Diversity & Inclusion

Unpack age bias in the legal field — what it is, why it matters, and ways to enhance collaboration across all age levels.

While well represented in the legal community, American Jews still may face anti-Semitic bias and misunderstandings of their diverse identities. Dr. Laura Shaw Frank utilizes her background as both a scholar of Jewish history and a legal scholar to provide strategies for fostering welcoming environments for colleagues, staff, and clients.

Every day, the law is evolving related to the rights of transgender individuals. This session will discuss the terminology, state and federal laws related to accommodation of transgender populations.

This course addresses how cultures of assimilation in law firms can negatively affect the work and career growth of attorneys.

Representing People with Disabilities: Practical, Legal and Ethical Considerations

It is estimated that one in five people has a disability. Given the prevalence of disability in our society, attorneys need to be prepared to address the needs of clients with disabilities. This program offers practical tips on interacting with people with disabilities and the proper language to use as well as the legal and ethical issues that can arise when representing people with disabilities, with a focus on two common issues: access for clients with communication disabilities and representing clients with psychiatric disabilities.

The Justice Gap and How to Achieve Equal Justice for All

Learn about the factors that limit access to legal resources, along with proactive tips for what attorneys can do to help. Topics include the importance of pro bono work along with practical tips for working with low-income clients that may differ from their typical clients.

A Primer on Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the Practice of Law

This presentation includes a study of federal and state anti-discrimination laws and its impact on the legal profession, as guided by the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 8.4(j). Topics include a discussion of the historical context of anti-discrimination laws, recent legislation and social movements to promote and foster diversity and inclusion in the profession, and case studies.

Optimize your legal mindset to decrease conflict and positively influence the practice of law at the IICLE® Ethics Institute. Increase the civility of your practice with practical tips from the ARDC; learn the history of legal discrimination and how to eliminate it; and discover techniques to better represent people with disabilities and other typically underrepresented clients. Maximize your technological competence by learning about blockchain technology beyond just cryptocurrencies.

Earn as many (or as few) professional responsibility credits as you need as the end of the reporting period nears!

Over many years, both in-house departments and law firms have been working to improve diversity within their own organizations. Given the importance of diversity & inclusion in the legal profession, however, it is critical that law firms and in-house counsel work together to accelerate the pace of progress. The purpose of this panel is to talk about how in-house legal departments and law firms can partner to make a true impact on diversity & inclusion in the legal field, what’s working both from the in-house and law firm perspectives, and where we still need to do more to move the needle.

Since its original publication, this title has been updated and fully revised to address the dramatic increase in public misogyny. It has particular applicability to the current state of affairs, given that stay-at-home orders and school closings have led to increased gender biases and more lopsided gender roles, rather than a decrease.