Toolbox for Increasing Diversity in the Legal Profession
Resources will continue to be added and have been organized into the following categories:
Use of the Term "Diversity" during the Diversity the Next Generation Summit
Diversity is about respecting individual differences, including gender, racial and ethnic heritage, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Statistics
- AJD Findings on Race-Ethnicity — by Gita Wilder, January 2008 NALP Bulletin
- Although Most Firms Collect GLBT Lawyer Information, Overall Numbers Remain Low — by Judith Collins (along with sidebar commentary by Andrew Chapin), December 2007 NALP Bulletin
- Few Lawyers Work Part-Time, Most Who Do Are Women — December 5, 2007 NALP Press Release
- Minority Women Still Underrepresented in Law Firm Partnership Ranks — Change in Diversity of Law Firm Leadership Very Slow Overall — November 1, 2007 NALP Press Release
- Creating Pathways to Diversity®: A Set of Recommended Practices for Law Firms (Blue Book) — An in-depth data-driven resource that balances quantitative and qualitative findings about the diversity practices and plans in law firms.
Bar Organizations
General
- Discussion Deemed Key to Diversity — by Keathan Frink, April 2008, The Young Lawyer
- Diversity and the Role of the Young Lawyer — by Rachel Saloom, February/March 2008, The Young Lawyer
- Implementing a Model Diversity Plan — by Georgene Louis, January/February 2008 Affiliate Newsletter
- Developing a Model Diversity Plan — As part of the Young Bar Leaders Summit held at the 2007 ABA YLD Fall Conference, C. Erica White presented a session on Developing a Model Diversity Plan. The session included background on the YLD Plan and the process for developing a plan that is measurable and ensures accountability
- American Bar Association Resource Guide: Programs to Advance Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Legal Profession — This guide presents profiles of a number of different tips and programs designed to increase diversity in the legal community; including recruitment, retention, and advancement of minority lawyers.
- Choose Law: A Profession for All — Turn-key program that encourages high school students of color to become lawyers. Choose Law is perfect for career day seminars, for guidance counselors, for social study classes, or for programs designed to educate students about the practice of law and to encourage them to consider becoming attorneys. Educators and counselors can use the video and written materials as a stand-alone project or as a supplement to similar local programs, such as programs where a local attorney or judge speaks to high school students about the practice of law. You can modify the project to suit your needs. Choose Law can be presented in fifteen minutes or an hour depending on what will work best. How you incorporate Choose Law into your curriculum or program is up to you.
- Sample Projects from Past Winners of the ABA Partnership Awards Program — This program recognizes efforts by bar associations to increase the participation and advancement of lawyers of color in the organized bar and to attract students of color to the legal profession.
- National Mentor Program — sponsored by the ABA Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law. This program is a support service offered to help law students, potential law students, and recent law school graduates, all with disabilities. Support ranges from advice on attaining accommodations to networking opportunities. Mentors do not need to have a disability to participate-all that is needed is a small amount of your time to help give assistance to a student with a disability.
Individuals
General
- Discussion Deemed Key to Diversity — by Keathan Frink, April 2008, The Young Lawyer
- Diversity and the Role of the Young Lawyer — by Rachel Saloom, February/March 2008, The Young Lawyer
- Choose Law: A Profession for All — Turn-key program that encourages high school students of color to become lawyers. Choose Law is perfect for career day seminars, for guidance counselors, for social study classes, or for programs designed to educate students about the practice of law and to encourage them to consider becoming attorneys. Educators and counselors can use the video and written materials as a stand-alone project or as a supplement to similar local programs, such as programs where a local attorney or judge speaks to high school students about the practice of law. You can modify the project to suit your needs. Choose Law can be presented in fifteen minutes or an hour depending on what will work best. How you incorporate Choose Law into your curriculum or program is up to you.
- National Mentor Program — sponsored by the ABA Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law. This program is a support service offered to help law students, potential law students, and recent law school graduates, all with disabilities. Support ranges from advice on attaining accommodations to networking opportunities. Mentors do not need to have a disability to participate-all that is needed is a small amount of your time to help give assistance to a student with a disability.
Law Firms
General
- Creating Pathways to Diversity®: Perspectives from the Invisible Bar: Gay & Lesbian Attorneys in the Profession (Lavender Book) — A collection of articles and research reports to examine how sexual orientation affects attorneys in law firms and in law departments.
- Creating Pathways to Diversity®: The Myth of the Meritocracy: A Report on the Bridges and Barriers to Success in Large Law Firms (Purple Book) — This book is the result of a year-long project launched to answer the following questions: What criteria do partner use to decide who will attain partnership? What factors distinguish those who make partner from senior associates who are not elected? To what extent do credentials and experience, such as law school and other factors really distinguish successful lawyers form those who do not make it to partnership.
- Creating Pathways to Diversity®: Metrics for Success: Measurement in Diversity Initiatives (Burgundy Book) — A report designed to help you apply measurement approaches that are appropriate for various stages of diversity progression.
- Discussion Deemed Key to Diversity — by Keathan Frink, April 2008, The Young Lawyer
- Reasonable Accommodations for Lawyers with Disabilities — The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2006 — The EEOC has developed a 22-page document outlining examples of reasonable accommodations and answering questions about when and how accommodations should be requested and provided.
- What If Law Firms Were Really Serious About Increasing Diversity? — By Virginia G. Essandoh, January 2008, Report to Legal Management — "Achieving diversity is simple and difficult at the same time. Someone once said 'If you want something you have never had, then you must do something you have never done.' To see dramatic progress, firms must be willing to try new and innovative approaches." Altman Weil Senior Consultant Virginia Essandoh sets forth nine recommendations to make a drastic shift for the better in the law firm environment.
- American Bar Association Resource Guide: Programs to Advance Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Legal Profession — This guide presents profiles of a number of different tips and programs designed to increase diversity in the legal community including recruitment, retention, and advancement of minority lawyers.
- Creating Pathways to Diversity®: A Set of Recommended Practices for Law Firms (Blue Book) — An in-depth data-driven that balances quantitative and qualitative findings about the diversity practices and plans in law firms.
- Creating Pathways to Diversity®: A Study of Law Department Best Practices — 2005 Update of the Green Book (Lime Green Book) — Re-examines the diversity practices of 15 corporate law departments in the United States. This book is an update to the Kelly Green Book.
- Creating Pathways to Diversity®: Mentoring Across Differences: A Guide to Cross-Gender and Cross-Race Mentoring (Yellow Book) — Examines mentoring relationships in law firms and law departments.
- Creating Pathways to Diversity®: From Lawyer to Business Partner Career Advancement in Corporate Law Departments (Pink Book) — Examines the success factors and barriers to advancing in-house.
- Diversity Best Practices Guide — This compilation of bulleted recommendations produced by the 2006 National Association for Law Placement (NALP) Diversity Advancement Committee is designed to assist legal employers in moving from abstract discussions about diversity to practical implementation of diversity strategies and initiatives. Suggestions are drawn from industry research and from interviews with law firm professionals. NALP members are invited to submit additional best practices for addition to this guide.
- 2007 Bar Association of San Francisco Report — In late 2007, BASF's Equality Subcommittee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Issues put together a report of best practices focused on the hiring, retention and promotion of LGBT attorneys.
- The National Conference on the Employment of Lawyers with Disabilities: A Report from the American Bar Association — This excellent resource on increasing employment opportunities for lawyers with disabilities — and best practices for law firms — is a transcript of all sessions presented at the 2006 ABA conference, plus an appendix suggesting additional resources.
- Choose Law: A Profession for All — Turn-key program that encourages high school students of color to become lawyers. Choose Law is perfect for career day seminars, for guidance counselors, for social study classes, or for programs designed to educate students about the practice of law and to encourage them to consider becoming attorneys. Educators and counselors can use the video and written materials as a stand-alone project or as a supplement to similar local programs, such as programs where a local attorney or judge speaks to high school students about the practice of law. You can modify the project to suit your needs. Choose Law can be presented in fifteen minutes or an hour depending on what will work best. How you incorporate Choose Law into your curriculum or program is up to you.
- National Mentor Program — sponsored by the ABA Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law. This program is a support service offered to help law students, potential law students, and recent law school graduates, all with disabilities. Support ranges from advice on attaining accommodations to networking opportunities. Mentors do not need to have a disability to participate-all that is needed is a small amount of your time to help give assistance to a student with a disability.
Encouraging Students to Become Lawyer
- Choose Law: A Profession for All — Turn-key program that encourages high school students of color to become lawyers. Choose Law is perfect for career day seminars, for guidance counselors, for social study classes, or for programs designed to educate students about the practice of law and to encourage them to consider becoming attorneys. Educators and counselors can use the video and written materials as a stand-alone project or as a supplement to similar local programs, such as programs where a local attorney or judge speaks to high school students about the practice of law. You can modify the project to suit your needs. Choose Law can be presented in fifteen minutes or an hour depending on what will work best. How you incorporate Choose Law into your curriculum or program is up to you.
- Sample Projects from Past Winners of the ABA Partnership Awards Program — This program recognizes efforts by bar associations to increase the participation and advancement of lawyers of color in the organized bar and to attract students of color to the legal profession.
- National Mentor Program — sponsored by the ABA Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law. This program is a support service offered to help law students, potential law students, and recent law school graduates, all with disabilities. Support ranges from advice on attaining accommodations to networking opportunities. Mentors do not need to have a disability to participate-all that is needed is a small amount of your time to help give assistance to a student with a disability.
