Diversity Corner

• Citation: Vol. 93 No. 4 Pg. 20
• Publication year: 2024
• Pages: 20

Diversity Corner 93 J. Kan. Bar Assn 4, 20 (2024) Kansas Bar Journal August 2024

Acknowledging Diversity in Workplace and Clients Essential to Legal Community

By Quentin Aker, Federal Public Defender's Office for the District of Kansas in Wichita

When I was asked to write an article about my experience in the legal profession as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I found it difficult to separate my personal experience from the larger concept of diversity in the legal profession itself. As I reflected, I realized that diversity has played a large role in both my education and my career.

My journey with diversity in the law began in law school. During my 2L year, I took an LGBTQ+ seminar. It was eye opening. Because my undergraduate degree was in finance, that seminar was the first time I was able to learn about the number of issues in the law specific to the LGBTQ+ community in an academic setting. The instructor was also a full-time practitioner, which meant in addition to teaching us the academics of diversity, he was also able to demonstrate how he applied his teachings to his law practice in an everyday setting. This was useful, and I was appreciative for the real-world applications.

I graduated from law school in 2020. After graduation, I worked at a defense firm in Wichita for two years before deciding to become a public defender, first at...