Attorneys of Color

138 ABA Journal Attorneys of Color articles.

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

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

Judge discusses negotiating trauma and the law as chief tribal court judge of Yurok Nation

Judge Abby Abinanti was the first tribal woman to be admitted to the State Bar of California. For almost two decades, she served as a judicial officer for the San Francisco Superior Court, and Abinanti has been a Yurok tribal court judge since 1997.

Jan 3, 2023 9:29 AM CST

As underrepresentation of Asian American lawyers in top jobs continues, more are speaking out, new study finds

Out of 2,396 elected prosecutors in the United States, eight identified as Asian American, according to a new study sponsored by the American Bar Foundation and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

Dec 5, 2022 1:34 PM CST

Many federal judges want clerkship diversity but say the topic is rarely addressed in court, new study says

In a recent study of federal appellate judges, many indicated that they had difficulties hiring Black law clerks. Black jurists, who make up less than one-eighth of the federal appellate courts, hired more than half of the Black clerks.

Dec 2, 2022 12:53 PM CST

Slow Going: Despite diversity gains, some law firm leaders bemoan lack of progress

A series of recent studies have revealed the lack of diversity in law firm partnerships—even after the May 2020 murder of George Floyd spurred the profession to respond to calls for racial justice by launching in-house diversity programs and hiring more chief diversity officers.

Dec 1, 2022 3:00 AM CST

Paying the ‘diversity tax’ to practice law

Two years ago, to preserve my mental health, I walked away from my dream of working as a legal aid attorney. I'm no longer practicing law but now work as a diversity and equity inclusion officer at the same organization at which I practiced, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia.

Oct 19, 2022 3:19 PM CDT

Justice Jackson has dominated SCOTUS oral arguments, statistics show

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has outpaced her colleagues in questioning while participating in her first oral arguments on the high court.

Oct 18, 2022 8:46 AM CDT

Honduran attorneys bring law-themed Latin coffee shop to Minnesota

The NDA is the name of one of the gourmet coffees at the Abogados Café in St. Paul, Minnesota. Just don’t ask the husband-and-wife team who own the cafe to tell you what’s in it. Given that the beverage is named after a nondisclosure agreement, the couple, lawyers Ofelia Ponce and Inti Martínez-Alemán, are adamant that its ingredients must remain confidential. Even when pressed to reveal the coffee’s secret recipe, they do not fold.

Sep 19, 2022 8:45 AM CDT

Responses wanted: Motherhood penalty and caregiver bias will be evaluated in new ABA survey

The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession is launching a new survey to assess how the motherhood penalty and other caregiver bias impacts the careers of female lawyers.

Sep 8, 2022 2:00 PM CDT

ABA project aims to help Afghan legal professionals establish themselves in the United States

In the weeks following the one-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on Aug. 15, the ABA Journal is highlighting the ABA’s efforts to help judges and lawyers from Afghanistan resettle, obtain immigration benefits and secure jobs using their legal skills. This is part one in our series.

Aug 23, 2022 8:53 AM CDT

‘We must not give up,’ ABA President-elect Mary Smith says

“We lift lawyers up,” Mary Smith said. “We lift the legal profession up. And we cannot let ourselves be distracted by detractors. We can and must do more.”

Aug 9, 2022 1:45 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Bannon convicted for contempt of Congress; suit targets Skittles ingredient

Steve Bannon convicted for contempt of Congress

Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before convicting Steve Bannon, a former adviser for former President Donald Trump, on two counts of…

Jul 22, 2022 3:28 PM CDT

Washington Supreme Court justice shows ‘representation does matter’

G. Helen Whitener brings several different perspectives to her work as a state supreme court justice. She is the first Black woman and fourth immigrant-born justice to sit on the Washington Supreme Court. She is the first Black LGBT judge in the state of Washington. She also identifies as an individual with a disability.

Jul 20, 2022 8:42 AM CDT

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