Ogletree Deakins’ Post

Aspiring Lawyers, Lawyers, and Friends! Please Share and Repost! ***SAVE THE DATES: Plan to join us in New York City, New York as we celebrate the 20th anniversary (2005-2024) of The National Black Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair - the nation's premier information-sharing and networking event for aspiring Black lawyers!*** We have very special programming planned including honoring all of the lawyers, judges, deans, law school administrators, sponsors, partners, and others who have participated and supported us in reaching this milestone year. In addition, we will be spotlighting success stories of now lawyers who attended the event as pre-law students and benefitted from the ways we have continued to serve our Black pre-law community. This will be a phenomenal event in a dynamic city - and a celebration you won't want to miss! As always, registration remains completely free of charge and everyone is welcome. More information and details to come! Registration opening soon! #nbplc20 #blackprelawconference #prelaw #blackprelaw #futureblacklawyers #aspiringblacklawyers #blacklawyers #descendants #diaspora #20years #twodecades #legacy #lawyers #legaleducation #unapologeticallyblack #rolemodels #mentors #informationsharing #networking #empowerment #resources #connections #representationmatters #historymatters #blackperspectives #blackexperiences #impact #lawstudents #prelawstudents #blacklawstudents #honors #givingback #eachonereachone #pouringintoeachother #wegotus #ifwedontdoitwhowill #service #sankofa #service #payingitforward

"While you’re in law school, work on strengthening your research and writing skills—especially writing. Go and watch oral arguments; see who the lawyers are and connect with them to talk about their work and how they built their appellate careers." For our last Black History Month profile, meet former Florida First District Court of Appeal judge and TAP mentor Simone Marstiller, Of Counsel at Gunster. Get to know her better at her profile here (https://lnkd.in/es7MnNPi) but enjoy this one excerpt now: Q: What advice would you give to a law student of color who aspires to be where you are now? A: While you’re in law school, work on strengthening your research and writing skills—especially writing. Go and watch oral arguments; see who the lawyers are and connect with them to talk about their work and how they built their appellate careers. Join the student divisions of the voluntary bar associations in your area and start networking. Often, the bar associations will have events honoring or featuring the judges in the area; go to those events (take a classmate with you if you don’t want to go alone) and talk to/get to know the judges. #BlackHistoryMonth #AppellateLinkedIn #RepresentationMatters

Join me on July 1 to talk about the importance of DEI Programs and what the future of DEI looks like!

It’s the first day of Black History Month and we’d like to point out a glaring problem: racial diversity in the legal profession is barely improving. Black people make up roughly 13% of the US but only 4.2% of lawyers, according to the National Association for Law Placement. That’s less than a 1% increase compared to 15 years ago. What’s worse, Black representation in law firm leadership is abysmal. Black women just surpassed 1% of total law firm partners for the first time in 2023. The total percentage of Black law firm partners is just 2.5%. We must do better. While DEI programs are under attack, law firms and law schools need to ensure that the public has access to legal representation that reflects our increasingly diverse nation. The New York State Bar Association recently released a report in response to the Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision ending affirmative action. The NYSBA emphasizes that the Supreme Court ruling applies only to schools, but provides recommendations for minimizing legal risk while staying true to diversity efforts. They recommend that law firms: - Legally audit their DEI programs with outside counsel - Create measurable objectives and goals - Properly communicate the status of their diversity efforts with senior leadership - Monitor laws and initiatives targeting DEI efforts, both locally and nationwide. - Coordinate events with diverse student clubs at law schools - Develop and expand their pipeline program - Implement development and retention programs through the creation of affinity groups, trainings, or mentorship programs Our firm is committed to hiring diverse legal talent and supporting Black attorneys at all levels of the profession. If you are experiencing racial hostility or microaggressions at work, we’re here to help. #blackhistorymonth #BlackLawyers #DiversifyLaw #BlackGirlsDoLaw #BlackLawyersMatter

"Don’t be afraid to chart your own path which may look very different from the path others are traveling. Appellate practice is about shaping a persuasive narrative using facts and the law." For our first Black History Month profile, meet appellate superstar and TAP mentor Caprice Jenerson, president and attorney in charge at the Office of the Appellate Defender in New York. Get to know her better here: https://lnkd.in/ePG7aZtA but enjoy this one excerpt now: Q: What advice would you give to a law student of color who aspires to be where you are now? A: Don’t be afraid to chart your own path which may look very different from the path others are traveling. Appellate practice is about shaping a persuasive narrative using facts and the law. Being authentically you is the first step to storytelling that is the cornerstone of appellate practice. Your understanding and interpretation of the law is essential to appellate practice and your difference is your super power. #BlackHistoryMonth #AppellateLinkedIn #RepresentationMatters

Proud to have participated in a thought-provoking discussion with the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) on the importance of estate planning for economic justice yesterday. We went beyond traditional wealth management, focusing on how estate planning can be a game-changer for underrepresented and disenfranchised communities. The NBLSA students truly impressed me with their insightful questions. Their passion was palpable, fueling a dynamic conversation. #estateplanning #marylandestateplanning #floridaestateplanning #marylandestateplanningattorney #floridaestateplanningattorney #marylandprobateattorney #floridaprobatelawyer #probateplanning #estateplanningattorney #legalprofession #dayinalifeofalawyer #lawyerdiaries #diaryofalawyer #lawyerlife #lawyerlifestyle #NBLSA57 #JuneteenthCelebration #EconomicJustice #lawstudents #lawstudentslife

GC's and C-suite executives need to hold their law firms accountable for their demand that law schools enforce a zero tolerance policy for anti-semitism, which you can find below. Hundreds of law firms signed this letter way back in November 2023. The letter and signatories can be found at the link below. Demand to know whether those firms are planning to recruit at Harvard, Penn, Georgetown, Yale and other "top" schools that continue to allow their campuses to provide fertile ground for Jew hate. And to those within law firms themselves, make your voices heard. Silence is complicity. https://lnkd.in/ee4mtP8u

“Law schools are pipelines to elite leadership roles in government and private industry,” the study reads. “Lawyers make up a tenth of CEOs, a third of state governors, more than a third of U.S. House members, more than half of U.S. senators, and almost all judges and prosecutors. A decline in racial diversity in law schools, particularly elite law schools, may lead to a decline in racial diversity in these key leadership roles. Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e_H5kvH3 #LawSchool #LawTrends #Leadership #Diversity #Inclusion #RacialDiversity

🚨 Calling all future legal trailblazers! 🚨 ⚖️ Ready to make your mark in the legal world? The Black Lawyers Journal submission deadline is fast approaching—15th September! ✍🏾 Whether you're passionate about human rights, corporate law, or anything in between, this is your chance to share your voice and ideas with a growing community of Black legal professionals. 🌍✊🏾 Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to be featured. Let’s amplify our stories, break barriers, and inspire the next generation! 💥📚 #LegalExcellence #BlackLawyersJournal #AmplifyBlackVoices #LegalCommunity  #LegalAcademia

Elitism and humility. Two traits that often find it hard to coexist with one another. Over 90% of the attorney candidates I’ve worked with since starting Mosaic have come from the best law schools in the world: Yale Law School , Harvard Law School , Stanford Law School , Columbia Law School , New York University School of Law , University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School , University of Chicago Law School , University of California, Berkeley - School of Law , Howard University School of Law , Georgetown University Law Center , University of Michigan Law School , Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law , Duke University School of Law , University of California, Los Angeles - School of Law , and University of Virginia School of Law . Over 90% of those attorney candidates ALSO happen to be women, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, first-generation professionals, and/or first-generation Americans. One thing you’ll often find in common among all these people (including myself) is that we cling to these institutional stamps of approval. I’ve found It’s usually not because of naked elitism, but because these stamps deliver approval and acceptance from family and communities that have (arguably unfairly) conditioned love on academic/career success AND because these stamps can act as shields against stereotypes that devalue us. The other thing you’ll find in common among many of my candidates is that they’ve had to work much harder than the baseline to get where they are! There’s something to be said about overcoming multiple societal, cultural, and systematic barriers to get to where you are. It builds character and resilience, empathy and humility, and sometimes even humor and charisma. Working with candidates like this has been without a doubt the best part of my job and I just want to say how grateful I am that I have this opportunity. So thank you to everyone who’s chosen to work with me and who will choose to work with me in the future! Let’s keep winning together. — #dei #lawschool #biglaw #gratitude