The Palm Beach County Bar Association debuts its first diversity website.

• Author: Burns, Patience A.
• Position: Spotlight on Local Bar Associations

Among many other successful diversity efforts, the Palm Beach County Bar Association (PBCBA) has launched a diversity website that focuses on recruiting diverse lawyers to live and practice law in Palm Beach County. The bar association created the website, www.palmbeachbar.org/diversity.php, so that law firms and government agencies can show their candidates that Palm Beach County welcomes lawyers of diverse ethnic, racial, and gender backgrounds.

PBCBA expects that firms and agencies will include a link to the diversity website on their own sites to assist with recruiting.

"The Committee for Diversity and Inclusion was established as a permanent committee of the association to demonstrate its sustained commitment to improving diversity in the Palm Beach County legal community," said Michael Napoleone, president of the Palm Beach County Bar Association. The Committee for Diversity and Inclusion is co-chaired by Adam Rabin and Jessica Callow.

"The committee is a joint task force between the Palm Beach County Bar Association and members of several minority and women's bar associations throughout Palm Beach County," said Rabin. Callow added, "The new diversity website is just one of many projects the diversity committee is working on to improve the image of Palm Beach County's legal community as an inviting place to live and work for diverse attorneys."

Additional projects include developing internship and mentoring programs for diverse law students, meeting with law firms' hiring partners to assist with recruiting, and hosting an annual diversity event.

The Palm Beach County Bar Association is a nonprofit voluntary organization that serves its members, fosters professionalism, and enhances the public's understanding and awareness of the legal system...