Diversity

Law school gets extension to meet Standard 316; ABA Legal Ed council posts additional notice on faculty diversity

Updated: The Golden Gate University School of Law, which has not had a two-year bar pass rate at or above 75% since its class of 2017, has received an extension to come into compliance with Standard 316, which requires a bar passage rate of at least 75% within a two-year time period.

Mar 14, 2023 10:52 AM CDT

In ‘Her Honor,’ trailblazing women judges take center stage

When Lauren Stiller Rikleen was approached in 2020 by the ABA Judicial Division to help compile autobiographical stories from women judges in America, a powerful motivating factor for her was to capture stories of the barriers that the judges overcame in their words.

Mar 8, 2023 9:07 AM CST

3 law schools dinged on bar pass rates see improvement; another back in compliance with diversity standard

Updated: Three law schools have come into compliance with an ABA accreditation standard requiring two-year bar passage rates of at least 75%, the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently announced.

Mar 6, 2023 11:17 AM CST

Another law school dinged on accreditation standard regarding diversity of faculty and staff

Updated: The Baylor University School of Law is noncompliant with an accreditation standard that requires schools to demonstrate “concrete action” showing a commitment to having a diverse and inclusive faculty and staff, according to an ABA notice posted Wednesday.

Mar 2, 2023 10:48 AM CST

Family law gave this lawyer some ideas about what clients really want

Jessica Bednarz has spent much of her career representing people, researching access-to-justice issues and using that knowledge to try to find better ways to deliver legal services. That includes using what’s known as “design thinking” for developing client service programs.

Feb 27, 2023 8:39 AM CST

Law school named in honor of Black attorney in what may be second time in history

The Florida St. Thomas University College of Law recently announced that it would be adding Benjamin L. Crump to its title in recognition of the Black civil rights lawyer.

Feb 9, 2023 12:43 PM CST

These 10 principles will advance gender equity in criminal legal profession, ABA House says

The House of Delegates addressed the deep-rooted differences between male and female attorneys in the criminal legal profession at the ABA Midyear Meeting in New Orleans on Monday.

Feb 6, 2023 2:04 PM CST

Florida judges can no longer get CLE credit for general ‘fairness and diversity’ courses, state supreme court says

Florida judges can no longer take “fairness and diversity” courses to satisfy continuing education requirements, unless the classes relate to judicial professionalism, ethics opinions or the judicial conduct code, the Florida Supreme Court has decided.

Feb 6, 2023 8:37 AM CST

High rates of burnout have lawyers in this state considering leaving their jobs or the legal profession

More than three-fourths of Massachusetts lawyers are experiencing burnout, and almost half have thought about leaving their legal employer or the legal profession for that reason or because of stress in the last three years.

Feb 2, 2023 12:07 PM CST

Meet the lawyer representing Trump in his lawsuit against journalist Bob Woodward

The new lawyer representing former President Donald Trump in his lawsuit against journalist Bob Woodward initially practiced law as a barrister in Great Britain.

Feb 2, 2023 9:41 AM CST

How to track and empower diversity and inclusion initiatives in the legal profession

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Caren Ulrich Stacy, the founder and CEO of the Diversity Lab, a think tank that uses metrics, behavioral science and design thinking to produce initiatives that cultivate diversity and inclusion in legal organizations.

Jan 18, 2023 10:56 AM CST

Diversity increases among associates, but ‘we are nowhere near’ expected progress at partner level, NALP president says

Lawyers of color continue to make gains in the associate ranks at major U.S. law firms, but their progress at the partnership level “has moved at a more sluggish pace,” according to a report released Thursday by the National Association for Law Placement.

Jan 12, 2023 11:29 AM CST

Text accusing exiting lawyer of sitting on her keister during maternity leave leads to second departure

An indignant lawyer blasted a colleague in a text for leaving her law firm following paid maternity leave. The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association was flooded with angry calls, texts and emails from members expressing outrage and demanding action.

Jan 11, 2023 11:54 AM CST

Meet Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor investigating Trump and his allies

The Georgia prosecutor who will make the decision on whether to seek charges against former President Donald Trump or his allies is 51-year-old Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis, a former homicide prosecutor who now has a penchant for using the state’s broad racketeering law.

Jan 10, 2023 12:50 PM CST

Weekly Briefs: Judge slashes $24M award for Unite the Right victims; judge accused of offering sex for early trial

Judge slashes $24M punitive award in Unite the Right trial U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon of the Western District of Virginia has slashed an award of $24 million in punitive damages assessed against white supremacists associated with the violent 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Moon said…

Jan 6, 2023 2:04 PM CST