In both the UK and the US, the legal profession bears an inherent responsibility for access to and administration of justice. In both countries, their systems of justice provide the very foundation upon which their societies are based. British and American lawyers have tried some similar, but often different approaches to increase diversity within the profession. Nevertheless, despite years of efforts to effect change, in both countries, the legal profession remains one of the least diverse professions. Lawyers who are women, racial minorities, openly homosexual or transgender, disabled, or from lower socio-economic backgrounds, continue to be underrepresented within the legal profession, especially amongst law firm equity partners, judges, and other high stature positions. This lack of diversity is particularly troubling when one considers the roles and functions for which Britons and Americans rely upon their lawyers. Lawyers in both the UK and the US are becoming increasingly concerned about this and the implications for the future if the situation is not addressed now. Please join with other concerned colleagues from the UK and the US for a daylong examination and discussion of our profession’s social responsibility for diversity, equality and inclusion as we report upon our different experiences, share information, vet strategies, and exchange ideas and insights.
Join us for candid conversations about how we as a profession fulfill our social responsibility for diversity, equality and inclusion:
- In the workplace: In our law firms and chambers, corporate law departments and government agencies where lawyers spend their working lives, what could, should and is being done to support the careers of diverse lawyers?
- In the selection of outside counsel by corporate clients: The ability to generate legal business is a key component to the success of lawyers in law firms or chambers of any size. What could, should and are corporate clients doing to provide greater opportunities for diverse lawyers to prove themselves and find greater professional success?
- In legal professional organizations: The legal profession looks to our law societies, bar councils, and bar associations for leadership in its efforts to improve itself. What could, should and are these organizations doing to make a more diverse legal profession a reality?
Help us determine the scope of and strategies for the legal profession’s social responsibility obligations to itself.
