Georgia Diversity Program Hosts Fall Learning Lab

• Jurisdiction: United States,Federal,Georgia
• Citation: Vol. 26 No. 5 Pg. 0032
• Pages: 0032
• Publication year: 2021

Georgia Diversity Program Hosts Fall Learning Lab No. Vol. 26, No. 5, Pg. 32 Georgia Bar Journal April, 2021

Feature

Advancing diverse talent requires consistent commitment to each firm's respective goals and a willingness to continue to evolve as the issues involved in diversity, equity and inclusion evolve.

BY REBECCA CHRISTIAN SMITH

The State Bar of Georgia Diversity Program (GDP) held its Fall Learning Lab on Dec. 20, 2020. The virtual event, "Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice in 2021,” sought to capture 2020 through the lens of the judiciary, law firms and in-house legal departments with a specific focus on what it means to have a diverse judiciary and the need for legal organizations to become social justice warriors. The two-part CLE began with an insightful discussion moderated by Hon. Dax E. Lopez, judge, State Court of DeKalb County. The judicial panelists included Chief Justice Harold D. Melton, Supreme Court of Georgia; Hon. Berryl A. Anderson, chief magistrate judge, Magistrate Court of DeKalb County; and Hon. Shermela Williams, judge, Fulton County Superior Court. The panelists tackled issues including the meaning of judicial diversity, the challenges in achieving a diverse bench, the relationship between diversity and public trust in the judicial system and whether diversity impacts their own work.

In the wake of racial unrest and protests, and the disparate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, the second half of the CLE examined responses of law firms and legal in-house departments to what we all experienced in 2020. Kathleen O. Currey, partner, Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs, LLP, led the discussion among panelists that included: Yendelela Neely Holston, partner and chief diversity officer, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP; Tara Jackson, associate, Akerman LLP; D'Andrea J. Morning, vice president, corporate compliance, Grady Health Systems; and J.C. Roper, partner, Drew Eckl & Farnham. Here are the highlights of what was discussed in each session.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and the Bench: Perspectives from Jurists and Advocates

When asked what judicial diversity means and what forms are important, the panelists agreed that all forms of diversity on the bench are important. Just as the law requires a jury of peers, the bench should reflect the community. The panelists also agreed that it is in the best interest of the litigant for the judiciary to reflect the community...