Page 38 - Briefcase - University of Houston Law Center

UH LAW CENTER CO-SPONSORED BLACK LAWYERS MATTER

CONFERENCE 2021 EXPLORES PATH FORWARD TOWARD A

MORE INCLUSIVE LEGAL PROFESSION

uilding upon the momentum of the inaugural dialogue in 2020, the Gilmore is the first University of Houston graduate to be appointed
B2021 Black Lawyers Matter Conference was held in October with to the federal bench and, at the time of her appointment in 1994, was
a host of speakers and panelists ready to continue advancing diversity, the youngest federal judge on the bench.
equity, and inclusion in the legal profession. “Black lawyers matter because if you’re not at the table, you are on the
Organized after the tragic deaths of George Floyd and Breonna menu,” Gilmore said.
Taylor, the Black Lawyers Matter Conference aims to increase One of the ways a lack of diversity manifests itself is through implicit
diversity within the legal field, one of the least diverse professions or unconscious bias, according to Gilmore.
in the country, according to Dean Leonard M. Baynes, Dean and
Professor of Law at UH Law Center. Held virtually in October, the This can be particularly dangerous in the courtroom, where
Black Lawyers Matter Conference had close to 2,000 registrants from unchecked implicit bias can result in extreme disparities, Gilmore
across the country. said, citing data from the American Civil Liberties Union that shows
“We can’t have justice without adequate representation,” said Baynes. black men receive sentences that are 23% longer than white men.
“The underrepresentation of black lawyers has a long history in Marcilynn A. Burke – Dean and Dave Frohnmayer Chair in
our society.” Leadership and Law at the University of Oregon School of Law and
Presented by the Law School Admission Council, University of former associate dean and associate professor of law at the UH Law
Center – moderated part of the afternoon’s keynote presentation
Houston Law Center, and Southern Methodist University Dedman featuring Deborah Enix-Ross, President-Elect of the American
School of Law, the 2021 Black Lawyers Matter Conference covered Bar Association.
topics including: promoting diversity in law schools and law offices,
advancing anti-racist legal education, re-envisioning the hiring “I have been acutely aware of challenges lawyers of color face and
process, and retaining and developing new lawyers. have faced as we try to be active, productive members of this noble
“The whole essence of the protests of 2020 revolved around the profession,” said Enix-Ross, the second African-American woman to
be president of the ABA in its 140-year history.
continued disparity and underrepresentation of African Americans,
often leading to tragic criminal justice outcomes,” Baynes said, citing “Our ultimate objective is to create a truly inclusive workplace where
the fact that although black people make up about 13% of the U.S. black lawyers and other lawyers of color and other lawyers from
population, they still make up less than 5% of the legal profession. underrepresented demographic groups will not have to overcome
Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District additional barriers of bias or administration,” said Enix-Ross.
of Texas and 1981 graduate of the UH Law Center, opened the Black “That’s a job for all lawyers, not just lawyers of color.” ^
Lawyers Matter Conference with a dialogue about the importance of
diversity in the legal field, specifically within the judiciary.

UH LAW CENTER HEALTH LAW PROFESSORS PUBLISHED
IN NATIONAL COVID-19 POLICY PLAYBOOK

Faculty members from the University of Houston Law Center’s The book chapter argues that data are fundamental to good public
FHealth Law & Policy Institute shared their expertise in the health policies and their implementation. But with the challenges
“COVID-19 Policy Playbook II: Legal Recommendations for a Safer, presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the collection, analysis and
More Equitable Future.” distribution of public health data were flawed.
Jessica L. Roberts, Director of the Health Law & Policy Institute The Temple University Center for Public Health Law Research,
(HLPI) and the Leonard H. Childs Chair in Law, and Leah R. Fowler, Center for Health Policy and Law, Northeastern University School
the HLPI’s Research Director and a Research Assistant Professor, of Law, Public Health Law Watch, Wayne State University, Indiana
co-authored a chapter titled, “Improving Data Collection and University, The Network for Public Health Law and ChangeLab
Management” with Nicolas P. Terry of the Indiana University Robert Solutions produced the report. ^
H. McKinney School of Law.

38 Briefcase 2021