2010 offers grant program to Voluntary Bar Associations that encourage diversity.

• Author: Johnson, Maria S.
• Position: Spotlight on Voluntary Bar Associations

When he became president of the Jacksonville Bar Association, Joseph Camerlengo felt there was a lack of diversity initiatives in his circuit and was concerned that his association did not have an active diversity committee. He set a goal of bringing together the volunteer bars in Jacksonville to address diversity and to launch an ongoing effort.

Toward that goal, the Jacksonville Bar Association Diversity Symposium was organized and held in February 2009. Co-hosting organizations included the Asian-American Bar Association, the Christian Legal Society, the D.W. Perkins Bar Association, Florida Coastal School of Law, the Hispanic Bar Association, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, and Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association. The focuses of the half-day symposium, which had a keynote speaker and panel discussions, included equality in the legal profession and an open and frank dialogue about diversity. Approximately 100 members of the legal community attended, and law students were provided with complimentary admission.

Like the Jacksonville Bar, the Palm Beach County Bar Association championed a diversity outreach program with its Diversity Summit in September 2009. With support from F. Malcolm Cunningham Sr. Bar Association, the Hispanic Bar Association, the South Palm Beach County Bar Association, the Palm Beach County Justice Association, and the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (statewide and local chapters), this event was an open forum for government agencies and the business community to join members of the bench and law firm representatives in discussions on new programs to increase the diversity of Palm Beach County's local legal community. The central focus was on developing new diversity initiatives and opportunities for firms and agencies to attract and retain diverse legal talent. Attendance topped 200.

Another example of a local diversity initiative was the Hillsborough County Bar Association's Regional Diversity Summit, providing live interactive training for judges, lawyers, and law students. Held in April 2010, speakers included Wilhelmina L. Tribble, a certified international facilitator, and Judge Claudia R. Isom, a Florida Bar certified diversity trainer and member of the 13th Judicial Circuit Diversity Team. The four-hour summit--which was also presented as a webinar--concentrated on cultural competency, a new skill requirement in the legal profession structured on employing a combination of awareness, knowledge, and...