Seattle University School of Law has launched a yearlong series of engaging workshops designed to create awareness and empower students with skills and practical knowledge on issues related to diversity. The workshops give students a competitive edge for effective lawyering in an increasingly diverse and complex world. In addition, students are gaining tools to better understand and engage in issues of inclusion, diversity and cross-cultural competence, which are not only global and business imperatives, but also are justice imperatives.
The workshop series started in September with “Inclusion, Diversity, and Cross-Cultural Competence as Justice Imperatives,” led by Ada Shen-Jaffe, senior advisor to Dean Kellye Testy. Through this foundational and interactive workshop, students learned about the basic building blocks of self-awareness and emotional intelligence. They then moved on to anti-oppression frameworks relating to status, social rank and power, which will help ground their work as effective advocates and leaders in an increasingly diverse and global world.
Following this foundational workshop, students participated in a lunchtime training session in October called “How to be a Mentee and Creating Useful Networks,” which was led by Stacey Lara-Kerr, associate director of the Center for Professional Development, and Fé Lopez, assistant director for Student Life. Particularly for students from diverse backgrounds, establishing and utilizing networks and seeking guidance from mentors can serve a very important role in their professional lives. In these workshops, students were presented with information on the do’s and don’ts of being a good and effective mentee and shown how they can create and maintain networks within the legal community.
Understanding that diversity is an important component of Seattle University School of Law, the law school makes it a priority to provide space to discuss critical issues of race, class, gender, ability and sexual orientation. To ensure ongoing productive discussions, students are invited to participate in Diversity Table Talks — informal, small group discussions over dinner facilitated by the Seattle University Office of Multicultural Affairs. A Table Talk in October focused on “Race, Gender and the Election.” Participants watched two short clips in advance to spark conversation about the intersection of race and gender in political power.
The semester ended with the workshop “The Disability Perspective,” presented by Andrea Kadlec, David Carlson and Stacie Siebrecht from Disability Rights Washington. This training focused on understanding and advocating for people with disabilities. Students learned about the protection and advocacy system established by the federal government and the services Disability Rights Washington provides.
After getting an overview of the different types of disabilities, students gained an understanding of the importance of using people-first language and the disability culture. The training also provided students with tips on interviewing individuals with disabilities in order to obtain accurate information. Students also engaged in a discussion about applying the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) to providing services to people with disabilities, with a specific focus on RPCs 1.14 and 1.6.
Students have been enthusiastic about what they have learned. “The Lawyering in a Diverse World series provided me with the opportunity to begin thinking about transitioning from law student to practicing attorney in a safe and encouraging environment,” said Kristi Cruz, who graduated in December. “It was insightful and provided me with tools to begin the ongoing process of recognizing and navigating a diverse world in a respectful and appropriate manner.”
2L Bette Fleishman has attended two of the trainings so far. “They were motivating and enforced why I decided to go to law school,” she said.
The workshops began again in January with “Cross-Cultural Lawyering,” led by Prof. Paul Holland, director of the School of Law’s Ronald A. Peterson Law Clinic. To be effective in a multicultural society, lawyers must develop the ability to anticipate, identify and overcome culture-based assumptions, including their own and those of the many others with whom they interact (e.g., clients, co-counsel, opposing counsel, judges). This highly interactive session is designed to introduce students to a variety of practices that will improve their ability to avoid the pitfalls of our human tendency to make such assumptions.
This month offers a week of activities in conjunction with the School of Law’s annual Diversity Week that runs from February 23–26. A Diversity Week Reception is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Feb. 26 in the 2nd Floor Gallery. All members of the legal community committed to diversity issues are invited to attend. The School of Law will be highlighting the importance of diversity education both in law school and in continuing legal education.
In March, students will have an opportunity to participate in a “Safe Spaces” workshop led by Dr. Manivong J. Ratts of the Department of Counseling and School Psychology at Seattle University’s School of Education. This training will focus on being an ally to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community. Basic LGBTQ concepts and theories, as well as strategies on how to create an inclusive environment for LGBTQ individuals, will be explored. Students will have opportunities to practice ways to address anti-LGBTQ comments and develop skills to address common LGBTQ-related questions.
The last workshop for the academic year, “Bias in the Courtroom,” will be in April and will be led by Jeff Robinson, attorney at Schroeter Goldmark & Bender, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Otaki. Lawyers representing either side in a criminal or civil case can and should seek decisions that are free of racial bias for tactical and ethical reasons. This training will discuss why avoiding racial bias is in the mutual interest of both sides in criminal or civil litigation and will cover techniques designed to reveal racial bias in potential jurors and promote race-neutral decision-making in the courtroom.
All Seattle University law students are welcome to attend any and all of the Lawyering in a Diverse World workshops. While there is no requirement to attend the entire series, students are encouraged to attend as many sessions as they can to gain a comprehensive experience. Each student who attends four of the trainings and at least one Diversity Table Talk will be awarded a certificate of completion of the Lawyering in a Diverse World workshop series.
To find out more about the Lawyering in a Diverse World workshop series, please visit the Seattle University School of Law website at http://www.law.seattleu.edu/Student_Life/Diversity.xml. If you have any questions or comments, please email Diana Singleton, director of the Access to Justice Institute, at singletd@seattleu.edu, or Fé Lopez, assistant director for Student Life, at lopezf@seattleu.edu.
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