schools has outpaced male enrollment. 2016 was the first year women made up the majority of law school attendees, and now 51.3% of women are attending in comparison to 48.7% of men. It is a significant achievement that women have caught up in terms of law school enrollment – for the second year in a row.
Most civil disputes settle or are resolved out of court, which creates space for more young lawyers and law students to pursue careers in alternative dispute resolution (ADR). There is also a need to increase opportunities for diverse lawyers to serve as neutrals and represent people in ADR processes. This article explores the barriers to inclusion for diverse attorneys in the legal profession and means to overcome them. It also discusses practical steps diverse young lawyers and law students can take to access opportunities in mediation practice. Discussions on these topics will continue during the Section on Dispute Resolution’s 20th Annual Spring Conference April 4-7 in Washington, DC.
We, the American Bar Association Law Student Division Council affirm that the American Bar Association can and should do more to protect potential law students and current law students as they seek to enter the legal profession. We also affirm that greater transparency, achieved through accreditation rules, will ensure that students can make informed decisions. We, thus, call for the Council of the Section of Legal Education (“Council”) to increase the reporting requirements already authorized under Standard 509.
Black History Month, to me as an African-American, is a time for reflection on and celebration of past accomplishments (and planning for future achievements) of our community. I have heard more than one person comment that February 2018 was “the blackest Black History Month ever” thanks in significant part to the
Yesterday, Google terminated a Googler who wrote a “manifesto” against “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber.” This is not surprising. That said, the belief that Google only did so because of its “politically correct monoculture” either fails to see the significant problems in the memo or intentionally glosses over them
The Future Is Now. Not only is that title prophetic, it was also the name of a conference hosted by my organization, the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, last month. Held in the Art Institute of Chicago, we welcomed almost 400 attorneys to a series of TED talks
News from law schools across the country, including an opportunity to study and work for a semester in Olympia, Wash., represent underrepresented individuals, help homeowners recover from floods in Louisiana, participate in a New York diversity and inclusion program, take a new course in the Coastal Law Field Lab and
By KAREEM AREF This year, the ABA Law Student Division is raising the bar and working toward the law student dream. At the 2016 ABA Annual meeting in August, LSD leaders created a plan to make strides in five essential policy areas for law students across the nation. Coined the DREAM Initiative,
Like so many other students, when I stepped onto campus the first day of law school, I was eager to learn how to think like a lawyer. To gain insight into this structure and system that guides so many areas of American life with the goal of using this privilege
The ABA wrapped up its 2016 Annual Meeting in San Francisco on Tuesday at the end of the general assembly. And in less than a week, a lot happened. Resolutions were adopted that affect law students, and bylaws were changed to address advances in the legal system. So here's a roundup
On Saturday June 11, 2016, the Board of Governors of the ABA approved changes to the Association’s CLE Policy. For many years, the ABA had an aspirational policy which provided that all entities of the ABA, when sponsoring or co-sponsoring a program, would have diversity on its panels. Unfortunately, in
Last week, it was the Grammys. In two Sundays, it's the Oscars' turn. It's not just the stars' turn for award season, though – we'd like to hand out some hardware as well. It's time for you to tell us who the Law Student Division should honor for the 2015-2016 year. Each
By Lara Marie B. Edmonds, Ryan Meyerhoff, Bennett E. Resnik In 2008, the ABA House of Delegates, the Association’s legislative body, adopted four big goals. ABA Goal III: Eliminate Bias and Enhance Diversity, one of those goals, has two objectives: promote full and equal participation in the Association, our profession, and
By Rosa Sosa-Vargas Rosa Sosa-Vargas, a 2L at Arizona Summit Law School in Phoenix, is 15th Circuit Governor and Diversity Committee Chair of the ABA Law Student Division. The legal profession is constantly improving its efforts to recognize diversity in the different legal communities around the country. The Law Student Division also
Before the Bar is the blog of the ABA Law Student Division. It brings together a diversity of opinions, experiences, and voices from those associated with the law anywhere in the world and is targeted to law students, current, past and future.
Unless stated, the opinions shared by our writers do not reflect the official position of the American Bar Association.
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