Left Out and Left Behind: A Discussion on Women of Color in the Legal Profession [Free BBA Webinar]

The BBA presents live webinars and virtual events via Zoom. Please register for this program through your BBA account at least two hours before the start time of the program to receive the Zoom webinar link.

The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession has released its latest study, Left Out and Left Behind: the Hurdles, Hassles, and Heartaches of Achieving Long Term Legal Careers for Women of Color. Two authors of the study, Paulette Brown, Chief Diversity Officer, Locke Lord LLP, and Eileen Letts, Partner, Zuber Lawler & Del Duca LLP,  will share the results of this study and the impact that the paucity of women lawyers of color has on the administration of justice. Participants will learn about the concrete recommendations presented in Left Out and Left Behind, including adopting best practices for reducing biases in decision making; going beyond recruitment to inclusion; and incorporating an intersectional approach to addressing diversity and gender.

The report itself shows that:

• women lawyers of color surveyed were far more likely to want to leave the profession than their white colleagues
• were more likely to be subjected to both implicit and explicit bias
• were more likely to report factors that blocked their “access to success,” including access to business development opportunities, being perceived as less committed to career and being denied or overlooked for promotion.

Join us for a fireside chat discussion followed by an audience Q&A.

This program is supported by the Boston Bar Foundation Beacon Fund for Diversity & Inclusion. The Beacon Fund was established by EMC Corporation in 2016 and is dedicated to supporting the diversity, equity and inclusion projects of the Boston Bar Association.  For more information on the BBF or this fund, please contact Erica Southerland at esoutherland@bostonbar.org.