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August 2007Keeping the Pipeline of Talent Vital and Thrivingby WSBA President Ellen Conedera Dial Have you ever had the experience of being in a meeting, courtroom, or other venue with clients and other lawyers and thinking: “I am the only [fill in the blank] in the room?” If current statistics about lawyers in Washington are to be believed, at least 35 percent of you have had that experience. (I explain my conclusion below.) Imagine how it must feel to be a client who knows nothing about contracts, pleadings, depositions, courtroom procedures, or other complex legal matters, dealing with a legal matter that is unfamiliar but vital to that person, and to have the same experience of being the only one in the room who is like him or her. There are many levels at which this is an important issue, beginning with our ability to communicate effectively and clearly with clients, and extending to whether people whose lives intersect with the legal system perceive it to be fair and just. It is difficult to imagine a more important issue for the future of our profession than our ability to inspire in others the belief that our system of laws and justice will treat them with fairness and justice. I believe that if we are to be successful, our profession needs to mirror, socially and culturally, the society that it serves. Moreover, I believe that we will not be able to continue to attract the best and the brightest to the practice of law in all of its variations unless we do so. According to the statistics kept by the WSBA (based on voluntary reporting), we know that as a profession, we are doing a poor job of mirroring our communities in at least those areas for which statistics are available. Persons of color make up more than 23 percent of Washington state’s population, but only about 10.5 percent of the Washington State Bar Association. Women make up just over 50 percent of the general population, but about 35 percent of the Bar. We do not have statistics for other important areas of diversity in our population. We are similar to the profession nationally in our percentage of women members, but lag behind the nation in the percentage of lawyers of color who are members of our Bar.1 In fact, many of us have had the experience of being the only one in the room like us. I would guess that almost every lawyer who is a person of color, who is disabled, or who identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, has had this experience, as have almost all women. How are we to remain a vital and thriving profession, and how are we to inspire confidence that our justice system serves our communities justly and well, if we do not attract, promote, and retain talented lawyers from these communities? Bar associations all over the country are working on the “attracting” part of that formula, and the programs aimed at attracting people to the practice of law are often called “pipeline programs.” There are a number of pipeline programs in place in Washington state, but until now there have been none with the backing and support of the WSBA. Later this year, the WSBA will award its first-ever grant for a pipeline program to serve one or more communities of young people that are currently underserved. The Board of Governors has approved a three-year grant of a total of $75,000 to support such a program, and Microsoft will match this amount with its own grant in support of the program. The winning proposal, then, will be entitled to receive a total of $150,000 over three years.2 Pipeline programs take many forms. Perhaps most common are education programs that expose young people to the legal profession. Street Law, a program sponsored by Street Law, Inc. (www.streetlaw.org), places law students in local high school classrooms to teach classes on legal topics of particular interest to youth. Many organizations and law schools hold conferences that bring youth to law schools, into court, or to law firms to introduce them to the profession. Some organizations run summer camps and internship programs. Others provide tutoring or mentoring to help young people succeed in school, or sponsor mock trials. Apart from the format, pipeline programs also differ in the particular demographic and/or age groups they serve, and the outcomes identified as goals for the project. What all pipeline programs have in common, however, is the goal of helping young people overcome barriers to success so that they have the skills and tools necessary to become professionals and take their places as leaders in their communities. Part of that effort is to make it clear that the legal profession is a part of, and serves, all communities without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or geography. For students who are already thinking about a profession, pipeline programs aim to entice them to consider a career in the law. In fact, some pipeline programs are designed specifically to help law students successfully enter the legal profession, while others, notably the program sponsored by the State Bar of Texas, focus on the needs of grade-school children to have a connection in their own lives to successful professionals. A blue ribbon committee is working now on the WSBA’s request for proposals, to be issued later this summer. Please ask yourself whether your local or specialty bar association might be interested in sponsoring — or co-sponsoring — a new pipeline program to serve your community. All three of the law schools in the state have offered to partner with others to provide administrative support for a program. Imagine what you can do in your communities to inspire young people to believe in their futures and in the future of our system of justice. We need them to lead our profession forward.
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