Reorganization will strengthen the ISBA’s diversity effortsBy Alice M. Noble-AllgireHuman and Civil Rights, February 2010You may not have heard any hammers or saws, but the ISBA recently completed a major renovation of its diversity-related committees and sections councils—a renovation that is already seeing substantial dividends in terms of greater efficiency and collaborative creativity.
Reorganization will strengthen the ISBA’s diversity effortsBy Alice M. Noble-AllgireWomen and the Law, December 2009You may not have heard any hammers or saws, but the ISBA recently completed a major renovation of its diversity-related committees and sections councils—a renovation that is already seeing substantial dividends in terms of greater efficiency and collaborative creativity.
The City of Chicago renews its commitment to minority and women-owned businessesBy Daniel R. SaeediRacial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law, November 2009The City of Chicago has recently renewed its Minority and Women Business Enterprise Program, an affirmative action program in construction with goals for awarding 24% of City construction contracts to Minority-owned Business Enterprises and 4% to Women-owned Business Enterprises.
The commitment to diversity should be a badge worn every dayBy Sonni Choi WilliamsRacial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law, November 2009As the Peoria County Bar Association celebrated its 6th Annual Diversity Luncheon, I looked at the crowded room filled with more than 300 attendees including judges, ISBA representatives, school board members, students, and lawyers and felt proud that so many came out to support the commitment to diversity. But my celebratory mood dampened when I was also reminded of how easily the call and commitment to diversity can be overshadowed by a five-star event and the all-so-convenient excuse of the current economic downturn.
Interview with Julie BauerBy Paula H. HoldermanRacial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law, November 2009Julie A. Bauer is an equity partner with the international law firm of Winston & Strawn LLP, headquartered in Chicago.
2007-2009 Task Force on DiversityBy E. Lynn GraysonWomen and the Law, September 2009The efforts are continuing to ensure that the ISBA is as welcoming an environment as possible to all Illinois attorneys. We invite you to learn more about diversity initiatives within the ISBA by visiting our new diversity Web site at <http://www.isba.org/diversity>.
The 2008 ISBA Diversity SurveyBy Albert J. KlumppDiversity Leadership Council, June 2009Last spring more than 2,500 ISBA members participated in a survey conducted by the ISBA’s Task Force on Diversity.
California Proposition 8 updateBy Sepi GhafouriDiversity Leadership Council, June 2009Last summer, the Supreme Court of California became the second state high court in the United States to end years of marriage inequality.
Checks and balances at work: The ADA Amendments Act of 2008By William D. GorenDiversity Leadership Council, June 2009The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 overrule several United States Supreme Court decisions that had narrowed considerably the scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Chicago Urban League, et al. v. State of Illinois, et al.: Summary of Cook County Circuit Court’s April 15, 2009 opinionBy Lisa T. Scruggs, Sandi J. Toll, & Shyni VargheseDiversity Leadership Council, June 2009In a decision issued by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Martin S. Agran, the Court announced that Plaintiffs in the Chicago Urban League et al. v. State of Illinois and Illinois State Board of Education case have stated a valid claim of discriminatory disparate impact under the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003.
The Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms: From dream to realityBy Pamela M. BelynDiversity Leadership Council, June 2009In the summer of 2008, a group of more than 30 women’s initiatives in Chicago law firms came together to form the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms—the first organization of its kind in the United States. The Coalition’s mission is to benefit member firms by providing positive avenues of communication, collaboration and guidance that help member groups to enhance the recruitment, retention and promotion of women lawyers and support the building, implementation and continued relevancy of women’s initiatives in law firms.
Diversity Task Force—Report from the ChairBy Alice M. Noble-AllgireDiversity Leadership Council, June 2009As I write this column, Lynn Grayson and I are putting the finishing touches on a comprehensive report to the Board of Governors detailing the activities of the Task Force on Diversity during the past two years and offering a plan of action to chart the course for the ISBA’s diversity efforts into the future.
A new path to equality: The Challenge to Section 3 of DOMA in Gill, et al. v. OPM, et al.By Paul M. Smith, Daniel I. Weiner, & Lindsey C. HarrisonDiversity Leadership Council, June 2009On March 3, 2009, the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) commenced a challenge to Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), 1 U.S.C. § 7, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Reflections on World AIDS DayBy Yolaine DauphinDiversity Leadership Council, June 2009According to The Skeptic’s Guide to the Global AIDS Crisis, a book authored by Dale Hanson Bourke, approximately 8,500 people die of AIDS every day.
A response to Attorney General Eric Holder’s remarksBy Andrea FlynnDiversity Leadership Council, June 2009As lawyers, we are trained to tackle intellectual problems daily; however, a lack of diversity and troubled race relations cannot be easily analyzed and solved like a legal issue.
Supreme Court to hear corporate diversity jurisdiction caseBy Peter LaSorsaFederal Civil Practice, June 2009The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Hertz Corporation v. Friend, in which the Court will consider whether the location of a nationwide corporation’s headquarters can be disregarded by a court in determining a principal place of business for the purposes of diversity jurisdiction.
Workplace diversity: Employee resource groupsBy Mona M. StoneWomen and the Law, March 2009Workplace diversity training has been around for some time, but is growing in importance as the demographics of the working population continue to evolve.
“Who Me? A Law Professor?” aims to diversify law facultyBy Suzanne SchmitzWomen and the Law, December 2008Did you know that 63 percent of the law professors in the U.S. are men? 70 percent of full professors are men. 74 percent of law professors are white or Caucasian.
Diversity Task Force reappointed after productive first yearBy Alice M. Noble-AllgireRacial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law, November 2008ISBA President Jack Carey has authorized the continuation of the Task Force on Diversity for another year to continue several projects initiated during its first term.
The ADA on the edge of 17: That was the law that wasBy Patrick J. KronenwetterDiversity Leadership Council, June 2008In addressing the concept of diversity within the legal profession, the constituencies that most often come to mind are women, racial and ethnic minorities and persons with alternate sexual orientations or gender issues. But there is another, sometimes over-looked, group of lawyers who should be included in any discussion on diversity—namely, lawyers with disabilities.
Diversity in the Legal Profession: ISBA’s commitment continuesRacial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law, June 2008The Illinois State Bar Association has a long-standing and unwavering commitment to diversity in the legal profession and in the Association.
